People of the Wild Atlantic Way Photography Project – 

Mary O’Brien – Sheep’s Head Peninsula, West Cork.

‘My perfect day is spent working in my garden, listening to the bird song and nature all around me. It gladdens my heart, once the first crocus puts its head above the ground. Spring brings life again, hyacinths and daffodils follow. From my childhood days I have loved the garden, I have grown through the years with it.

The return of the house martins, swallows and the cuckoo bring the summer and the garden bursts into life with wild flowers, gladiolus, daisy’s, petunias and sweet peas all in bloom.

Each season brings a different experience, similar to the cycle of life. Come autumn everything dies back, teaching us how to let go. Winter is a time to be still, a time for reflection, to explore and understand our inner self. Garding enhances my mental well being . My wish if I thought I was dying, is to die in my garden with the sound of the sea in the distance.’