Where the Bluebells are…
I love bluebell season. There is something so romantic about that blaze of blue threaded throughout a forest, by the roadside or in a garden. And they are the prettiest flowers in that fabulous blue purple shade with delicate bell flowers and a gorgeous scent. In Sligo there is a very special field on the slopes of Benbulben which becomes filled with bluebells at this time of year, so much so that from the plains below (ie. my house in Drumcliffe) the field appears as a hazy purpleish, blue square. This time of year (April/May) is bluebell season and there is a window of 2 weeks for bluebell spotting. Here are my favourite places to find a mass of those pretty blue heads in Sligo and Dublin.
Bluebells in Sligo
The Bluebell Field, Gortorowey, Co. Sligo.
The bluebell field on the slopes Benbulben (pictured above) can be seen from a looped walk at Gortorowey. If you look right from the carpark you will be able to see the bluebell field. I went to the field last week but the bluebells hadn’t appeared in full; only one or two buds were showing. If you live in Sligo this week should be prime time for viewing the bluebell field in full bloom.
See more about Gortorowey walk here
*Please note the Gortorowey walk is an official track and takes in amazing views of Benbulben and Donegal bay. The bluebell field is not part of this official track but can be seen and photographed from the road.
Bluebells in Lissadell woods, Co. Sligo.
Lissadell is famous for its gorgeous beachside wood which was once the private playground of Ireland’s most famous revolutionary women Eva and Constance Gore-Booth. There is public walking track through a wood in Lissadell estate which flows along the beach to a sandy sheltered beach, which still has the remains of Eva and Constance’s beach hut. This track which runs along the beach is the most perfect place to see bluebells in Sligo, when they are in bloom they are intermingle with wild garlic and as the season progresses it looks like the wood is lined with a carpet of blue and white. While walking this woodland track you’ll find the sea lapping below, a fabulous view of Knocknarea, the baskets and tractors of the Clam and Oyster farm and sometimes, if you are very lucky, when the tide is in, the faces of seals bobbing about.
See more about this walk in Lissadell here
Bluebells in Dublin
Huguenot Graveyard, Merrion Row, Dublin 2.
My obsession with the Huguenot graveyard is almost Victorian. I have been taking photos of it for a couple of years now and have in fact enough photos to do a Huguenot through the seasons post! (Coming soon). There is such a beauty to this ‘secret’ graveyard, it is an oasis of calm in the middle of the city and because this space has been left a little wild, things like bluebells can grow- to the joy of all passers by. I’ve noticed a lot of people stopping on their walk to work or when at the bus-stop outside to take in this wonder. A little bit of wildness on a busy city street can spread a little happiness.
