North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

Skin Trade

On Annagh Head on the Mullet peninsula, I got chatting to an affable Yorkshireman who was peering into the back of his transit van. He lives in Stranraer, and he and his wife come over to Ireland as often as they can. His van was a camper of sorts; kitted out not to accomodate humans but their even larger family of Newfoundland dogs. An unholy racket greeted me when I looked into the van - five furry monsters anxious to head for water, and none too impressed with the camera-wielding interloper blocking their view of the Atlantic.

Newfoundlands' have webbed feet, thick coats and an incurable love of swimming, and were used as rescue dogs during shipwrecks, by simply rowing out near the stricken sailors and throwing the dogs overboard. A dog would grab a sailor by the scruff of the neck (or something more painful if a scruff was not forthcoming) and not let go until it had got back to shore. Because of their size, they were also used as pack animals to haul small carts of fishes around ports.

So, I asked, you're going to let them out for a swim?. The man from Yorkshire was not so sure. The thing is, a Newfoundland will instinctively dash into the water and rescue whatever it can find. Including swimmers that mightn't need rescuing. Ah... So if you see a big shaggy wet dog trotting proudly along a beach with swimming togs in its mouth, you might want to keep a look out for a surprised swimmer hiding in the dunes attempting to hide his modesty. However, if you see a Garda less than fully attired, it might be for a different reason entirely.

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