Ben Bulben

One of the first things that a visitor to Sligo will notice is the impressive shape of “Ben Bulben” dominating the skyline to the north of the town.  The name is an anglicisation of the Irish Binn Ghulbain, meaning “Gulbans’s Peak” or “Jaw-shaped Peak”.  W.B. Yeats in one of his last and most well-known poems ‘Under Ben Bulben’, penned the  line: Where Ben Bulben sets the scene, which I think describes the mountain perfectly.  (If you are interested, I wrote about Yeats and Ben Bulben before here).

Ben Bulben impressively sets the scene for what ever the performance might be, whether in mythology, such as with the legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne or the poetry of Yeats, or the more recent pantomime of Andy ‘the Bull’ McSharry, a farmer who fashioned himself after John B. Keane’s famously unaccommodating character Bull McCabe in The Field.  Ben Bulben had its role to play in more troubled parts of Irish history too, such as a refuge (albeit a futile one) for IRA soldiers during the Civil War or as the backdrop for a huge “Brits Out” (180 ft wide and 25 ft high) sign during the 1970′s.  A good starting place to find out more about this fascinating mountain is this Wikipedia article.

Below are a few photos of the mountain all taken a couple of weeks ago.

From the West (just of the N15).

From the Forestry road to the North.

From the South.

From the top (photo taken by Sonja).

These photos were taken while we were up in Sligo for the New Wine Summer Conference.  One of the great things about Sligo is its beautiful landscapes and seascapes which more than in any other place I have ever been make me want to fall on my knees and worship the One who brought it all into being…

Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast in the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

Psalm 36:5-9

Epitaph

I am not one for habitually stalking around graveyards, but like many people I am sometimes fascinated by what is written on headstones; it is the deceased’s final message to the world, there for generations to see after their passing.  What does that message say about the individual, what was their parting shot?

The first picture is of one of the most famous graves in Ireland, that of W.B. Yeats, in the churchyard at Drumcliffe in Co. Sligo.  The lines come from the sixth stanza of Yeats’ poem “Under Ben Bulben” (named after the mountain that you would see in the distance were in not for the Sligo weather).  It reads:

Under bare Ben Bulben’s head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.

An ancestor was rector there

Long years ago, a church stands near,

By the road an ancient cross.

No marble, no conventional phrase;

On limestone quarried near the spot

By his command these words are cut:

Cast a cold eye

On life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!

Coming to the end of his life, Yeats wants there to be no fuss about his death, he wants to be remembered only for his legacy of writings and does not want to get in the way of those poets and artists who would come after him.  Ironically, his grave has become a famous tourist attraction!

The second picture is a headstone of a much less well-known man than W.B. Yeats.  It belongs to John Basil Clarkson.  Basil used to run summer camps for children, firstly in North Wales and then latterly in Co. Sligo.  My wife had the pleasure of getting to know Basil and his wife Nora at these summer camps when she was a teenager.  I came to the camps myself to help out years later (and unfortunately after both Basil and Nora had died.)  No one knows how many men and women today are living their lives for Christ as a result of attending these summer camps in their school years, it must be hundreds, if not thousands.  I cannot think of a more fitting epitaph for Basil than:

“… He who winneth souls is wise.”

Strandhill, Co. Sligo

Strandill Beach with Ben Bulben in Background (Click to enlarge)
Nikon D70s, 1/50sec, f18, ISO 200, 70mm, RAW

Another photo from our holiday in the West / North West. Using a polarizing filter really helps to bring out the detail in the clouds…

Ben Bulben, Co. Sligo

View from the road to Strandhill from Sligo

Nikon D70s, 3 photos at f18, 44mm, ISO 200, shutter speed not recorded.
(click to enlarge)