Ireland May – June 2015

m_phillips_blog_ireland2It has long been a dream of mine to visit Ireland so when my wife and I decided to go to Ireland we were excited but at the same time we wanted someone from Ireland to accompany us – who better than dear friend and fellow artist Mark Hobson.  Mark has travelled extensively and also had gone to boarding school in Ireland – he was excited to see old friends and family and it gave us the perfect excuse to travel together.  The first week was spent in northwestern Ireland in County Donegal on the wild Atlantic Coast.  Mark had arranged a cottage rental there and the scenery was wild and wonderful – a hilly rock-filled verdant land with few trees but stunning scenery – sheep grazing on hillsides amidst the ruins of old buildings built with rock.  It was a painter’s paradise.  A land so filled with history and myth.  The second week we travelled down south visiting the Cliffs of Mohr and staying with some friends and relatives of Mark’s whose hospitality rivalled the beauty of the country.  It is a trip we will always remember.