I awoke this morning to a dense fog out my bedroom window. The weatherman had gotten this much right in the forecast I read on Wednesday, but ended up about 15 degrees off on the high temperature for the day. Anyway, I had decided that I didn't want to ride 45 mintues to the Cliffs of Moher just to stare into the fog. So I chose Connemara thinking that it might clear to the north of us.
My faith was tested as I walked the mile along the Bay to City Centre to get the bus. As you can see from the photo, the sun was struggling to get 
a ray in edgwise. But by the time we traveled 45 minutes north, the fog had rapidly burned off to reveal a clear blue sky and a day so still that the lakes appeared like glass. Our guide said that there are probably two days in the entire year that are as spectacularly beautiful as today.
a ray in edgwise. But by the time we traveled 45 minutes north, the fog had rapidly burned off to reveal a clear blue sky and a day so still that the lakes appeared like glass. Our guide said that there are probably two days in the entire year that are as spectacularly beautiful as today.Connemara is on the western coast of Ireland and sits geologically on a slab of granite. It is poorly drained, rocky, and nearly impossible to farm. So in 1840 when the British despot Oliver Cromwell landed in Dublin and gave the Irish the option of death or moving west, he assumed that these were actually one. Surely they would starve to 
death in Connemara. And they probably would have were it not for the fact that shortly after that, the Spanish brought the newly discovered potato from the Andes region of South America. The Irish found that they could grow potatoes. During that time, Ireland grew to about 9 million people, almost all of them in the country side growing potatoes. Well we all know what happened after that. The potato crop failed in the 1840's and two million of the Irish starved to death. A million more left Ireland for other countries including the United States. Thus, my wife, Shawn Kelly!
The land is covered with crystal clear lakes hemmed in by mountains, tumbling rivers, old monastaries, and ancient castles. In addition, there are people who have a deep experience of a faith that profoundly connects the natural world with the sacred. John O'Donohue was one of those for me. He lived in Connemara where he died an early death at 55 years of age. I asked the tour guide about him and he told me that in the last few months of his life, he had been interviewed in Ireland and had spoken openly of his impending death and his faith that death was not the end. He then obliged me with a John O'Donohue story which was a wonderful gift.
death in Connemara. And they probably would have were it not for the fact that shortly after that, the Spanish brought the newly discovered potato from the Andes region of South America. The Irish found that they could grow potatoes. During that time, Ireland grew to about 9 million people, almost all of them in the country side growing potatoes. Well we all know what happened after that. The potato crop failed in the 1840's and two million of the Irish starved to death. A million more left Ireland for other countries including the United States. Thus, my wife, Shawn Kelly!
The land is covered with crystal clear lakes hemmed in by mountains, tumbling rivers, old monastaries, and ancient castles. In addition, there are people who have a deep experience of a faith that profoundly connects the natural world with the sacred. John O'Donohue was one of those for me. He lived in Connemara where he died an early death at 55 years of age. I asked the tour guide about him and he told me that in the last few months of his life, he had been interviewed in Ireland and had spoken openly of his impending death and his faith that death was not the end. He then obliged me with a John O'Donohue story which was a wonderful gift.
Nothing in my day spoke more profroundly of the connection between the natural world and the spiritual world than the spider web glistening in the sunlight across a window of a 13th century monastary. Christ holds all things together, even spider webs!
By the time the bus had returned to Galway, the fog had closed in again. Perhaps Galway had been foggy all day. But for a few hours we had the gift of an indescribably beautiful day.
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