Ruud Streefkerk

We are here at the Bay of Kenmare, between the southwest peninsulas of Ireland. These peninsulas, such as Dingle, Iveragh or Beara, have countless small natural harbors, which in the past were a paradise for smugglers. Daniel O'Connell was one of those smugglers, originating  from Derrynane, which is a few miles away, and it is said that much of his family wealth came from smuggling. He is remembered in Ireland as 'The Liberator', a great activist for Irish independence. One of the main streets in Dublin, O'Connell Street, is named after him. We camp at Coornagillagh and at dusk we take a stroll to the nearby beach. A campervan has found a place here for the night, owned by a friendly French couple, whom we had met before on a very narrow mountain road in Dingle. Up there, their campervan had been badly damaged by the rocky edge of the road, so they were not very cheerful! But confronted with the beautiful sunset in this bay, their grief seemed to have faded away. I was figuring out how to capture this beauty, and in which colors.....