August 14, 2003
Blow-ins
It's all happening in Clifden. Last week, a 14metre long sperm whale was washed ashore. A local fisherman obligingly towed it out to sea again, and the next day, the tide obligingly washed it ashore again. The photograph in the Connacht Tribune shows a 47 foot long slab of shapeless blubber. I'd be careful of the fishburgers in the chipshops in Clifden for the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, a radio controlled model aircraft touched down on Mannín Beach after crossing the Atlantic. It set off from Newfoundland 39 hours earlier - the original plan was to land on the same spot as Alcock & Brown when they crash-landed in 1919, but given that that landing site is a boghole, it was figured that the plane might survive a beach landing better. The plane was designed by Maynard Hill (despite the fact that he is legally blind) - the plan was guided by remote-control until it reached 500 feet, and was then switched to autopilot until it reached the west coast f Ireland, where it was guided down by one of Hill's colleagues. Eighteen hundred miles in thirty nine hours - it takes nearly that long for a train to cross this country…
Posted by Monasette at August 14, 2003 11:47 PM | TrackBack