They come, pilgrims of another sort,
Croagh Patrick, a hulking monolith shrouded in mist at their backs,
Bent into the gusting wind and salty squalls driving in off the Atlantic,
To gawk at the storm ravaged beach.
The car park and road obliterated by huddles of sea-rounded rocks—
Grey, cream, purple—
Tossed merrily over the breakwaters by a tidal surge
The like not seen in a quarter century.
The dunes too, took an awful beating.
Clumps of Marram grass strewn across the beach
Like strange seabird nests woven through with blue and green fishermen’s string.
These Sunday trippers come in droves
Despite the rain and wind and devastation,
Their bellies full of roast and pudding
And maybe a pint or two,
Their dogs and children scampering wet circles into the sand,
Eager for a bit of mid-winter drama.
Bertra Strand, Co. Mayo, Ireland, January 2014
Melissa Shaw-Smith 
A nice post, Melissa… beautiful photos… I’m sending to my Irish friends…
Thanks, Ted. Hope it resonates with your Irish pals.
Wow. What happened exactly? I love the post. Makes me want to know more!
Thanks, Randee. A very powerful storm barreled up the west and south west coast of Ireland in early January and completely changed the landscape of many well-known beaches. On a beach in Kerry I witnessed a large old wooden boat, shipwrecked in 1903 & subsequently buried in the sand so only its upper timbers were exposed, completely excavated by the waves and tossed up against the sand dunes. Stunning site.
That would be an amazing place to explore after that big of a storm.
Wow!!!
My daughter’s fiance is an Irishman (Dubliner) and was home there during that storm. The pics he sent us showed unbelievable heaves in the roads! It looked like either an earthquake or bomb had hit in certain spots!
Your post and pics tell the same story. Nature can be quite devastating!
Darling Melissa,
LOVE the poem.
Thoughtful blog.