The Notebook

After RainNotebook No 149June 2026

Connemara when the cloud lifts

Forty minutes of light on the Twelve Bens, after a morning of grey.

Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective

Most mornings here, Connemara lies shrouded in low cloud. The locals offer no apologies for this common weather. They simply await what follows: around eleven, the wind shifts, parting the clouds against the western slopes of the Twelve Bens. For about forty minutes, the landscape transforms under a new light. The boglands turn from brown to a rich copper. Granite outcrops gleam silver. The loughs appear newly replenished.

Connemara when the cloud lifts

Everywhere

If you can, drive the road from Recess towards Roundstone within that small window. The pull-offs at Glendollagh and Derryclare are the places to stop. Step out of your car. The wind carries the salt tang of the Atlantic, even this far inland. The mountains seem closer than their actual distance. Take a single photograph, then set your phone aside; these minutes deserve your full attention, not a lens.

Ballynahinch is the refuge you seek for your return. The river runs dark brown after the rain, the bar is dimly lit, and the staff anticipates your request. We know you will want a small whiskey, by the fire, as the cloud descends once more.

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From the notebook

Editorial itineraries from Ireland.

Collected notes. A few times each season.