The year is speeding by and here we are already at the summer solstice. Compared to last year’s hot June we are having a more “normal” Irish June this year, with plenty rain and temperatures more often below 15 degrees Celsius than above. Still next week is promised warmer.
We still get to enjoy the lovely west coast though, even if we don’t venture into the water!
Cross beach, Mullet Peninsula, Co Mayo
Happy Solstice to all.
I enjoy traveling within my own country but am often reluctant to travel further – but sometimes you don’t have to go far to see stunning scenery. Two days ago we headed for the west coast to Doolough near Gweesalia, here in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland.
“If there’s a heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it” – Jimmy Buffett.
I had to “borrow” this wonderful quote from PA Moed, as it is very true for me.
To the right you can see the Mullet Peninsula, to the left Achill Island.
The beach is a great one for shell collecting.
And at over 2km long you can also get a very decent walk. I know there are many beautiful places out there to see and many of you have shown me some of them in your own blogs. But for my travels, I am, so far, content with this.
On the beach the other day we came across these little fellows….
Velella velella
.. or perhaps I should say their remains. Velella velella, or By-the-wind sailors are a type of free-floating hydrozoa that live on the surface of the ocean. They are just a few centimeters across. They sometimes get washed ashore, and what you see in the photo above is just the dried out and bleached remains. In the water they are blue and jelly like – but the jelly quickly dries once they have been stranded on-shore.
Their small stiff sail catches the wind and disperses them though the oceans. Interestingly on some the sail is set NW-SE while on others its set NE-SW. Because it relies solely on the sail for moving, mass strandings are relatively common not only on our Irish west coast but also elsewhere such as the West Coast of North America.
There are two website you can check out for more information:
And to see a video of how it lives on the open oceans check out
A great little find to add to my 16 for 2016 list.
Velella velella
Murtagh's Meadow 