Ireland: Mermaid Isle

So we have friends who own a private island in Ireland (yeah, it's not what you know, it's who you know...). You see the island from their magnificent house and from the ancient, tiny stone cottage on the property. A cottage they have renovated and turned into a guest house.

Mermaid Cottage.

When you sit in the glassed-in conservatory of the cottage, you see this:

 

The bay that leads out to the Atlantic Ocean.

This is my third visit to Mermaid Isle. I've heard tales of the pod of seals that live at the tip of the island, giving rise to the mermaid legends of the area. But it's always been too cold, too windy, too rough to go out and visit them. But today dawned misty-sunny and the water was glassy-calm. Mom and I hopped into the little rowboat.

 Kevin, our host, acted as oarsman.

 We saw underwater gems.

We marveled at the sea life clinging to a boat mooring.

We saw the stones and sea and sky mirroring each other.

But where were the seals?

Wait - are those rocks?

Only if rocks have sweet little faces, twitchy whiskers and big liquid eyes!

 This is the face of a selkie, a mermaid, a water-cat.

He followed our boat all the way back to the bay.

So did his bigger friend.

Who looked suddenly to the right...

 

 When this guy snorted. Goodness, bad manners.
No one could ever mistake him for a mermaid.

Our trusty oarsman rowed us back home, and we talked of magic and myth and the siren song of the sea over the sound of the rushing waves.

P.S. Mermaid Isle is for sale - the main house and the cottage. Gather yourself a group of friends and go in on the purchase. Divide your time there. You'll never regret it. Then invite me over when you're there...