Baking Creative Bread on Ireland's Beara Peninsula

If you live on Beara Peninsula in the very southwest of Ireland, creative inspiration can be found right outside your door. Take a walk along Coulagh Bay. Smell the sea. Hear the song of the seagulls crying for their supper. Watch a majestic sunset or a storm sweeping in. It's enough to get the creative juices flowing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the stories of Ireland come alive here and all you have to do is open your eyes. Legends aren't the only inspiration for creative endeavors. Due to the tapestry of wonder that can be found on Beara, any number of artists - be they painters, poets, actors, novelists, musicians, potters... (pick an artform) - live in, or travel to, Beara to discover the magic for their art. 

As a for instance: I live on the Main Street in the village of Eyeries. Just down the road, Alex Barclay puts pen to paper (or more likely, fingers to laptop) as she creates her many wonderful novels (check Alex out on Goodreads). Up the road in the other direction, actor Dermot Crowley resides in a fine home which he's lived in for many years. 

The area has an active poets society as well as any number of creative writing groups. Painters (like my good friends Mary Maddison and Boss the Painter) are inspired by the light, the seascapes, industries including fishing and farming, wild critters and farm animals, and the people of the area. Ditto behind the amazing photography of my late friend John Eagle and the oh-so-very-active and talented work of Sue Swansborough. 

The very light itself draws creative types to the area. My good friend, filmmaker Liam O'Neill, called the summer sunsets and twilight 'the magic hour'. And so it is. The receding sunlight paints the area in a sheen of mystery, glinting off high clouds, the sea, and the surrounding landscape. Is it any wonder that we've had so many films shot in the area?

Supporting the Wonder of Artistry

What's nice is that the local people here do what they can to support artistic activities. As a for  instance: every year (with the exception of these horrid Covid times), Eyeries residents hold the Windows on Eyeries Art Trail as part of our Summer Family Festival. Homeowners volunteer to display the paintings and photography of local artists in the windows of their homes. For a few weeks the village becomes a walking art gallery as we saunter around, gazing at these artistic wonders and often purchasing a few for our own living rooms.

What I love most, however, is watching people from afar visiting our area to practice their own art. Usually during the summer months, but often year-round, I'll see painters in front of their easels eyeing a sunset over Coulagh Bay, or framing a still-life of wild plants or our colorful houses in the village. I'll see them walking, art supplies slung over arms, across hill and dale  as they search for the perfect landscape. 

How to Enjoy the Magic for Yourself

You don't have to be a resident to tap into the inspiration of Beara Peninsula. We've many fine Bed & Breakfasts here (check out  Booking .com or Google Eyeries Bed & Breakfast for a comprehensive list). Stay in Glamping or - by all means, stay with us at our Solas Mor Tent Camping site (you'll love the view!) Maybe rent the cozy coastal Creativity Cabin from my friend Anne, just across the bay. 

Or do you want something even more magical? Then try Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat. The owner and manager, Sue, has created something very special for artists of all kinds. For instance, book a week's stay and pad around the house with other residents, sharing ideas and finding a bit of creative space. My good friend, American artist Ann Tracy, uses this hide-away as a bakery for her creative ideas with stunning results.

By the way: about fifteen years ago I stayed with Sue to write a project. It's how I discovered Eyeries. So be careful. If you visit you might yearn to stay here just as I have.

Whatever type of art you practice; however you get here or where you stay; I hope you can enjoy the wonder of Beara just as I do. There's nothing quite like it as a place to bake your creative bread.

Dolphin Song is Available for Presale on Amazon

Tom Richards' debut novel for adult readers is available Now on Amazon in all markets for presales (Amazon.com, Amazon. co. uk and all other locations). Launching on 21 September 2021, this story combines romantic fantasy with Irish legend and the magic of dolphins. Readers say: "…spiritually uplifting. A thought-provoking, inspiring and intriguing story" and "a story for our times". 

For details about Dolphin Song, follow Tom on his Facebook's author page or his Goodreads Author's Profile.