You have may well have seen images of County Sligo, Ireland, without necessarily knowing that’s where it is. It’s home to one of the most poplar views on Social Media. Here’s an example:
And many more…
It’s quite disconcerting to come across a view that you are very familar with but have never visited in person before. It’s sort of like a celebrity view. I experienced a strange sense of fracture when we rounded the corner in the road and saw it. It was impressive sight but our photographs were not half as good as other people’s, presumably taken with zoom lens under different light/weather conditions.
You can see fine views of the magnificent Dartry Mountains from Mallaghmore Beach too.
The ever changing light meant that we ended up exploring the area of Sligo near Benwhiskin (also spelt Benwiskin). It’s like a wonderful witched hat, knocked askew. I have never seen a peak like it! It’s particularly distinctive as the surrounding moutains are flat topped. They reminded me of the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland. Like cousins.
Here’s a panning shot of the Dartry Mountains done by Seamas, my husband, and his drone. The distinctive peak of Benwiskin can be seen at the end.
Here are my two paintings of Benwiskin; the first is in acrylics.
The second one is in oils.
Autumn Light on Ben Whiskin (Sligo)_Emma Cownie
It’s noticeable that the light is different from Donegal light, its softer, slightly yellower. The sense of the place is that life isn’t as quite tough as it is in Donegal (I’m thinking of the winter and the gales).