Far from the Madding Crowd

Here's a peaceful spot in the east of Ireland.

Bum Rapp

Back in 1989 I saw a hollywood film called Heathers in the cinema. A sort of a black comedy take on the standard hollywood teen film. Remembering what I can now, it was more warped hollywood filth. One line I remembered related to one teenage girl bitching about another’s apparently outdated look. She’s so ‘87

That line came to mind when I read a 2009 novel called In Pursuit of Honour which takes in ‘the war on terror.’ The hero is CIA man Mitch Rapp who comes across as a Jack Bauer clone hunting down the evil middle eastern terrorists.These guys are on the run in rural Iowa after taking part in an attack in Washington DC and get to kill an all American hunter and his son who stumble on them. It’s a poignant scene, the father howling over his son’s body before the enemies of freedom also cap his ass. And then they take out an elderly couple and hide in their house.

Rapp mainly hangs out in Washington and the author does his best to ignore the realities of the city, just hinting at a rough area that Rapp ventures near, without any implication as to why it is in that state.We’re treated instead to the brady bunch type family of Rapp’s partner, who’s beautiful daughter is kidnapped from their leafy suberb by the bad guys after they’ve completed their rampage through flyover country.

Rapp and his woman CIA boss are more interested in making disparaging offhand remarks about ‘ Hitler lovers’ aka domestic terrorists, than discussing the murder rate in DC. ‘ Hitler lovers’ are the kind of folks who apparently love their freedom too much. Oh and we’re supposed to emphatise with Rapp and his crew. They’re out there keeping us safe and we’re not very grateful apparently. Well maybe I’d be more grateful if the scum they work for didn’t wreck so much havoc on our countries with their ‘fiscal policies’ and their social engineering. How many of our people are terrorised in Western Europe and North America every day just because of the way they look, with Rapp’s overlords more likely to prosecute them than help them if they complain.

Anyway reading this novel this year, I was thinking that this is so 04. Writing this stuff in 2009 is like a guy still wearing flares in 1983. I mean is there anyone out there apart from those CJ clowns ( who have to be either disinfo agents are unbelievable fools )who will buy this pup any more. Its not that everyone has turned into ‘ Hitler lovers.’ Some things just glaringly do not add up. More glaringly than ever in 2011. Look at the new laws they’re trying to bring in now over in the land of the free. I actually saw that this guy’s latest effort is a prequel about a young Mitch twenty years ago. Smart move.

Never Go Under

Ireland in the 1980s. Looking back on my teenage years now as opposed to a few years ago, the overwhelming image of the period in my mind is not one of the northern troubles or of dole queues but of of homogenous youth. Over half the population was under 25 in the mid eighties. Youth was everywhere. God only knows what it would have been like if four hundred thousand mainly young people were not leaving the country between 1981 and 1987.

In 1981 41% of the population of the Republic of Ireland was under 15. The other European countries were already looking at a demographic cloud on the horizon. Ireland would have stood out like a beacon in Our world to anybody who was paying attention. I wasn’t but I do remember being surrounded by other young people everywhere I went and thinking nothing of it.

Today I think less than 40% are under 25. Could be worse of course, The eighties haunt me quite a bit. You never know what you’ve got till its on the way out. Now we’ve got Fine Gael / Labour ‘in power ‘ and all that goes with that today. Empty suits and any not so empty one(s) being busy little bees assuming the peasants won’t notice. Great. I love it. Thank you Fine Gael. I’ll be sure to vote for you next time out. I just love progress.

West of Ireland

Corgemore at the start of the Maamturks. Binn Idir an da Log can be seen in the distance to the right. This shot was taken from near the top of Lackavrea hill on the far side of the road below. Had to trudge through a lot of marshy ground to get up here.







This was taken from the same spot except I turned around 180 degrees to see the northwest corner of Lough Corrib, Ireland's second largest lake. Thats Ben Levy to the left of the picture. Not a very high hill but in a good location on the isthmus between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask which the third largest lake in the country. I was up there as well. Its a loney spot but worth a trip.

Tipperary Mountain High

There's some of us have deemed to fight From Tipperary mountains high Noble men with wills of iron Who are not afraid to die Who'll fight with gaelic honour held on high





Alone, all alone, by the wave-washed strand
All alone in the crowded hall
The hall it is gay and the waves they are grand
But my heart is not there at all,
It flies far away, by night and by day
To the times and the joys that are gone
But I never can forget the sweet maiden I met
In the valley of Slievenamon.


In the festive ball and the wave-washed shore
My restless spirit cries -
`My land, oh my land, shall I never see you more,
My country will you never uprise.
By night and by day I will ever, ever pray,
As darkly my life it rolls on,
To see our flag unrolled and my true love unfold
In the valley near Slievenamon.

Misty Mountain Top

Some go up those hills when the mist is already on them trusting in their ability with map and compass. Not me because I don't see the point if you can't see anything. Sure you could go up on a clear day and then the mist comes down quick and you'd better be to able to navigate. But you went up with a chance of some decent views. I went up Errigal in Donegal once on a sunny morning and the mist came in all of a sudden when I was halfway up. Well I kept going because its a straightforward well worn path and by the time I hit the top the mist had cleared. But not in these here hills would I keep going. The mountain top shrouded in mist in the picture above is Binn Idir an Da Log, or in English- The Peak between two hollows, at 702 meters the highest in the Maamturks range in County Galway. I got up to that point at 630 meters before turning back. I came back a few weeks later and it was all clear.




This is taken from the top looking back at the higher part of the ridge where the mist started in the top picture.



Looking west from near the top to the neighbouring range called The Twelve Bens. Its a tricky descent on rough quarzite terrain so you really want a clear day.



This time looking to the southwest.

Devilsmother

A view southwest to The Twelve Bens range in the rugged Conamara region in County Galway taken from the top of Ben Gorm just inside County Mayo . Killary Harbour below which marks part of the border between Galway and Mayo, is the closest thing Ireland has to a fjord. It leads out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Ben Gorm is the guts of a two hour hike from the Aasleagh Falls car park a few miles north of the village of Leenaun where the film The Field was made. The problem with walking in these hills is that they are misty a lot of the time which kind of ruins the view if it doesn't get you lost. But not on this day. I have learned the use of a compass just in case because it can come down quick.




Devilsmother- An arresting name for a mountain. This was taken on the way up Ben Gorm looking back to the east and the head of Killary Harbour from where Devilsmother rises.



Once you attain the top of Devilsmother you can walk along the ridge for two km. Getting up there is the hard part.