We left Westport this morning, but not before having a quick look around the town. A pretty little town, with every corner offering some commemorative icon to St Patrick, after all this was his stomping ground. Our next stop just down the road, Croagh Patrick, is where St Patrick not only spent 40 days and nights fasting on its summit, but is also the place from which he is reputed to have banished the snakes from Ireland from. Although if actual history is anything to go by, there were never any snakes here in the first place. There is now a well worn track leading to its summit, well populated by those doing the pilgrimage, and also those looking for a fabulous view.
CROAGH PATRICK : County Mayo : Republic of Ireland : Height 764 metres
On ‘Reek’ Sunday, the last Sunday in July, 15,000 pilgrims climb it.
Across the road from the start of the climb, is the National Famine Memorial. A large sculpted three-masted ship (representing the ‘coffin-ships’) with skeletons in the rigging. commemorating the lives lost in the famine of 1845-51. There is nothing here apart from this sculpture, which surprised us as we would have liked to have had more information offered.
DOOLOUGH TRAGEDY : County Mayo : Republic of Ireland
Famine Walk - Friday 30 March 1849
From here we took the route around the coast via Louisburg, Cregganbaun, and Leenane. It was on this route that we saw the memorials to the ‘Famine Walk’. During the famine a destitute and starving village set off in mid-winter and walked 40 miles to their landlords house to ask for food. When they arrived they were refused food and turned back to where they came from. These memorials are to those that died on that ill fated journey, a stark reminder as to why that dark period is still strong in the Irish mind.
The journey through here was very pretty in many ways, but extremely barren in others. There were no fences, the sheep ran free across the tussock landscape, stopping wherever they could find nourishment. This was the first time that we rounded the corner to find a flock of sheep blocking the road in front of us. Unlike the sheep that we are used to, these specimens have no inclination whatsoever to move out of our way, and the farmer behind had no inclination to hurry them either.
We may not have mentioned before but this is bog country. At this time of year there are long rows of bog lying out to dry for there winter fires. Where we are today they are being cut by hand, we guess because the mechanised versions can’t cut between the rocks.
KYLEMORE ABBEY : Connemara : County Galway : Republic of Ireland
Built in 1867 as a castle for the family of Mitchell Henry. Covers 40,000 3700m2, 70 rooms, principal walls are 3 feet thick, the façade is 43metres in length and is made of granite. 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, ballroom, billard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room, and various offices and rooms for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. Became an Abbey in 1920.
Our next stop for the day was at Kylemore Abbey, situated on the shores of the lake, this is a relatively new castle built in the 19th century by a wealthy businessman. After the original owners died, it passed through several hands before being bought by a group of Benedictine Nuns having escaped Ypres during WWI. We did a short but interesting tour of the castle, had a look at the Church, situated 20 minutes walk away through the trees, before heading up to the walled gardens (an area of 6 acres). It was whilst walking through the trees that we heard our first Cuckoo’s, and they sound just like the clocks.
After leaving Kylemore we proceeded around the coast road. The landscape has changed dramatically, the ground is just absolutely covered with rocks. There are rock walls going in all directions, not dividing up paddocks, but more in keeping with the size of large pens. We have no idea how they manage to farm this land, although there are a lot of sheep around. We suspect that the majority of their livelihood comes from the sea around them. We have never seen anything like this landscape before. The coastline itself is very rugged with the rocks dipping and diving, lattice patterns of little lakes, bogs, open sea, and little fingers of land binding them all together. We have also noticed all the way down this western side of the island that there an awful lot of ruins of houses. There are just bare stone frames of what were once homes. We have been told that the majority of these are from famine times when the occupants just walked off the land never to return, and their houses deteriorated behind them.
It was whilst navigating these small narrow roads that we suddenly realised that the sea was now on our left rather than our right. We discovered shortly afterwards that we had completed an extended circle that wasn’t part of our original plans. We hadn’t missed the turn off as such, we had just misinterpreted them.
GALWAY: County Galway : Republic of Ireland : Population 72,700
Has the nickname ‘City of the Tribes’ because 14 tribes led the city. The Claddagh Ring is associated with the Claddagh, a fishing village located just outside the old walls of the Galway city. A "Galway Hooker" is a traditional boat native to Galway. Is also the name of a new local micro-brewed beer.
Shortly afterwards we got back onto the main road and headed into Galway for the night. Finding our accommodation was a little more difficult than usual, as the street we were looking for wasn’t on the map. After knocking on the door of a competing B&B, we asked directions. They were very helpful and even gave us an extended map to help us on our way. Such is the Irish way. We have found on number of times that we have been approached by complete strangers if they think we are lost or confused. They have all been very kind and very helpful, particularly so in the North.
Tomorrow we are heading back onto the coastal road, so more on that to come. Regarding the weather we are still getting temperatures of 20 and 21, so we have been spoilt with fantastic spring weather. After everything that we had been told we weren’t expecting this at all.
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