This wasn’t the same day, even the same year when I took all these pictures, but the weather in Ireland hasn’t changed for years, so let’s presume we hop in the car and take a short photo-drive from one village to the other, with one stop in the middle.
We start our trip from the Dunmore East Port that is situated at the western end of Dunmore village. As I walked on the pier to the lighthouse that was established in the end of 1825, the grey drizzling sky suddenly broke open and gave way to a wonderful silvery light. It lasted no longer than a minute, and the scenery quickly returned to its usual grey self.
Construction works around the lighthouse obstructed the view and I turned back. Two young gulls on the rope made me smile – why did they have to stand there is such an awkward position? Maybe it was a dare? 🙂
Regardless of the weather the cliffs are always beautiful. This is an old coastguard station, the most photographed (and then over-dramatically enhanced) building in the area. If you keep walking to the west, after half an hour you will reach the Portally Cove. It is a cliff walk, but not too close to the cliffs, actually. This time I didn’t walk that far.
The silky grass is slippy. I like walking alone, but I believe in taking precautions. Two years ago a cow fell from a cliff in the water, but was rescued.
You can see the Hook Lighthouse on the other side.
This picture of Dunbrody was taken many years ago from the same cliffs.
To get this picture, you have to walk to the park, cross it and walk to the cliffs. The previous picture is taken from the same place – on the left, there is the port where we just came from.
I leave the park and walk down to the village centre. During the winter storms, some giant waves reach the buildings.
This is where we are heading, in the direction of Waterford Harbour and Passage East village, our final destination. Waterford Harbour is formed by the estuary of three great rivers: River Suir, River Nore and River Barrow.
In the Google Earth image below, I have mapped the most significant strands on our way. Geneva strand is a great place for bird watching, but this time we will only stop to visit the oyster farm you see when you enlarge the picture. I don’t know how large is this particular farm (headquarters in Dunmore East), but some farms measure many hectares.
This is what Waterford Harbour and Woodstown beach look like at high tide. The photograph was taken after the sunrise from The Saratoga pub, “#1 of 1 Restaurant in Woodstown”, according to TripAdvisor. Fair enough.
This is the same beach at low tide.
The oyster farm workers are waiting for the other tractor to return.
Here it is, coming from the middle of the harbour.
The higher poles of the fishing weir measure about 3-4 m in height – something like two-human height. I recon the water can reach up to 2-2.5 m at high tide, or even higher. I have never seen it myself, but I have heard that the water in the harbour is leaving and coming very rapidly, as if someone is opening and closing a gate.
The oyster farm is so fascinating that I decide to come another day and check it out. To tell that I have no doubts about this adventure would be a lie. I am terrified, but my curiosity takes over, as usual.
It is a ten-minute walk in the soft, wet sand, between the pools of water. Sometimes my feet sink in the sand, and my heart sinks too. I keep closer to the poles, but have no idea how it would help if the sand swallows me. I just hope the poles are marking a safe path.
I have a longer lens, so I don’t have to come too close, and can take my pictures from a distance. The workers are doing something with the mesh bags full of oysters – inspect them, and flip them over. They don’t pay any attention, except for an older man, who looks in my direction a few times, and then speaks something. I wave to him and try to listen to what he is saying. I would love to interview him for this blog. Then I hear “… shove that camera in your face…” and quickly realise that my time has expired. With the broadest smile, I wave to him again, take a few more shots and walk back.
With no interview, I had to look up the oyster farming in the internet. Here is what I have learned.
In Ireland, they cultivate Irish native flat oyster, available from September, and Pacific Gigas, available all year. The Gigas was introduced in the 1980s, and from what I have seen, this particular farm cultivates exactly the Gigas species.
The tidal waters of Waterford Harbour are flushing the oysters twice a day, providing them with natural food. Bag-cultured oysters mature more quickly than those that are beach grown, it is why the bags have to be regularly thinned and flipped over, otherwise the oysters will develop a wrong shape.
The Gigas oysters take about three years to reach market size ( about six years for the native Edulis species). Oysters are cultivated to the size of spat first, to the point at which they attach themselves to a substrate. Then they are set out to mature.
There were many empty trestles that made an interesting picture.
These are the oyster bags. The holes are very small, but I could say that the oysters were the size of a half-palm.
On my way to the shore, I take some pictures. The distance is quite remarkable.
I am trying not to step on the coiled castings of lugworms. Nearly there!
I found a broken oyster bag in the sand after a storm last year. I didn’t know how long it was there, and were the oysters still alive or already dead, so I let them be.
What made me sad, was the pattern of mesh on the shells.
We are leaving Woodstown, and drive another 5km. Passage East is a tiny village, but it is very important to the locals because of the ferry service between Co Waterford and Co Wexford.
I have already mentioned Passage East village in my blog post Goats and Monkeys. A huge herd of goats is living in the hills, and sometimes they come down and cause a traffic jam. This billy goat is the leader of the herd. His diabolic looks are quite impressive.
