THE NARROW ROADWAYS OF IRELAND 2013

PART I

      Traveling with a girlfriend to Ireland in the spring of 2013, turned into an amazing road trip that took us over most of the countryside, west, central, and south but not Northern Ireland.  We had originally thought we could get to the north but  Ireland takes way longer to drive around than you would think!  The majority of roads in central, western, and southern Ireland are about the same width as our bike paths, with cars and trucks coming at you on your right side (the wrong side) and a lovely old stone wall on your left side, and only a determined driver can take the pressure.  Luckily we bought the full-deal insurance because in the end, we needed it.  Using maps, our typical forays into the countryside involved many U-turns, backtracking, driving in circles, looking for nonexistent street signs.  Any day spent driving was a mini-lesson in patience and fortitude.

     

Lovely old stone churches and ruins are found throughout the countryside.

Our goal was to see as much of Ireland as possible and have fun doing that.

Our trip was inspired by a mutual friend whose family owns a cottage in the middle of Ireland that has been in their family for 150 years and that had recently been renovated.  So after arriving in Dublin we rented our little car and drove to Glenamaddy, in central Ireland.  Almost too small to find on a map, but a sweet little town that boasts a grocery, a couple of pubs and a hardware store.

Our favorite pub in Glenamaddy

The cottage in Glenamaddy

Spooky house behind cottage

My favorite story from the cottage happened just as twilight was arriving  (it stays twilight until about 11 pm in the summer) when I decided to go investigate the spooky house behind the cottage.  As an historic preservationist I am always checking out old buildings, and I really wanted to see what had obviously been the 'big house" at one time.  I peeked in one window and saw old furniture, piled around; went to the front door and peeked in that window noticing a worn oriental runner going up the stairs, more old furniture and debris; then headed to the next window -- I jumped back as I realized the window was encased in a growing vine on the inside of the window.  I then ventured around the side of the house towards the barnyard area.  I noticed a sign on a fence that said, "Beware of bull,"  as I walked towards it trying to puzzle out what that could possibly mean......slowly to my right something began rising up from behind a fence. Eventually this GIANT white bull stood fiercely glaring at me.  He had a ring in his nose and began snorting and pawing the ground.  Sufficiently spooked by both the house and the bull, I decided to move back on up towards the cottage.

     Our first adventure (besides driving) was the zipline in Carrick on Shannon at Lough Key Park, about a two-hour drive away.  It wasn't the best day for ziplining, overcast and chilly, but when in Ireland, you go for it.  As a "seasoned" zipliner, I was taken by surprise by the laissez faire attitude in Ireland.  Basically, you are shown the "ropes" and then you are on your own.  No way would this happen in the US - everyone and their cousin would screw it up immediately and lawsuits would abound.  I loved it!  The system worked with two carabiners that both had to be moved to the next zip line - and only one would unlock at a time.  Actually, a very safe system.There were about 5 different courses - each one higher than the previous.  We stopped at level 3, as my friend had a slight case of acrophobia.

    

     By day 3 of life in the small town of Glenamaddy we decided to strike out for Galway and the Island of Inishmore.  Galway is a wonderful city with an Irish "big-city" feel, as in, still quaint and picturesque.  We did our usual drive, drive, drive, along a road that follows the coast on our way to the ferry that would take us to the Aran Island of Inishmore.  On Inishmore we toured the island and hiked to the ruins of the ancient fort of Dun Aengus.

The stone fort is situated on a high bluff with the Atlantic Ocean crashing far below.  Insihmore is one of the last strongholds for the old Celtic language which is taught in the schools on the island.

   


     Deciding that it was too far to drive back and forth to Glenamaddy we headed north towards the town of Westport.  The road we happened onto was quite narrow and eventually appeared to actually be a bike path.  Luckily there was no other traffic on this lovely little paved path, and we did pass a couple of homes, so maybe it really was a road.  We stopped at the high point and received a breathtaking view of green pastures and a sparkling lake. 

Sean the Bartender, view of the mountains behind

Delphi Mountain Resort

We had picked up a brochure for the Delphi Mountain Resort and Spa and we eventually found it.  This place was so special that we decided to spend two days and take a break from driving.  A spa, hiking trails, and a great bar with the very friendly Sean, bartender extraordinaire.  The food was also amazing. 

Beautifully presented, Irish beef is amazing.  You can imagine a few head  per acre, grazing in that luxuriant green grass.