Now so! A joint post from Robert and Finola…

It’s been exactly a year since we rebranded (that sounds so cool and corporate) and relaunched the blog. Roaringwater Journal: Six Months in West Cork became Roaringwater Journal: At Home in West Cork. What follows is a selection of links to some of our favourite topics of the past year (each link covers posts grouped under those tags), and some photos that didn’t make it into blog posts but which capture for us some of the magic of West Cork.

You, our dear readers, have taken the journey with us as we explored and settled into our new home, falling more in love with it with each passing week. 

Well, perhaps Finola didn’t fall in love with irish bureaucracy – but, in fairness, like, St Gobnait herself wouldn’t be able to accomplish that. Although we experienced different aspects of bureaucracy, it was all the driving stuff that nearly did her in.

We certainly fell in love with traditional music! And with the food of West Cork, the birds and the gardens. We learned a little bit about talking like a native, and a lot more about how to cope with the weather.

We explored the archaeology of this region, the folklore and the history – from the most ancient monuments, to the stone circles and standing stones, the forts and the castles, and more recent sites like the Schull workhouse. Above all, we visited rock art sites, appreciating more and more about them and about the conservation challenges they face.

Mostly we have spent our time on two peninsulas – the Mizen and the Sheep’s Head. And yet we have only scratched the surface: there is so much more to discover about this beautiful part of the world.

Before we embark on year two – a huge thank you to all our loyal readers from both of us! We love that you drop by to visit and we hope you continue to enjoy this gorgeous part of the planet.

We leave you with a little slideshow – a few remaining images to whet your appetites for a trip to West Cork.

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We’re off to the Beara Peninsula today – look out for more about the Beara in future posts.