The Gearagh in Cork is a sea of tranquillity punctuated by hundreds of black oak stumps, starting where the River Lee descends from the mountains. Some stand together, others alone. The water is mostly still. The gentle breeze causes the ripples to rise and flow against the reeds that, in turn, bow their heads in greeting.

Over the years, islands have been moulded by the weather and the landscape looks ancient.

The sun is shining brightly and the shadows at the water’s edge throw colour on stones and gravel. The fish swim freely. The sky, packed with fluffy cumulus clouds, is reflected in the water. The area is both eerie and beautiful.

Birds chirp and fly, tending to their young

The waters look murky in the distance. I would not like to step in for fear of slithery things. On and on, the stumps continue. A path leads to a section of water with masses of blooming water lilies – spectacular indeed. Birds chirp and fly, tending to their young. Butterflies and insects flit and fly about and the grasshoppers hardly pause their ruckus as visitors pass.

Families here and there sit at the water’s edge.

Most folks are just ambling along, following the paths that have been made by the footfall of local visitors. This surely is a place where biodiversity is unspoiled – with aquatic ecosystems, thick hedgerows and miles of undisturbed flora and fauna. I speak of The Gearagh, near Macroom in Co Cork.

A valley of ancient oaks

It was one of the first drives that Tim took me on in our courting days! As an 18-year-old, I can’t say I was impressed. It had a ghostly appearance. It had been a valley of ancient oaks that had to be cut down in 1954 to allow for the building of two hydroelectric dams in Carrigadrohid and Inniscarra. It was known as the Lee Scheme.

The thing that struck me most about being back in The Gearagh for a walk last week was how little it had changed

That day, it was the Inniscarra Dam that impressed me most. I had never seen anything like it. It was a fine structure and much more visible from the road than it is today. Trees and hedges have matured and concealed it. The thing that struck me most about being back in The Gearagh for a walk last week was how little it had changed. The stumps still look ghostly and the water dark but now the focus is on biodiversity and the importance of a place like The Gearagh.

Biodiversity

Sometimes, we speak of biodiversity – and knowledgeable people often pontificate about it – but do we understand it at all? I think of The Gearagh’s majestic oaks that had to be felled and wonder what they might be like today. Apparently, it was the last surviving riverine oak forest in western Europe! Could you imagine the uproar the felling of those trees would cause today? Yet, now The Gearagh is beautiful in its own way and has international protection as an EU Special Area of Conservation and nature reserve.

We cannot deny that we are losing biodiversity due to the actions and progress of man but is it not changing too? It was progress that created The Gearagh. Onward we went to Gougane Barra on our Cork man’s pilgrimage. A Cork man’s pilgrimage is when a Cork man goes on tour in his own county!

monastery

Saint Finbarr is said to have built a monastery there in the sixth century beside the still lake. The little stone church that stands there today was built in the 19th century. It looks exactly the same as it did when I was 18.

A woman shied away from me as I exited

Tim pointed out the monks’ stone beds and remarked how mad they were to endure such suffering. They were so narrow; they must have been very small men. I stood in the little church and said a quiet prayer.

A woman shied away from me as I exited. Both of us were wearing masks. Maybe the monks would wonder how mad we were to be wearing them. One thing is sure, it is indeed a beautiful place to meditate and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the little lake nestled between the hills.

Being out and about

On our way home through Ballingeary, we stopped for fish and chips at An Trucailin Dubh attached to An Tig Seartan. We asked the young girl what she’d recommend. She said: “The buffalo burger.”

“Is it one of Johnny Lynch’s buffalo?” Tim asked. Of course it was and it was scrumptious just like his Toonsbridge Mozzarella cheese. It was lovely to be out and about in the sunshine again.