Take walk on wild side in Cape Clear

NEXT weekend, the May Bank Holiday, there is to be a Walking-Talking Festival on Cape Clear Island, Oileán Chléire, in Roaring Water Bay in West Cork.

I am billed to take part, to walk a few of the walks, provide a commentary and to do a bit of public talking and poetry reading in the evening. There will be further talk, story and poetry provided by Chuck Kruger, the American poet on Oileán Chléire and Paddy Leonard, the island historian, music and a goat milking demonstration by Ed Harper, a guided cliff walk by Séamus O Drisceoil and a guided birdwatching walk by Steve Wing, the Cape Clear Observatory warden, whale watching with Nic Slocum, sean nós singing by Máirtín O Méaóid, a comedy show by ‘Free Beer’ (a local ensemble that perform gratis) and meals at an island house which is, I’m told, a paragon of appropriate renovation.

There could hardly be a better time for walking the quiet roads of Cape than now, with a multitude of new growth pushing its way through soil, ditch and hedgerow and bursting forth from the branches of the trees. Everywhere one looks there are plants, insects or animals one hasn’t seen for a year. One would almost feel like greeting them, silly as it seems – top o’ the mornin’, Primrose, hello there, Violet, nice to see ya again, Daisy, good-onya Alexander! Put my lunacy down to spring-fever but it truly is marvellous to walk the byways these days and see all the old familiars in bloom again!