On a work trip to California, I had occasion to stop by this place. The sight of oil platforms just off the coast is not a common one in Ireland, and something about the philosophical arrangement of the surfer's body and the light like an oilslick on the water caught my attention.
The broad expanse of Inch Beach on a very cold March. Barely a human to be seen, but the birds are loving it.
I stand close to Lissadel House, looking across Drumcliff Bay towards Knockalongy mountain in County Sligo. To the left the lighthouse variously called Black Rock lighthouse, or Rosses Point lighthouse. Ireland is so far north, that the sun was already at an appreciable angle in the early afternoon this December. As it sank, it created a kind of beige haze I remember very pleasantly -- it felt like summer despite being very cold. My son drew trains in the sand of the beach while the birds stepped around, looking for unfortunate worms.
