#CoastalNotes - The Irish Independent's Kim Bielenberg recently enjoyed the hospitality of the welcoming coastal community of Strandhill in Co Sligo, where seaweed, surfing and sleeping under the stars are some of the key attractions.
Strandhill is just one of the many seaside hamlets dotted along the Wild Atlantic Way, an initiative local businesses have been swift to latch on to.
But the town's entrepreneurs have long been at one with the ocean and the rugged beauty of the coastline, from the local seaweed bath – a Sligo coast tradition – to the Kiwi-run surfing school and the beach campsite that welcomes hundreds of campers every summer.
Meanwhile, that same coastline provided the inspiration for artists Tom Phelan's seascape, which featured in a recently closed exhibition in Dublin.
Independent.ie has a sample of one of his striking and evocative surfboard paintings, with straight lines and sweeping curves that care calming and sedate, but a rough surfaces that indicates some tussles with the waves.
More of these works can be found on Tom Phelan's website HERE.