June 7th
The European Athletics Championships have started. 50 years ago, Finland had historic success. Back then, I used to watch the competitions quite a lot on my home TV. Now, I don’t watch them. Now, I am looking at the landscapes of Achill Island on the west coast of Ireland! Of course, I’m happy if Finnish athletes do well, but I won’t be looking for ways to watch the events. I’ve got other things going on!
Today, we drove a loop in this landscape, which reminds me of Lapland. The difference is that instead of reindeer, there are sheep here chewing on the grass, their backs adorned with various colors. The sheep are probably marked with spray paint. The whole area is grazed down to the stubs. Even golf courses aren’t as evenly mowed as these moors. The fields are full of sheep droppings.
Another peculiarity is the peat. There is peat here in both the valleys and on the tops of these mountain-like hills. I can understand the peat in the lowlands, but how did it form up on the slopes? That I cannot understand. Nonetheless, there is peat several meters thick in places.
In post-war Ireland, a third of the country’s energy came from peat, which is still dug up in more remote areas (like here) using traditional methods with shovels, then dried to be used as fuel in fireplaces and heating boilers. Ireland has reduced peat burning and seems to be phasing it out altogether. Wind energy, at least partially, has already been set up – and there’s certainly no shortage of wind here.
There were forests on these hills a few hundred years ago. Human development and population growth gradually depleted the forests. Large flocks of sheep ensured that no new trees grew to replace the felled ones. Saplings were quite palatable to the sheep! Some forests were cut down for heating purposes and shipbuilding needs. The English kingdom has always had a large and powerful navy throughout history. And heating castles wasn’t managed with just an armful of firewood!
Tomorrow morning, we plan to explore the beautiful Keem Beach farther away. The road is said to be so narrow that there’s hardly any room for passing. We’d better go to bed early so we’ll be sharp for the drive. So, it’s off to bed and up at the crack of dawn tomorrow!