AN author who re-visited the coastal route from Malin Head to Cork – which he first wrote about 25 years ago – claims a Gaoth Dobhair beauty spot has been destroyed by development.
In the summer of 1991 Paul Clements hitchhiked the coastline of Ireland for his first travel book.
Now he has retraced his footsteps for a new book based on a journey along the same route – now of course called the Wild Atlantic Way as part of a tourism re-branding.
Clements went on the lament the huge number of holiday homes which have been built over the past quarter of a century.
And turning to our county he wrote: “In north Donegal, because of the large increase in the number of white Snow-cemmed holiday homes, the local name for Bloody Foreland has been cynically rechristened ‘Bloody Blandland’.”
“Many parts of the west coast have also been infested with holiday homes and bungalows, twice as big and twice as numerous, built with little or no planning control,” he said describing his new book.
He also hits out at the number of wind turbines along the route.
“For my meandering journey in 2015, from Malin Head to Kinsale, I wanted to see how the west coast has changed. At first appearance the physical face of the countryside with its rich green farmland, shifting light, wide skies and seascapes in harmony is essentially the same,” he said.
“But the landscape, which was clutter- free apart from pylons, is now swathed with wind turbines which have denatured the countryside. Several hundred of these towering superstructures pepper the hills as the wind energy industry strives to meet EU emissions targets.”
Belfast-based Clements’ book – Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – goes on sale this week.
Tags:
