All around us it was a wonderful day, and clear skies and the very welcome twinkle of sunlight helped exposed colours and the features of Benbulben Mountain in County Sligo. And I must admit that this distinctive rock formation cast a little spell on us and provided a real stimulus for our imagination.

With its dramatic, symmetrical and nearly vertical slopes and flat-topped summit, Benbulben is sometimes referred to as Ireland’s own Table Mountain and considered as one of the most celebrated mountains in the country.