33. Connemara stone

Mweelrea mountain and Killary fjord

Connemara is wild and wonderful and part of the story of the Garden. Our westerly weather tracks in from the Atlantic, hits the mountains and starts to drop its moisture as rain. Lots of rain. We walked along Killary fjord on a bright, clear day, but this area has twice the rainfall of the Garden, just an hour's drive away.

Iar Phoirt, Clifden

The ocean is a powerful presence. It gives us our weather, our ever-changing light, our clean, rain-washed air and the distinctive colours of the West - bright blues and greens in the sunshine, fifty shades of blue-grey in cloud and mist.

I collected a pebble on the shore, which, like the sea, sparkles in the light. I will put it in the Garden, a visual reminder of the wild heart that Connemara brings.