Queen Maeve Tour
On our first day in Boyle we decided to do a tour from a little tour book present in the cottage, the Queen Maeve Tour on the Coolera peninsula. Queen Maeve was the legendary Queen of Connacht and she is a primary person in the Táin, on of Irelands most famous legends about Cúchulainn who defends Ulster against the attacks of Maeve. There are indications that Maeve was indeed a goddess of sovereignty, one of the Irish female deities of war, territory and sexuality.
Her death is as quite bizarre, an 11th century legend tells she was killed by her nephew with a lump of hard cheese with a slingshot. It is believed that she is buried under a pile of rocks on the summit of mount Knocknarea. This pile of stones is known as Miosgán Meadhbha, which means Grave of Maeve, and is about 10 metres in height and 55 metres in diameter. From almost any point during this tour you are able to see the Knocknarea and the pile of stones on its summit. From Boyle we drove to Sligo, the starting point for this tour. From there we drove along the coast of the Coolera peninsula. Our first stop was in the seaside resort of Strandhill, a popular destination on a beautiful day like this. We walked along the beach and after the walk we had lunch in one of the small restaurants near the beach. We continued our tour and the next stop was near mount Knocknarea. There is a possibility to climb to the top but we didn't do that and moved on to the Carrowmore Megalithic cemetery. This is the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland and one of the oldest and most important of its kind in Europe. There are several tombs among which a passage grave which is a lot smaller and less impressive than the one in Newgrange. After a few other stops we went to Aughris Head. The book mentioned that you could see a lot of different sea birds from the cliffs, and it should also be possible to see seals and dolphins. We made a nice walk on the cliff but we didn't spot any seal or dolphin.
County Mayo: Céide Fields, Downpatrick Head and Lacken Strand
Another route led us through County Mayo. Our first destination was Céide Fields, the largest monument from the Stone Age in the world. Arable land, settlements and megalithic tombs of more than 5000 years old are buried here in the bog and are therefore excellent preserved. On some places the peat is removed, exposing the decayed stone walls. During excavations earthenware items were and also a plough from the Stone Age.
In the Visitor Centre there is an exhibition about how the people live back then and outside the stone wall is visible on places were the peat has been removed. The Céide Fields are right by the sea next to some spectacular cliffs. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy so we couldn't see them very clear as the distinction between the sea and the sky was faint. From Céide Fields we drove a short distance to Downpatrick Head. There you can see an enormous blowhole in the middle of the field on top of the cliff on a distance of about 100 metres from the water. A high fence should prevent you from falling several metres into the large hole. From Downpatrick Head it is again a short drive to Lacken Strand, a large flat stretch of sand on which it is even possible to drive with a car. Here we made a walk and Ciska enjoyed herself with searching for shells. When the high tide came, which comes rather fast on a flat beach, we decided to return to our cottage in Boyle.
Connemara
Connemara is a 2-hour drive from Boyle, so we left our cottage around 8:30. The weather didn't look very promising, foggy and not very warm. Around 10:45 we arrived at Connemara National Park, luckily the weather had cleared. When we arrived in the Visitors Centre we got an explanation about the walks in the park. We did the long walk of about an hour through the park. At the start of the walk there is a meadow with a few of the famous Connemara ponies. For Ciska this was one of the highlights of the walk, unfortunately there is no opportunity to ride the ponies, a disappointment for Ciska.
While walking we had some great views over the surroundings of the park, the Twelve-Bens and Diamond Hill. Also the Atlantic Ocean was clearly visible. A famous flower in the park is St. Dabeoc's heath. Besides in Ireland, this heath also grows in Spain and Portugal. Back at the Visitors Centre we visited the exhibition about the bog lands and peat digging. From the park we went to the Ocean & Country Museum in Derryinver. In the museum you can also buy tickets for a boat trip through the harbour of Ballinakill. The trip left at 14:30 so we first went to a nearby pub to have lunch before we went aboard. The boat sails through the harbour, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The leaflet promised us views of several seabirds and possibly a seal. We didn't see many varieties of birds and we certainly didn't see any seal. We did see a salmon farm where we could clearly see the salmons jumping from the water. During the trip, the children on board, so also Ciska, were allowed to steer the boat for a while. When we returned at the quay we returned to the Ocean & Country Museum to visit the exhibitions. The museum has exhibitions about all life in sea around Connemara and about the tough times for the farmers in Connemara in former times. When we done visiting the museum we returned to our cottage in Boyle where we arrived late in the evening. All in all it was a long and tiring day.
