Doolough Valley
Doolough Valley
Sitting in the shadow of Connacht’s highest mountain, the last of Autumnal light grazes the South-Western face of Ben Creggan at the Eastern end of Doolough Valley, Co. Mayo.
Behind the Image
I am lucky to have Doolough as part of my scenic route when I travel home frequently to Clare Island. Upon leaving the island one evening and making my way back to Galway, I chose to take extra time to observe how the light would begin to drape across the valley given that there were clear skies to the west. Mweelrea’s great presence overlooking Doolough creates dominating shadows during sunset in late September, just as the sun begins to set further south-westerly after the Autumnal equinox. The last of the evening light manages to wrap around the eastern side of Mweelrea and land at the base of the 693m tall Ben Creggan. Framing the intersection of light and shadow of Ben Creggan and Mweelrea leads the eye out of the valley.
