Fields of Ireland
Fields of Ireland
Introduction
From the lush valleys of Wicklow to the rocky slopes of Connemara, the beautiful glens of Antrim to the rolling pastures of Cork, the field has been part of the Irish story forever. In northern Mayo, you can visit the oldest known field system in the world – the remarkable Céide Fields, which go back almost six thousand years to neolithic times. Since then, we have been marking our place in the world, big or small, with fences, hedges and dry stone walls.
The fields of Ireland are heavy with myth – this is the terrain of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Sídhe, the Fianna, the great kings and queens –and with history. Dotted around you’ll find ancient ruins, stone crosses, deserted villages; what stories this land could tell.
Join us for a trip across the four provinces to celebrate the green, green grass of Ireland! As the saying goes, may the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, until we meet again.
The fields of Waterfoot village on the Antrim coast, as seen from Lurigethan Mountain.
Above: A field of heathers and wildflowers in Howth, County Dublin, where fairies travel nightly – at least according to W.B. Yeats!
Right: A path through the wheatfield leads to the 15th century Kilcrea Castle in County Cork.
An idyllic scene in the Garden of Ireland, County Wicklow.
Some hardy bucks battle a rare winter frost.
Grass fields and dry stone walls on Inishmaan, one of three Aran Islands off the coast of Galway.
Above: Two Clydesdales pull a horse-drawn plough at the Mullahead
Ploughing Match in Gilford, County Down.
Right: Country rules!
The iconic Rock of Cashel, once the seat of the kings of Munster, sits on an outcrop of limestone within the lush fields of the Golden Vale in County Tipperary.
Coming towards the close of day in Connemara, County Galway.
