One crucial aspect of encouraging change, I believe, is to offer a vision for a happier and more contented future. Reducing air pollution, creating green spaces, shopping locally and feeling part of a community is an immensely more satisfying life experience than the disconnect and harried busyness of modern living. And that way of living, encouraged by advertising and corporate self-interest, has been, by stealth, destroying the world around us. Luckily there are wonderful advocates for change and many, many people living in a way that is sustainable and happy. Here's where books come in! The following are not reviews (I'm still in the process of reading all 3 books) but they are recommendations for a starting poing in learning about how individual and community change can make a massive difference.

I have heard Dr. Tara Shine speak on a couple of occasions and I've been really struck by her incredible positivity and drive so I was delighted to get her new book 'How to Save your Planet One Object at a Time'. I absolutely love the cover design, it has that cute nostalgic feel to it, evoking home maker books of old. The contents are perfectly modern though, and the introduction outlines perfectly Tara's inspiring energy and optimism.

This for me, sums up what I believe and feel we should aim for:

"My hope is that you will see the power of your actions, spread the word and see the value of being part of a growing movement of people who want to find a better way of living on planet Earth."

The book is laid out in such a way that it is really easy to dip in and out of the different sections. I would consider it a great reference book for sustainable living. The chapters are centred around areas of the house, such as kitchen or bedroom, and areas of living such as work and school. It looks at different products that we use and how we might make a difference by implementing small changes in our own spheres. It is absolutely ideal for anyone considering starting out on a more sustainable path but I also have to say, it is equally good for people at any stage of the process. Even for me, feeling like I know quite a lot about living sustainably, a quick read through of various headings reminded me again of things I still need to change. I think it is both informative, without being preachy, and incredibly useful.

The second book I'm looking at is the one I bought for myself. I have been doing a Community Resilience course hosted by the Kildare & Wicklow Community Education with fellow Kildare people who are interested in developing community resilience in their own areas. I have really been enjoying it and the theory behind community resilience is something I'm very interested in, so when some of Rob Hopkins writings were referenced, I decided to treat myself to his book 'From What Is to What If'

Rob is the founder of the Transition Movement and he has seen the possibilities, both in terms of imagination and in practicality, in his own town of Totnes in the UK. I have been feeling for quite some time that the narrative that surrounds us all the time, that everything, including human motivation, is centred around economics, is inherently false. I don't believe that what drives people is money and acquisition, but if we are fed that message all the time, then people do begin to doubt the possibility of changing to a better society where the well-being of all is a priority.

I've been gardening for a long time, and as I mentioned in a previous post, I volunteered in our local Camphill Community organic garden for some time, so I have learnt a lot over the years. However, there are always new things to learn! Gardening has become a massive business, and whilst it is wonderful that people are out in their gardens, it really isn't necessary to head out and spend loads of money on garden products that are just going to create more waste. This book has lots of brilliant tips on using things that you already have at home - for example, DIY seed tape and a wine bottle watering can. There's advice on growing from seed and harvesting seed at the end of the season, as well as some cool garden projects that you can make like a wine bottle pathway and garden art. Again, it is one that you can easily dip in and out of as you need and it has lots of helpful pictures and lists. Suitable for beginner up to any stage really.

You might also like Plastic Free July

and Veganuary - Tips from a Novice

 

 


We had a brief look around Raphoe also - interesting for its castle and masonic building. I think perhaps some people are more sensitive to the atmosphere of a place than others, and the castle here has a forbidding and shadowy presence which I found uncomfortable. Given its history, that is probably not surprising. It has a bloody association with plantations and violence - Bishop Leslie who built the castle, was known as 'The Fighting Bishop' and the castle itself was put under attack many times - by such people as Cromwell and the United Irishmen.  The castle was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1838 and has been in ruins since.

Unsurprisingly, given the motto above the door 'Hear See and Remain Silent, I found little concrete history on the masonic hall in Raphoe, but it is an interesting building with masonic symbols on the front - the lodge dates from 1870 but the building itself from 1903 - according to Buildings of Ireland.

There are other things to see in Raphoe but we wanted to get to Oakfield Park so we headed off.

