Barley Field

I had been looking for this image for a while. The desolate beauty of the west and north-west is mainly a result of the poverty of its resources. One needs to move east and south to find soil deep enough for barley fields and oak trees; "thick-skinned land" as a west Clare farmer described it to me many years ago. As I moved on to inland counties I was looking forward to some relief from the emptiness of the west. I came upon this field late one evening. I had almost given up shooting for the day when the sky suddenly cleared and washed everything golden light.