KERRY, CONNEMARA AND CLARE 237 



ol foam at the river's mouth and rain fierce as the 

 wind scurrying up with it. 



" But a fine day for a saamon surely," so there 

 is hope as the boat rocks and swings, as the rowers 

 hang at their oars for the row up and the roar of 

 the far-away surf rises thunderously. 



It is not a place for those who fear rain. One 

 may sit out drenched through and through, resting 

 a thoroughly soaked back when the boat is turned ; 

 no mackintosh will keep out Connemara rain. 

 One may fish when the world is a blur of wet and 

 the hills are lost in the swirl and all the air is full 

 of the sound of waters, to go in soaked but happy, 

 see a bundle of wet garments carried off and grow 

 warm and dry by the glow of a turf fire with the 

 noise of the storm outside growing louder. 



" Fine rain " is all you say joyously. 



But there are the hopeless days when the mists 

 cap the mountains, when there is a deadness in 

 the air and heaviness even in the light wind. 

 Warm and steamy days when even the brownies 

 will sulk, nip at a fly and drop off with a fishy 

 grin. 



Ourig, the top of the Recess chain of lakes, was 

 a great favourite of mine, a big lake with big fish 

 in it and wonderfully good on a wild day, but 

 two lakes. Muck and Fee near the coast, I 

 know most of, were good, wonderfully good some 

 years ago. Our last year we hardly saw a fish 

 except a few red salmon which take some catch- 