Here is the ferry, and some day we will cross the river and go to visit places around the Waterford Harbour.
Thank you for taking a risky hike to the middle of Waterford Harbour with me 🙂 In my next blog post, we will travel up the River Barrow, and then up the River Suir.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
Are you suggesting the weather in Ireland tends to be gray? Seems like that was the case when I visited back in 1980, but that also led to all the lovely greens.
Wonderful, thanks for taking us with you!❤
Looks nice in spite of the gloomy weather.
Thank you! 🙂
You are very welcome.
You always have the ability to draw me in and take the excursion with you. If you know me I don’t readily to this but you draw me in with such ease and it is always a pleasure to see what you see. 🙂
Thank you so much for walking to the oyster farm with me 🙂 I am delighted you have joined the trip regardless of the weather 🙂
Really wonderful! I loved it all but especially the tall ship.
Thank you! This ship is based in New Ross, and is open for public.
Wonderful.
As always, you give much to enjoy and ponder about on your lovely little photo trips. It was very brave of you to venture out so far in that mud…and I was taken aback by the moment of that guy’s wanting to shove your camera in your face…I wonder if he was doing something he shouldn’t be doing and thought you were a spy… 🙂
Thank you so much, Cynthia! Yes, it was a bit scary to walk in the mud, but I reckon if it holds a tractor, so it has to hold me 🙂
I think the man was just mean. No one else paid attention, and I only walked outside the farm. I guess he is a boss or something. Anyway, I am happy about the pictures 🙂
As usual, you leave me wishing to go there Inese!
Maria, you have to visit some day 🙂 I wish I could travel to South America.
Wonderful tour and photographs Ms inese. It is always so fascinating seeing your adventures. Thanks for sharing …
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Thank you so much! This one was an adventure indeed 🙂
Your outings sure become wonderful adventures of discovery, I love it! Beautiful diverse photographs once again, and I found your last segment on oyster cultivation fascinating, both the views of your photos, especially the portrait shot of the seaweed covered beds. Nothing like a great oyster ~ a great taste of the sea 🙂
Thank you so much! I have never eaten an oyster 🙂 I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to the farm. The walk in the mud was quite scary, but it was so fun to take photographs of the shore from the middle of the estuary 🙂
A lovely set of sea side images. I like the observation that the weather has not changed in years. Ah, the Irish wit!
Haha, it is almost truth 😉
I love the picture of flower patch in the nice green grass. The sky seemed grey (I am guessing) and that made the white / yellow flowers stood out nicely.
The oyster farming is fascinating. I have not looked up before on how people do it. It takes 3 years at least to get the right size. No wonder they are expensive.
I enjoyed this nice tour.
Thank you so much for taking a ride with me 🙂
Hi Inese. Thank you for another wonderful and fascinating adventure. I love all the photos, from classic beauty to uniquely lovely. I think my favorite is the colorful boats with the building in the background (1 red wall). The goat of course entertains me. I don’t know why I always find them so endearing.
I’m looking forward to next time. Mega hugs! 🙂
Thank you so much for joining this dangerous adventure, Teagan! As to the goats, they are a hallmark of the village. There is a road sign with a cow – cattle crossing. So, in Dunmore East they have a special sign – with a goat 🙂 Many hugs!
Another great blog Inese – what a scenic area and the oyster farm was fascinating!
Thank you so much! I loved the farm and the pictures came out just lovely 🙂 I have never walked so far into the tidal area.
Great photos. Looks like a wonderful setting for a Nicholas Sparks movie.
Hope you and yours are well. Have a lovely weekend,
Thank you so much! I am well indeed, a new grandma of three, couldn’t be happier 🙂 Today the baby came home and we are very busy 🙂
Beautiful seaside photos, and the goat in the road is priceless.
Thank you Olga! The goat looks like a devil himself, and he is very intelligent.
Stunning photos Inese.
Thank you so much, Bob!
Great pics! I could feel the sand in my toes :-o)
I thought that the sand would swallow me 🙂
Great pictures – I could almost smell the sea. My husband’s a huge fan of oysters. Not me, I’m afraid.
Thank you Jan! I never ate them, and I don’t see it happen 🙂
Dramatic place & great shots. I’m so relieved that the cow was saved. Free The Oysters! (Lol, I’m a veggie)
Thank you Resa! I have never eaten them, and have no such plans 🙂
I rather look forward to your post…light relief from the world about me; sublime photography plus pride in the land you live in. Particularly loved the gulls in the sky in photo number two…they appear as my old dad used to draw gulls (if that makes any sense!).
Mike, it is how I draw all birds 😉
Thank you for stopping by! In this crazy life there is always something to hang onto – the simple and beautiful things like those birds in the sky, or the shells in the sand. Shell picking is such a relaxing pastime 🙂
We have friends with small children visiting this very day…shell picking it is!