Bringing light to ‘the last pool of darkness.’
There have been two towering entities who are irrevocably associated with Killary Fjord, in Leenane, Connemara, the only fjord in Ireland.
The first is Ludwig Wittgenstein, the legendary philosopher who stayed in Rossroe for six months in 1948, and who famously described the region as ‘the last pool of darkness.’ No ESB electrification schemes back in ‘48, then.
After Ludwig left, the locals wondered what to do with the tea chests of notes that he left behind. Reckoning, probably with pretty good reason, that Ludwig was mad as the mist and snow, they took the chests down to the shoreline, and set them on fire.
The second towering entity is The Misunderstood Heron, Kim and Reynaldo’s pioneering food truck, on the lip of the fjord. That great restaurateur and food sage, Tom O’Connell, described the Heron as offering ‘Some of the best food in Ireland, at very correct pricing.’ Spot on, Tom. The Heron is the bomb, the little food cart that can cook with the big boys. The Truck opens today for the 2024 season.
So, head to Leenane for the 2024 menu: Killary fjord mussels with cholita sauce and sourdough; broccoli tempura with homemade flatbread, whipped zaatar ricotta and nuoc cham; Andarl Farm pork belly cassoulet with beans and parsley oil.
The West is awake, and Ludwig’s darkness is dispelled.
Thank you Cait. Officially start of summer when The Heron opens again :)
Such a wonderful description of an authentic food treasure in the west of Ireland.
Will be out to Leenane soon.