Oakfield Park is a spacious verdant estate with a house which was built in 1739 for the Dean of Raphoe. It was then acquired by Thomas Butler Stoney, who then left it to his son. The house has passed through ownership a number of times until it was bought by Gerry Robinson in 1996. Gerry and his wife Heather did major restoration and refurbishment work on the house and grounds and the estate is now a wonderful tranquil place to visit. As we visited in these pandemic times, we preferred to bring a picnic and stay away from people. This was easy enough to do as the gardens are spread out extensively. I loved the space and the varied sculptures and there is a train (interestingly, I saw recently on a tv program that Gerry is a talented carpenter and made some of the train) which goes around the garden. The lower lake has swans and a folly and there are little woodland areas and a tea room. Towards the house, at the time we visited, my favourite thing was the wildflower meadow. It was absolutely glorious, abundant with colour and happily buzzing insects. It was honestly one of the most beautiful wildflower meadows I have ever seen. 

The nymphaeum at the upper lake was another one of my favourite parts - it is wonderfully tranquil and gentle

In a little wooded area we came across this magnificent tree, isn't it incredible?!

The fairy tree is adorable - 

I spent a wee bit of time reading through the messages and I was struck by this one in particular:

Aaron seems like a lovely young man and I'm sure his parents are really proud of his kindness.

I really recommend Oakfield - it's €9 per adult at time of writing and there are family rates. There are also events throughout the year and Santa Express tickets can be booked at the moment. I think there is probably something to suit everyone here. You could easily spend an entire day and bring a picnic or go to the restaurant. It is outdoors of course, so weather dependent but it is open from Wednesday to Sunday in September so not too late to plan a visit for this year. Check out their website for current info and events listings.

So that brings me to the end and probably another year before I get to Donegal again but hopefully sooner!

 

You can walk to the horseshoe from here - it's a 10k loop - unfortunately I have a chronic glutes injury which causes me huge pain if I walk too much - and also slightly embarrassing to explain to people that it's my butt that is the problem! So we drove around the horseshoe and it was absolutely stunning, I'm so glad we got there. Incredible views of Ben Bulben and you can also glimpse the sea in the distance - there are a few places along the route that you can pull in and take pictures or just look around.

 


We then went to have a look at Ballindoon Priory and if you like ruins (as I do!) it is well worth a visit. Worth noting though, that there isn't parking and it's necessary to park at the farmhouse opposite the field where the ruin is. We did ask permission so it was fine, but it felt a bit intrusive all the same. The Priory is also known as St. Mary's Priory and was founded in 1507 by Thomas O'Farrell and is a Middle English Gothic style church (source: Megalithic Ireland Website). There are a set of stone steps outside which lead to an upper level. The steps looked pretty precarious so we didn't go up them but they are an interesting feature for sure!

 

The following morning, on the recommendation of our host, we headed to Cullenamore beach for a relaxed walk. It is less busy than Strandhill and being quieter, suits me much better. Loads of rocks with fossils there if you have kids who like fossil hunting! Also lots of biodiversity and pretty flowers and butterflies in the grassy areas.

After that we headed to Sligo for food and sat outside Sweet Beet Café (another recommendation from our hosts) with a delicious vegan wrap and great coffee.  I really enjoyed Sligo - it's a bit weird to be back in a bustling place again after almost two weeks of remote places but it has a lovely vibe. Lots of pedestrianised areas and nice shop fronts and places to eat. We got vegan carrot cake in the Sligo Wellness Centre - seriously delicious!

 

We had just paid for 2 hours parking and that was plenty of time.

  Back to our room then for a bit of rest and on our final evening in Ballintogher, we went to Slishwood for a walk. It's a Coillte owned forest right by Lough Gill and this whole area inspired W.B. Yeats - Slishwood is referred to in 'The Stolen Child' as 'Sleuth Wood in the lake' and it's not hard to see how it might inspire. We went quite late and didn't do the full walk, but the sense of peace was incredible - the lake stretches out into the distance, as still as glass, with reflections of different colours and a view of Ben Bulben in the far distance.

 

It was a beautiful way to spend the last evening but all good things must come to an end and the next day we had to set off for home. First however, we did a quick visit to Parkes Castle which is very near Ballintogher -and also on Lough Gill. There is another Yeats reference here as the Lake Isle of Inisfree sits within Lough Gill. Pre covid it was possible to do a boat tour of the lake, passing by Inisfree, but sadly this is not going at the moment., Parkes Castle is an OPW site and although it is not possible (at time of writing) to see inside the castle because of Covid, the guide did say that it might be an option in the future when they can work out the social distancing aspects. There was no charge on the day we were there and there is a one way system in with sanitiser at the entrance. We could just see the courtyard and the forge but it was well worth a visit - it's an imposing building and the views are amazing. I would love to come back at some stage and see the inside also, as the guide said it had been meticulously restored.

 

Well, that brings me to the end of our Sligo visit, I hope you have gotten some ideas for places to go.

Click here for more of my Places to Visit