A pleasant place to be!

In this month’s magazine, Ray McIntyre visited the garden of Mike and Patricia Colahan, which commands striking views of Fair Head

Fair Head, a headland rising nearly 600 feet above the sea and mentioned in a million weather forecasts, is at Ireland’s north-easterly tip. It has given rise to myths and legends that featured warring suitors, the murder of a beautiful golden-haired chieftain’s daughter and was a favourite haunt of a malevolent creature known as The Grey Man who delighted in all manner of evil doings; sinking ships was just one of them.

Mike and Patricia Colahan live near Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, and have a striking view of Fair Head three miles away from both their house and garden. They are virtually unfazed by the ancient myths and legends. When they bought their house in 2001 there was no garden at all. Originally it had been the orchard of an old house, but both had been cleared and the ground was comprised entirely of grass. Mike and Patricia, who are retired doctors, were keen on gardening and set about creating a garden in their one-acre ‘blank canvas’.

To continue reading this article pick up a copy of The Irish Garden today. Or subscribe by visiting www.irishgardensubs.com. Prefer to phone? Call Kim at 01-2947712 (10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday).