This week, we decided to take a little road trip. The weather was pleasant, we had no commitments, and we had the itch to explore. We each packed our overnight bags, closed the blinds, and jumped in the rental car. The best part about this adventure is that we didn't know where we were going--yet. We just started driving West and eventually North. We didn't know it when we left home, but there was so much more in store for us than just a fun road trip. Without knowing it, we somehow ended up driving along the Wild Atlantic Way--a route that follows the entire Western shoreline of Ireland and some of the South and North parts of the island. I don't know how many time we turned to each other and said, "THIS WAS THE BEST DECISION EVER!"
Part of the adventure was simply navigating the driving conditions in Ireland. Small Country=small roads. https://youtu.be/TyoZkvsxrSo?si=BfNxupF1gf-7CEwD. Although it wasn't this bad, it was a bit dicy at times, but every one lane road led to some amazing destination we could never have dreamed of finding.
One of the things I love most about traveling with Shan is that he will pull over in an instant if he hears me gasp and say, "Oh babe, I need a picture of that!" He humors me, and even joins me in my quest to capture these scenes of Ireland's past. You don't have to go far to find an old stone house with vines creeping up and over the the walls. They are everywhere, and each were captivating in a way you can't describe with words.
There is always something that speaks to me as I stand there in silence trying to envision the day and age when this structure was the home and shelter of someone--some family. I can see a mother cooking over a fire, children running barefoot around her yelling 'tag', and a hardworking Irish father plowing the fields. I wonder who hung the curtains that are still hanging and blowing in the breeze to this day. I wonder what their evening conversations around the fire must have been like--a turf wood fire that smells like no other fire you've ever smelled. What musical instruments were played? Was there singing? I wonder if they were among those who had to leave their homes and their land to find a better life. Did they experience war and famine? And I wonder if they ever could have imagined that someday, someone with handheld phone would be taking photos of their home and thinking about them. It truly is an out of body experience. There is a reverence about standing on the same ground they once did. The old stones remaining seemed to stand as a monument to the legacy they left behind.
What we were feeling is best depicted in the words from Seamus Heaney's poem, HOME
The door was open and the house was dark
Wherefore I called his name, although I knew
The answer this time would be silence
That kept me standing listening while it grew
Backwards and down and out into the street
Whereas I'd entered (I remember now)
The street lamps too were out.
I felt, for the first time there and then a stranger,
Intruder almost, wanting to take flight
Yet well aware that here there was no danger,
Only withdrawal, a not unwelcoming
Emptiness, as in a midnight hangar
On an overgrown airfield in late summer
~~~
After stopping at least 4 times in the first 2 hours, it was getting dark and we decided to continue our journey. We stopped for dinner at a little wood-fired pizza place. We thought we were stopping in for a quick bite to eat, but the owner (who was also the server) had other plans for us. As we walked in, we felt like we were walking into the past. The small restaurant had been built in the 1800's - and the only updates they had made were the posters hanging on the stone walls. There were only 5 tables in the space and we sat in a tiny little nook in the corner. The own, Fábio (of course), stayed by our table the entire meal. He talked and we ate. Fábio must have thought Shannon was some important US Official (he gets that a lot), because he gave us the royal treatment. And when he found out I was the same age as his mama, he just had to call Rome to introduce us (how cute is that). This is what I call dinner and entertainment! Our "quick bite to eat" turned into an entire evening of food and fun. It was the best of the best!!! "BELLISSIMO"
Long after dark, we pulled up to our charming hotel and slept better than we had in days. The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised to wake up to a bright sunny day for our adventures exploring North County Mayo. After a beautiful breakfast in an epic bar, we headed out to see what we could find. We didn't have a particular destination. If it looked interesting, we stopped. And we're glad we did! We ended up finding some real gems:
-Doohoma Head Beach
-Deirbhle's Twist
-Blacksod Bay Lighthouse
-St. Deirbhile's Church and Burial grounds
-Enniscrone Castle and Beach Cliffs
-Mary's Holy Well
-Rosserk Abbey
-Local citizens - born and raised in the same village, eager to share stories & connections
-And breathtaking scenery at every turn
Breakfast in the hotel bar (built with old beams from a 15th century church in Belfast)
Very small portion of the Wild Atlantic Way we explored in North Mayo
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RANDOM FACTS:
fact #1: There are nearly 5 million sheep in Ireland, which explains the booming business of the Woollen Mills--a tradition dating back to the 17th century.
fact #2: Dairy farming is Ireland's most profitable branch of agriculture. If ever you have the chance to drink a tall glass of Fresh Irish Whole Milk...you won't be sorry!
fact #3: Whooper Swan numbers have increased by 27% over the past five years. (I want to be on the swan counting committee. Where do I sign up?)
~~~
The Church of St. Nicholas, Multyfarnham Parish
est - 1783
~~~
Doohoma Head Beach is a very secluded and very quiet beach where we had breathtaking views of Achill Island. We walked and talked and collected white iridescent white rocks (16 to be exact)
DEIRBHLE’S TWIST
A sculpture based on the local legend associated with St Dervilla.
It's a gruesome legend, so I'll spare you the details...(but I know there will be some of you who will want to look it up out of curiosity!!)
St. Dairbhile's Church and cemetery is a medieval church, burial site, and National Monument in County Mayo, Ireland.
The walk along Enniscrone cliffs has spectacular scenery and panoramic views of Killala Bay
The ruins of Enniscrone Church & Castle, also known as Nolan’s Castle,
is an example of an early 17th century semi-fortified castle
~~~
Rosserk Friary (Rosserk Abbey) is one of North Mayo’s best preserved ecclesiastical ruins. It sits on the banks of the sacred River Moy and is surrounded by some of the most spectacular landscapes in the country. It was built in 1440 for the Friars of the Franciscan Third Order Regular...(basically, those who wanted to marry) There were about 20 single family rooms still beautifully in tact. It was absolutely fantastic! And we had the entire place to ourselves for about an hour. We left the friary and started our drive home, but at the end of the dirt road, we spotted a little sign that pointed toward "Mary's Well", so we just HAD to check it out--and when I say 'we', I actually mean 'Shannon had to check it out'. He was gone for well over 30 minutes and well... that's a story for another day! (See what I did there?) 😉
St. Mary's Well
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They say a picture paints a thousand words, so we hope these photos help to tell the story of our little road trip. These are just from a two day journey in a very small part of this beautiful island. Can't wait to explore more of it in the weeks to come.
The Wild Atlantic Way in North Mayo has 'caught our hearts off guard' and is highly recommended by these two Americans, but once again--Ireland's own Seamus Heaney says it best in his poem POSTSCRIPT:
And some time make the time to drive out west
Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,
In September or October, when the wind
And the light are working off each other
So that the ocean on one side is wild
With foam and glitter, and inland among stones
The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit
By the earthed lightning of a flock of swans,
Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,
Their fully grown headstrong-looking heads
Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.
Useless to think you'll park and capture it
More thoroughly, You are neither here nor there,
A hurry through which known and strange things pass
As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways
And catch the heart off guard and blow it open.
Wild Atlantic Way of Ireland
