09/10/2022
Happy to be back rambling in the lanes of Leitrim. It slows me down. If I stretch my hands up I feel I could almost touch the low bank of clouds that has settled over the fields today. As I walk in the gloom I am reminded that this land is steeped in ancient history, first settled by the Druids in prehistoric times, then home to the powerful Mac Ragnaill clan who built a castle in the 12th century. This soil has seen so many battles fought during turbulent times, tenants evicted with tremendous cruelty by the notorious Lord Leitrim. And still these ancient trees, wind weathered and resilient stand watch over the beautiful, broody untouched landscape of lakes and woodlands. It soothes the soul. A tramp through the muddy undergrowth at Druids Hill grounds me as I stand silently in the dark shadows next to a dolman that was built by the first settlers 3,500 years ago. It’s amazing to lay your hand on the rough stone and imagine all those others who touched it before you. The Leitrim wilderness is raw and untamed and at its best when matched by the weather. There are many pretty places in the world where the landscape evokes a sense of pleasure at just a passing glance but Leitrim is where you will find the soothing quiet of nature, untamed, in all her unsettling magnificence. A land that inspired poets and artists and especially that epitaph - ever apt - “Cast a cold eye. On Life, on death. Horseman, pass by!”
❤️ Lough Rynn Castle Leitrim Tourism