Diving into Smooth Waters

Last Thursday, travelling to Kerry for the last few days of the family holidays, I heard on the radio of the republication of the books of Walter Macken online and on demand.

This reminded me of the extract and the plaque that I had seen in Galway.

It also tempted me to seek out my first Walter Macken book to read – did I miss the winking diamonds of the dying sun when growing up.

“The jutting quays were a hive of activity. Already some of the boats were away and were swinging widely into the current of the river. The sun was heading for the Aran Islands and somebody had touched a pink brush to the clouds on the horizon. The bulk of the town on the other side of the river was alive with the winking diamonds of the dying sun on the window panes, and the cold grey stone of the buildings was mellowed and more beautiful. Even the towering bulk of the artificial manure factory looked blackly beautiful in the rays of the setting sun. The seagull’s feathers seemed to be magically touched with the exotic plumage of the tropics, and the daring terns were white blurs diving into the smooth waters”

Walter Macken (1915 – 1967) – ‘Rain on the Wind’

EDIT 2014.08.16

I did wonder at the time as to the concept of smooth waves. If I had only read it properly...

It did prompt me to buy the book and only when reading the paragraph in the book did I spot the error of my ways - now corrected