The west coast of Ireland will take your breath away. Each new vista or seascape is more stunning than the last.
In the final stop of this virtual tour of Ireland, visitors will have just a taste of rocky fields and cliffs to which Cromwell banished the native Irish, Connacht. While barren, they are indescribably beautiful.
Stops will include Achill Island; Connemara; Galway, the capital city of the west; the Burren, a rocky limestone outcrop that has more in common with the moon or Stone Mountain than anywhere in Ireland; Dingle and the Blasket Islands; and the Ring of Kerry, which is a route rather than a place.
Glencolumbcille, Co. Donegal
St. Columbia served as parish priest here until he left for Scotland to found the abbey at Iona. Remains of several of his churches remain in the parish.
Equally important to the modern day academy is Oiedas Gael, an Irish langue and culture school where youth and adults gather to learn Irish or how to play a harp or sing in the sean nos style. It is also a favorite stopping place for earlier (and real) tours of Ireland.
Connacht
Connacht is the extreme version of rural. It is possible to drive for miles and miles without seeing anyone else. And that stark stillness is what gives the region is exquisite aloneness. Not loneliness. Aloneness.
Galway
Galway is considered the capital of the west. It is a vibrant, exciting college town with small-charm.
By Irish standards, Galway is a relatively young city. King of Connacht Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair completed the city in 1124. It was primarily a place of trade and thus heavily influenced by the English. So heavily influenced that native Irish weren’t exactly welcome. A sign over one of the gates to the original walled city proclaimed, “From the Ferocious O’Flahertys may God protect us.”
Christopher Columbus visited Galway in 1477, and he noted in his diary that he saw “Men of Cathay” — China there.
Galway is by far the most inviting of any Irish cities — even if you’re Irish.
Co. Galway lies outside the city, and it includes the vaunted Aran Islands, Connemara and a host of ruined monastaries and castles.
A fairy tree on the National University of Ireland-Galway campus. Medieval windows in the city.
Kilmacduagh Monastery
Kilmacduagh is a ruined monastery in Co. Galway near Gort. It was founded in the 7th century and boasts one of the landmark round towers that dot the Irish landscape. In some lights, the tower seems to shine as if it was made of metal.
The Burren
The rocky moonscape of the Burren is one of the most haunting landscapes in Ireland. It is made primarily of limestone and is home to plants native only to that area and the eastern United States.
Red-haired Mary’s house near Kilfenora. Red-haired Mary is legendary in Ireland for her callousness toward her mortally wounded husband, whom she refused to allow in the house. She is reputed to have told him he was worthless to her as a virtual dead man.
Achill Island
Achill is the jewel in Co. Mayo’s crown. It is a favorite destination for extreme sports enthusiasts and home to a ruined village and high cliffs.
The Atlantic drive offers an up-close sea view drive along the coast with sheer drop offs along a road that is little more than asphault splashed across a sheep track. Driving it is harrowing, but absolutely worth it.
Inland Mayo.
Rockfleet castle belonged to Mayo pirate queen Grace O’Malley, a woman who scoffed at Queen Elizabeth I’s offer of a dutchy in return for ceasing to raid England’s fleet. O’Malley just laughed and said, “What would I care for your dutchy? In Ireland, I’m a queen.” Achill Island is remote enough that it has no movie theatres, so in the summer, one gets trucked in to serve tourists.
The Ring of Kerry
The ring of Kerry is a route, not a place. It’s a drive through the hinterlands of Co. Kerry. It’s a popular day trip for those who love to see beautiful scenery.
Ross Castle, Killarney
The Blasket Islands and Dingle
Of all the magical places in Ireland, these may be the most magical. The islands sometimes seem to float on clouds, and the music Dingle is famous for will steal you away to the Irish Otherworld — a place that is not quite in keeping with the Christian heaven, but a place where one never grows old, and where the Good People — aka fairies — serve as your hosts.
So many places to see, so little time. Many stops had to be dropped because of lack of time. But that means they’ll be there to explore next time. . . .
Links
Dublin, Newgrange and the Hill of Tara
