ÉIRE - IRELAND Part II - Kilcar & Donegal

ÉIRE - IRELAND

DAY 5: Kilcar

The heathen on the green hills were blooming and it was an amazing contrast between the green and the violet. Sadly, as i was sitting on a stone in the mashes, a cloud of bugs were flying around me and i had to leave after some minutes and couldn't finish the sketch.

Since sitting down has become absolutly impossible because of the bugs, i was drwaing some small sketches while waking up the hill. 1: Sheep on the path, 2: Lake reflecting the clouds, 3: Sheep who was hiding behind a stone,  4: a little streamlet

This is just before i turn around becouse of the thick fog. Actually, it was the only not sunny day during my two week stay in Ireland. It is a little bridge, over which the Pilgrim Path goes, and the three silhouettes are the friendly three german girls, who gave me a lift to the start of the Pilgrim Path.

After turning around i was heading to another viewpoint for the Sleave League. Here in Teelin, which is a little village consisting of some house spread over quite a big area, i ate Lunch at a dry place and did some drawings of the landscape, which was stunning - i could have drawn every ten meters!

I had to walk about 4.5 kilometers along the street to get to the viewpoint. Sounds a lot, but with doing a Sketchbreak like this did shorten it! It was also quite an experience to walk along a street - a having time to see the landscape, being able to stop at anytime and look at something closer.

It was very windy and did rain a bit from time to time at the cliffs, so no sketches from there, instead a little house in the wilderness. It's actually the building on the far left of the upper house buildup on the top of the sketch before, i believe it's the house on the right side. I loved the loneliness out there - Me together with the sketchbook and the weather!

On the long way back to the little village called Carrick i came by the Salmon Leap, a nice placw where the river flows into the sea. Someone was fishing with the fly a bit upstream, and looking upstream, the water looked almost like it was Guiness - Black with a little touch of yellow in the foam! The other one is the view is two minutes away from the hostel i stayed - the Derrylahan Hostel, one of the most beautiful place i stayed! Location is so great!

DAY 6: Killybegs and Donegal

I didn't really stayed in Killybegs, but the guy from the hostel drove me there, so that i didn't had to walk half an hour to busstation - really friendly! I was about an hour too early though, so i had time to draw some stuff at the biggest fishing harbour of ireland, a little hutt and fishingship. perspective is really off on the ship,  but i'm not use to to draw those forms!

Then i arrived at Donegal, which was a bit green again than those harsh cliffs - so i got my pastels out again! This the look over the bay of Donegal, while i was my way into the town, since the Hostel was a bit out of town.

Some minutes further into town. Suddenly the trees alowed a view to the other side of the bay on the old ruins of the abbey of Donegal. I later visited it, but didn't draew there, there were too many tourists there, and while i don't mind the locals, i don't like the tourists watching over my shoulder. I don't know why...

Later this day i was visiting the Donegal Castle, which i drew first from over the road. The sun was already getting lower and for a moment peered through the clouds, sending a small stripe of orange light on to the castle. I might repeat myself, but i t was beautiful! The Castle was actually built (parts of it at least) from stone of the ruins of the abbey!

This was just across the river, behind the castle (It would be on the right after the tree). The previous sketch i did from beside this very church. I really liked the three different textures & layers, which are in interaction which each other: the industrial bridge, made of steel, overlap with the softness of the trees, while the Church gives an anchor from the background and is the actual center.

Later this evening, i was at a local pub with three israeli from the hostel, and i showed them my postcards - they really liked them and one of them actually wanted a drawing, so i quickly took a pen and an empty postcard and made a portrait of him! This was the first time for me to draw someone just like that, and it was really good experience. Thanks for that.