Clothed in Irish Mist: Irish Postcard 6

From the house: the church in the mist

We took the short walk from the house the down to the harbour which - as you know -  we saw the other day in bright sunshine.

Mist on the harbour

 We've had hot days, fine days and days with a touch of rain. But today the place was enveloped with mist.

The white mist hung down over the landscape obscuring the low hills opposite and smudging the colours of the boats moored on the flat grey water.

The funny thing was that it was a warm mist, almost a tropical mist. No wonder plants here grow in profusion.

And when we came back to the house from the harbour the mist had clung to our clothes in droplets.

Food Foundation

Back at the house the reading goes on.

In a book about the history of West Cork I read about a battle in this very harbour when, in 1601, the English, under Admiral Nevison, were contained for three days by a Spanish force supported by the Irish  before eventually limping  out of the harbour when the wind changed.

 It says here*: Irish historian Phillip O Sullivan maintains that Levison's ship was completely destroyed and that five hundred and seventy-five Englishmen were killed including sixty who were sitting on board at a table when they were hit by a cannon-ball. 

Quite a rout.   However at the ensuing battle of Kinsale the Spanish were defeated and and end was ensured to the Irish resistance to the English Crown.

Funny to imagine all that happening in this peaceful little harbour wreathed  here today in the warm mist. There was probably a mist up in the days of the Battle of Castle Haven.

Wish you were here,

Wx

* Peter Somerville-Large: The Coast of West Cork