Immerse Yourself in the Rugged Beauty of Ireland's West Coast | National Geographic
I don't think anybody can live and be here for very long periods of time without falling completely in love with the place in the sea and the hills and everything it has to offer. The cosine Harrods, there's no defense against the Atlantic Ocean. You have the winds hitting the ocean and sending the waves crashing up to us for thousands and millions of years. It's much different compared to mainland. I don't know, it's less built up here; you're more out in nature.
There's a romanticism. I mean, the Irish are not shy people; we love telling stories. As his friend once told me, “Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?” I think the Wild Atlantic Way is more beautiful than the rest of the island. It's different almost every day. I'm surfing; I find it is an escape. So, if you've ever got any problems or anything, it's just to escape from the rather life of your freak.
Let's just really get from Makassar. A good wave, they always want another one of them. That good wave can fix everything; fix a whole day. The coast of Ireland has such a diverse, wonderful group of people, and the land isn't the best land in the world, but it's beautiful, and it's kind of rugged and it's far away from everywhere.
Gabions has always been a farm. There's never been a business plan; there's never been a structure. We've always, I suppose, just continued to do what we do here. There's a sort of field to fork food. We have the grass which the cows have that makes the milk; the milk produces the cheese; the cheese has the courage, and the way we feed to our pigs. Those pigs become all the kosher countries.
We make a variety of sausages and salami and cured meats. These we can send to the farmers' markets. I think the island of all the meat into veg, I think we still need to embrace our origins. You shouldn't mess with something that you've already got right. It's amazing to make food that is seen as a challenge and a satisfaction, I suppose, of making food that some people will consider quite unique.
It's humbling and honorable to be on the Wild Atlantic Way and have the ability to have a round business. We're very lucky; of all the people I've grown up with that may have traveled the world, so many of them come home. I mean, in the end, you know your home is your home. Yeah, I could get sappy if you get emotional about it, but I think there is another welcome pride finger.
No JCL, living down here is a wild thing. It is remote breathing; we're kind of battling against the elements half of every year. You know, the weather has a huge effect on us here. It becomes a spiritual connection; certainly, it did for me. It's been a huge part of where I've come from with music for the last two to three years.
Ireland is such a small country; in Ireland, we think it's a huge country—probably the most important country in the world, which, you know, if you're from Ireland, you will think that. Hiking, to me, it's a medium that gets you out into a beautiful world. Once you sit on the ocean, you're in a very, very dynamic place, because really, where the ocean meets the land, there's this incredible energy.
When I touch the ocean, if somebody in Australia is touching the ocean, we're in contact with each other via the water. So, the power is incredible and the energy is incredible. I like to think I'm tapped into it and that I can share it with people. One of the most sacred things of the Wild Atlantic Way is the people. There's always a welcome.
Harry, to quote from a famous song, “Home is where the heart is,” but there my heart is certainly here. It's a long road from Donegal to Kinsale. The best way to navigate it is literally to ask. Wherever you stop, ask a person where to eat, what to see, and what to do. I think that's a great way to see a country. The adventures are there; you just get in the car.
It's not like you have to travel ten hours to get to somewhere else; you've got ten minutes around the corner, and you're somewhere completely unique and different. I think that's probably part of the adventure—such huge heritage, culture. You know, it's mystical; it's nature; it's everything, and it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. You can't find this anywhere else.