The Red, Red Grass Of Home

Kilcoole coast SUN21APR24 Sam Kirwan

e’ve yet to any official confirmation from the Wicklow Fire Service, but we’ve had readers get in touch to say there was a total of three grass fires along our coast on this sunny Sunday.

The first summer-worthy sunny Sunday of the year.

Situated along the Kilcoole coast, near Glenroe, the Greystones end of The Cliff Walk and, we’re told, “somewhere just beyond Newcastle” (turned out to be Killoughter in Wicklow Town), all three would appear to have been dealt with, but such fires are a reminder of what can go wrong when you mix hot summer days, dry grass and feckwits. As happened back in July 2018, when a campfire on Bray Head led to a five-day battle for both Greystones and Bray firemen to put out the ensuing blaze.

“It could have been sparks from the chimney of today’s passing steam train,” Grainne Hughes informed us, “but then, it could just as easily been a discarded cigarette.

“Either way, you never know how big a fire is going to get, and it was wonderful that the brigade acted so quickly today…”

In the end, it was the steam train that sparked trouble here, with passengers having to get a diesel train back to Dublin.

Our thanks to photographer Sam Kirwan who took these aerial shots and video, and to Grainne for the insert shots…

You can check out more of Sam Kirwan’s work here. Local emergency contacts are here.