And here is a description, capturing the essence of the north Mayo coast by F H A Aalen in The Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape: “The character and the hues of the landscape are constantly affected by the variable weather: the same places never look exactly the same. The hazy humid atmosphere mutes colours, producing a subtle spectrum of green, brown, and blue. Kaleidoscope colour changes occur as light is filtered through moving banks of cloud or sporadic rain; with clear air and direct sunlight, the lush grass and foliage spring into vivid almost lurid colours. In the west of Ireland, the open vistas, theatrical cumulus mushrooms and melodramatic sunsets generate a dynamic quality of light, addictive to a romantic artist, photographer and film maker.”

A E Johann has summed the environment up as, “A smiling landscape, under clouds of melancholy.”