Inishnee

Three linked islands hang down in a bay to the east of Roundstone. These islands are Inishnee. We decided they were worthy of a look.

It was rather hard to find a spot to photograph the bridge which linked Inishnee to the mainland. Here we see rather more of the causeway than the actual bridge, but we can see it is a modern structure. One imagines Inishnee was, once, much less accessible.

By the way, if you have heard of Inishnee it may be because of a BBC TV program called Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape. The star of the show seems to be based on these islands and around Roundstone. The launch of the series was to be a few days after our visit and signs were up everywhere inviting people to come and watch on a big screen in Roundstone.

And there was Roundstone, over the sea and not far away at all.

Here we looked back across to the mainland and the looming Maumturk Mountains.

There’s the hill we think of as Roundstone and that newer part of the village where we had taken a look earlier.

Much of Inishnee felt remote and wild.

The roads were basic and the montbretia grew.

There were good stone walls around the fields.

We were now on foot and that was probably as well for a tractor and trailer, laden with peat, blocked the way.

Forty years previously peat had been moved by donkeys with basketwork panniers. Now 4WD tractors took charge.

An Inishnee scene. It felt like a gentle world.

After much consideration, we have decided these are pink flowers. Can anybody help us name them?

Or is it bell heather?