Month: March 2020

Finian’s Dream has been a destination that’s been on our list since the region officially opened; in fact it is one that has given rise to a few recommendations coming my way in the time since (thank you Miro, et al), with the only reason for a delay in dropping in is to allow the initial rush of visitors to be over, so we can creep around and peek at things without getting in the way of others too much.

Designed by Noralie78 of Lost Unicorn Forest fame (read here for more), the region’s description is perfectly offered by her through an introductory note card that can be obtained at the landing point:

Welcome to Finian’s Dream! This beautiful land is in celebration of old Celtic Ireland with a touch of magic 🙂 Ireland is known for its many mystical secrets of the forest…after all, that’s where fairies came from! Walk through the deep and magical woods, you might just make some discoveries along the way. Stop by the pub and allow Donngal to make you a drink while you watch Rowan perform her Irish dance (no she never gets tired :P).

This is a place that harks back to a time when Ireland’s many forests were united to cover much of the land; a place where Ireland’s legends and myths may well have been born. wreathed in mist and caught in a perpetual dusk. In this realm, awaiting discovery, is so much.

From the landing point, the forest, deep in shadow beckons; a place where tiny fairies flit and fly.  Statues and glades with stone circles, the air within them cut by slanting Moonlight, await along natural trails a paths set wide between broad tree trunks that hold aloft the covering blanket of branches and leaves.

A stream cuts through the forest with logs, either fallen or felled, providing crossing points over it, pointing the way to where a rutted cart track skirts the woodlands. Follow this in one direction, and it leads the way to where stone steps climb the region’s uplands, in the other it offers the way to open farmlands presided over a homely cottage and a lone windmill. Here the land is cut neatly by dry stone walls, home to sheep and cattle.

Above the farm and the canopy of trees, the highlands form a stepped plateau, home to a stone castle that commands the land and those surrounding it. The Irish tricolour hangs above the castle’s portcullis, casting a more recent time to the setting (the flag was a gift to Ireland in 1848, but not officially adopted until the early 20th century), which makes it a slight anachronism given the sense of age and history invoked by the rest of the region.

Within the castle can be found a marvellous display of CybeleMoon’s fabulous digital art, which is keeping with the setting, echoing as it does the rich sense of history and legend evoked by the design. Also to be found with the region are three story givers that relate famous Irish legends as narrated by SL resident Sukibombuki Resident.

With the heavy mists, the hidden farm beyond the woods, the cottage in the forest and the twilight sky, its not hard to imagine this is some form of Irish Brigadoon – a place cut off from the rest of the world, filled with its own mystery that, rather than appearing once a century, can only be found  by wandering deep into the older IrishfForests and following the path that brings you to this mystical, magical place.

Beautifully conceived and executed, Finian’s Dream is a place that is gorgeous to witness, lovingly put together by the hands and eyes that make Lost Unicorn such a joy to visit.

SLurl Details

• Finian’s Dream (Celtic Mist, rated Moderate)

The Getaway – Nutmeg is a homestead region designed by Jacky Macpherson, and towards which we were steered by Shawn Shakespeare.

It’s a wonderfully simple design that is delightful in its attractive minimalism; the kind of place where description is superfluous, simply because its allure is entirely self-evident on arrival.

Two islands, split by a narrow, meandering channel and with shorelines partially formed by low-lying rocks, gently rise out of the surrounding waters. One rises just a few metres above the misty seas, the other somewhat – but not much – higher, thanks to its single, humped hill. Simple plank bridges cross the channel between them, as if stapling them together in an attempt to keep them from going their separate ways as they drift on the tide.

The larger of the two islands is home to the landing point and a single, open-plan cabin with deep-set verandahs. Cosily furnished and open to the public, the cabin has a fence for its neighbour, one that runs across the island as if cutting it into two and keeping the cabin separated from the only other man-made structure of significant substance to be found here: a sun-faded barn that is apparently home to a flea market, and which is also open to public visits, despite the fence.

The landing point sits between two fences that run – for a short distance at least – north-to-south, pointing the way both towards the  cabin and to the northern headland over which gulls wheel. A similar pair of fences curl in part around the hill of the second island, marking a routine around its northern flank, while the hill itself is crowned by a sunken tree that raises its boughs in scrub-like abandonment, and a comfortable looking hammock.

Covered in the coarse hair of wild grass and studded with silver birch and a few mountain pine, The Getaway – Nutmeg sits under a windlight sky and over a white sea that are both perfect for photography – as is the setting as a whole. Exploring is easy on the eye, as is the subtle richness of detail, with lots of little touches awaiting discovery.

But as I noted, lengthy descriptions of the region are superfluous, it speaks loudly, clearly and attractively for itself, making a visit more than worth the time taken to drop in and explore.

SLurl Details

• The Getaway – Nutmeg (The Getaway, rated Moderate)