McCarthy Mór Castle, Ballinskelligs

McCarthy Mór Castle, Ballinskelligs
original watercolour © Teresa Newham

I fell in love with McCarthy's castle on my first visit to Ballinskelligs more than ten years ago.  Ballinskelligs beach has become a fixture to visit whenever we are in Kerry - it's a great place for dog walking - and I have photos of the castle in sunshine, rain and mist.  It was the subject of one of my earliest watercolours - now mercifully consigned to the bin - so it was high time for another painting . . .

source material, and the painting blocked out
© Teresa Newham

The ruin is more properly known as Ballinskelligs Castle or McCarthy Mór Castle, but it's really a tower house built by McCarthy Mór in the 16th Century to protect the bay from pirates (and so that he could charge a tariff on incoming trade ships).

mountains & rocks appear . . .
© Teresa Newham

We were always frustrated that we couldn't get close to it because the causeway was cut off at high tide: to our delight, after the storms a couple of years ago this was built up, enabling visitors to walk there at any time.  But the sea is gradually eroding that possiblity once more.

. . . then the castle itself
© Teresa Newham

Ballinskelligs Bay is an atmospheric place, so I've chosen to portray it using just two colours - raw sienna and cobalt blue.  These have combined well for me in the past (remember Swan and Skellig Morning?) and I'm happy to say that they've worked their magic again!

grass added in the foreground to finish
© Teresa Newham