Dig!” Denis Quinn points towards a tiny, perfectly round pinhole in the beach. Hesitant, I force a silver tablespoon into the dark sand and gently draw it towards me. The spoon hits something hard and, seconds later, a beautiful, sand-caked cockle emerges. Being an enthusiastic forager – I’ve spent childhood summers mushroom and berry picking – I’m hooked. Each clink of the firm shell against the cold metal gives me an endorphin high similar to the thrill of spotting a handsome porcini mushroom.
SEA PICKINGS
I’m amazed at what you can find in the exposed sands between Killala Bay and Bartragh Island at low tide, armed with a tablespoon and some local knowledge. Denis Quinn has been leading intimate walking tours on the north-west coast of County Mayo for the last 12 years, sharing the best spots for cutting verdant stalks of samphire, collecting curly branches of purplish carrageen and picking coal-black periwinkles.