Lough Gara
After our tiring daytrip to Connemara we didn't want to drive for such a long time the next day. In the small booklet in the cottage was also a tour near Lough Gara, the lake behind our cottage. According the description, the tour started in Ballymote, but we started halfway as the tour also went close by our home. The first stop was at a viewpoint with a nice view over the lake. The road to reach the viewpoint became narrower and narrower, luckily there was no oncoming traffic on this narrow road.
When we reached the viewpoint we could see the lake at a distance. Only the view was not very clear as it was rather cloudy and there was no sign of the sun. The next stop was at the ruins of the old church of Toomour, which was probably built in the 6th century. It was difficult to get close to the church, so we continued our tour to Ballymote. There we made a short walk along the Franciscan cemetery, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the railway station and the ruins of Ballymote castle. In Ballymote we also came along the first public playground in Ireland so Ciska could enjoy herself. Until now, public playgrounds are few and far between in Ireland. After lunch we went to Gurteen, a lot of famous Irish musicians are from this area, among who is the famous Michael Coleman. Curteen is also home to the Coleman Heritage Centre. We didn't stop there but continued to the Carrowntemple slabs. These stand on a cemetery that is still being used as such until today. The 14 slabs on the cemetery are copies, the originals are in a museum in Dublin. The design on the stones was common Irish art from the 8th until the 10th century. Via Clogher Cashel, not very interesting, and St. Attracta's well, a probable cure against warts. The last stop was at Moygara castle, the most important castle of the O'Gara family. In 1581 the castle was set on fire by captain Malby, governor of Connacht, killing most of its residents. From the remains of the castle you have a nice view over the surroundings. From this castle we drove back to our cottage, only a short distance.
Yeats Country
The famous Irish poet William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, but soon after his birth the family moved to Sligo, his mother was born in County Sligo. Later in his life, Yeats often returned to this area. In his Reveries over Childhood and Youth he writes with passion about County Sligo. He is buried in Drumcliff.
Cast a cold Eye - on Life on Death - Horseman pass by
A tour through this county started in the city of Sligo with a visit to Sligo Abbey. This monastery was founded
in 1253 and is still rather complete. From the cloister for example, three of the originally four corridors are
still present today. Also the stone choir screen between the nave and the choir of the church
is still present, very rare as normally these are made of wood and it that case it would have been decayed a
long time ago. From the abbey we drove on to the beach at Rosses Point were Ciska searched for shells. For her,
the water was too cold to paddle. After a short walk on the beach we went to Drumcliff to visit Yeats grave and
have something to eat and drink in the adjoining Tea room before admiring the High Cross on the cemetery. Via
Lissadell house we drove along mountain Benbulben (526 m) towards Glencar falls. In his poem The Stolen Child
Yeats write about this fall: There is a waterfall ... that all my childhood counted dear.
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After a short walk through the park in which the fall is situated we went to Parke's Castle near Lough Gill.
From this manor, build as a fortress; you have a nice view over the lake. It was build in 1609 by captain
Robert Parke on the foundations of a 16th century tower house. The stones of that building were used in the
construction of the fortress. Typical for this site is the presence of a small sweat-hut, the Irish predecessor
of a sauna, dating back to the 12th century. After a visit to this castle we drove around the lake and did a
nice walk at Dooney rock. After a steep climb we had a splendid view over the lake, although a lot of shrubs
obstructed the sight. After descending down we drove back to our cottage.
