Outdoors in Ireland

My parents split up when I was young; my father lived abroad.

When he returned, he would drive through the countryside, amazed by its beauty, its greenness, its landscape. Through England, through Ireland.

Through the rear windscreen window, the only amazement I felt was that so many adults could talk about this subject for such a long time.

Trees are green and fields are green. Roads travel through fields, which are green, and trees, which are green, overlook the fields and roads. It was the least spectacular scenery and conversation I could imagine.

Wind through the years and I sat in the driving seat, eyes staring through the front windscreen as I curved and swept through the Wicklow Mountains National Park near Dublin.

Fields weren’t just green but golden brown and deep earth chocolate, drops of glitter and dew danced on grass tips and fields changed colour with a shimmer of the wind. As the sun rolled over the sky, it blended and spread the colours like a watercolours spilling onto canvas…

My heart sighed. I was amazed by its beauty, its landscape, its greenness.

But what, I wonder now, looking forward, looking back, caused this change in vision?

Do our eyes prefer different sights as we grow older, in the same way we switch from spaghetti hoops and strawberry shakes to bitter olives and strong coffee?

Or do I appreciate these landscapes now after so much time abroad?

Or is it simply Wicklow? Do its panoramas just transcend the rest of rural England, Ireland and Wales.

I’ve no idea, except to say, I suppose, that it really doesn’t matter.

Wicklow is beautiful.

May you enjoy these photos of green fields and green trees, and of roads that run through fields overlooked by trees.

Disclosure & Info

I visited Wicklow Mountains National Park as a guest of Failte Ireland and I stayed in Tinakilly Country House, a converted Victorian mansion by the sea that I’d highly recommend. Also, stop off at Glendalough on your roadtrip and Powerscourt if you have the time. As ever, as always, all words, thoughts and memories remain mine, all mine.

Have you ever found a place in the world that looked different to you as an adult than it did to you as a child?