Tuesday 31 July 2012

8.00am Tuesday 31 July 2012







Swell is a small 1 foot with a light force 2 southeasterly cross/offshore breeze.

Tides
High 04.58 3.5m
Low 11.02 0.9m
High 17.16 3.9m
Low 23.34 0.7m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Below, photos of my favourite end of the beach, followed by assorted sand structures and excavations, so many that I wonder if there was a sandcastle competition that I didn't hear about. All spared by the neap tide that didn't come all the way up the beach last night.


 Thoughts on Sandcastles

Starting with the ring fort style castle. This design must be built into Irish DNA - check how many hills close to the beach are topped with bronze age structures very similar to these.



This one above is an exact of Eamain Macha in Armagh, complete with watering/bathing section for the horses of King Conor's army. Is this builder a re-incarnated Red Branch Knight?




 This one below is of more British construction, probably late Victorian. I remember a picture of this castle in the school reading book I learned to read in, some time in the mid-20th century in a Fermanagh primary school. It was built by siblings Dick and Dora and their friend Malcolm, using pails and spades. If it wasn't for the picture, my classmates and I would never have figured out what a pail was. Just look at all those marvellous outer defences! Positively Imperial! At this level, you could make sandcastle building into an Olympic sport.


And now for the tunnelers. The beach is pitted with rudimentary pits and tunnels abandoned by their creators who probably figured out that there were easier ways of escaping from the beach or maybe just got distracted by the ice cream van. Here below are the finest speciments of tunnelling, including these first 2 connected tunnels.




This one below looks malicious, designed to boobytrap an unwary car or bicycle or night time pedestrian. Watch out for it. It could wreck a shock absorber.


And finally an example of the many unfinished developments on the beach.  I wonder if Nama could be persuaded to buy them with taxpayers money before Thursday's spring tide levels them all.


Monday 30 July 2012

8.00am Monday 30 July 2012




 Swell is a small1 foot with a fresh north northwesterly force 3 cross/onshore breeze.

Tides
High 04.01 3.3m
Low 09.59 1.1m
High 16.23 3.6m
Low 22.35 0.9m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans shop Rossnowlagh.

Below, a skeleton near the slipway by the surf club. Is this one of the pair of harbour dolphins that have been spending their summers in Rossnowlagh Bay for several years past? They were here in June this year but have not been seen since the morning when 6 killer whales from Scotland visited Donegal and were sighted swimming about off the wrack hole. I saw the porpoise couple's baby alone in the Creek during evening high tide the following day but the whole pod has been missing since then. Certainly, comparing this skeleton with an image of a harbour dolphin skeleton, it looks as if the killer whales may have snatched a pair of much loved Rossnowlagh visitors.




And on a more cheerful note, a kite boarder mastering this morning's warm breeze.



 That last one is just Rossnowlagh being Rossnowlagh, looking more like a painting than a photo this morning.

Sunday 29 July 2012

7.15am Sunday 29 July 2012





Swell is a small 1 foot with a fresh force 4 northwesterly onshore breeze.

Tides
High 02.48 3.1m
Low 08.48 1.2m
High 15.21 3.4m
Low 21.28 1.1m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Saturday 28 July 2012

7.40am Saturday 28 July 2012




Waves are a small foot this morning but are expected to be bigger later this morning and the breeze is force 3 rising to a squally 4, blowing onshore from the northwest. Pleasantly mild and sunny between squalls.

Tides
High 01.26 3.1m
Low 07.28 1.2m
High 14.08 3.3m
Low 20.09 1.2m

Tide info sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Friday 27 July 2012

7.45am Friday 27 July 2012






Swell is a good 1 foot with a fresh force 3 north northwesterly cross/onshore breeze. The warm sunny weather continues, with a few threatening clouds. Waves will be bigger as the day goes on.

Tides
High 00.14 3.3m
Low 06.15 1.1m
High 12.53 3.3m
Low 18.48 1.2m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Thursday 26 July 2012

8.00am Thursday 26 July 2012






Swell is a small 1 foot and calm - barely a breath of easterly offshore.

Tides
Low 05.18 1.0m
High 11.49 3.4m
Low 17.42 1.1m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Wednesday 25 July 2012

7.30am Wednesday 25 July 2012




Swell isa good 1foot with a light force 1 northeasterly cross/offshore breeze.

Tides
Low 04.21 0.8m
High 10.55 3.6m
Low 16.48 1.0m
High 23.13 3.5m
Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Tuesday 24 July 2012

7.00am Tuesday 24 July 2012






 Swell is 2 foot with a light force 1 south southwesterly cross shore breeze.

Tides
Low 03.490.7m
High 10.07 3.7m
Low 16.03 0.9m
High 22.21 3.7m

Tide information sponsored by Finnegans Shop Rossnowlagh

Below, last night's 4 foot swell and sunset sky.

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