| Away to the West By Malcolm
Rogers
Malcolm Rogers journeys to one of Europe’s most magnificent outposts,
Connemara.
Connemara is easy enough to define geographically. It’s that part of
western Co. Galway north of the coastal district of Cois Fharraige south
of Killary Harbour and west of Oughterard stretching as far as Slyne Head
Island.
Geologically it’s not too difficult to sum up either — the interior is
dominated by quartzite peaks and, needless to say, a load of old schist.
Which may not sound very nice — but come to think of it there’s plenty of
that too — gneiss, that is. The Twelve Bens (aka the Twelve Pins) and intervening
valleys are largely made up of gneiss, with seams of granite and limestone
interspersed.
Ok, geologically and geographically, no problem. But trying to capture
the spirit of Connemara is a lot more difficult.
To many people these westerly uplands are quintessential Ireland. When
people the world over conjure up an image of Ireland it is Connemara they
see in their mind’s eye. Here at the edge of Europe the rugged landscape
encompasses bogland, mountains, tightly-walled fields and a dramatic coastline.
Stand on your tip toes here and you can almost see New York.
Ancient pagan monuments, religious shrines and vibrant towns full of
craic for the less ecclesiastically minded all make up this extraordinary
Gaeltacht area.
Nowhere in Ireland resonates with more unchanging tradition than here
in the West, where the days are long and the nights are filled with craic.
As the old saying goes, it’s an hour nearer the sunset than the rest of
Europe.
Capital Place
Clifden (or An Clochan ‘the Stepping Stones’) is the ‘capital’ of Connemara.
Framed by the wild grandeur of the Twelve Bens and with its two impressive
church spires and view across Ardbear Bay, the town is one of Ireland’s
finest. Apart from being a fine centre from which to explore the rest of
Connemara, Clifden is something of a centre for traditional music and sean
nós singing.
The town was founded in 1815 by the D’Arcy family in an effort to throw
some shape into the lawlessness of Connemara. Sad to report, the family
went bankrupt in the attempt. But not before leaving behind an impressive
municipal legacy.
To the south west of Clifden a road skirts the shores of Mannin Bay and
inland on the moors is a very auspicious site — the landing place of the
world’s first transatlantic flight. A memorial to John Alcock and Arthur
Brown commemorates the crossing. Nearby is the site of Marconi’s wireless
station which exchanged the first transatlantic radio messages with Nova
Scotia in 1907.
In the other direction the Sky Road is a seven-mile circular route through
Connemara with stunning views over the Atlantic. The ruins of Clifden Castle,
the military seat of the aforementioned D’Arcy, sit on a suitably desolate
(but beautiful) stretch of road.
A short drive to the east of Clifden is Dan O’Hara’s Homestead, which
recreates the grinding hardship of life in Connemara in the 1840s. Altogether
now:
“Oh hush grá machree, won’t you buy a box from me And help your Uncle
Dan from Connemara, Sure I sell them cheap and low, buy a box before you
go From your poor old Uncle Dan from Connemara.”
For those not so poor as Dan, about 12 kilometres along the Clifden to
Recess Road stand the gates of Ballynahinch Castle. This is one of the finest
places to stay in Ireland — sumptuous comfort in the middle of the wildest,
most spectacular scenery in Europe.
The hotel is situated on Ballynahinch Lake at the foot of Benlettery
and the Lough is stuffed with salmon, trout, otters and bird life.
But although far removed from the hurly burly of modern life, prepare
to be bowled over by one of the most sophisticated modern hotels you’re
ever likely to come across, with all the mod cons necessary for gracious
and sophisticated living.
Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, Recess, Connemara. Tel: 00 353 95 31006.
Talking big bucks
Connemara National Park, stretching from Clifden to beyond the Twelve
Bens, is home to a large herd of red deer, Ireland’s largest surviving native
mammal. Go in spring and you’ll seem them rutting their stuff.
You also might spot the semi-wild Connemara ponies, which have been munching
their way round these hills for millennia.
The blanket bogs and moorlands are botanist’s paradise with rare specimens
— such as St. Dabeoc’s health — only found here and nowhere else in these
islands.
Bird life is similarly impressive — stonechats, peregrine falcons and
merlins can be spotted regularly amongst the towering crags and open heathland.
The Park is also home to the imposing Kylemore Abbey on Kylemore Lough.
Arched gateways, Victorian glasshouses and walled ornamental gardens are
all part of the impossibly beautiful Kylemore Abbey Gardens sheltering under
the Twelve Bens in Connemara. Today, most of the original character has
been restored, and the gardens are open to the public.
Gateway to the West
Oughterard is Connemara’s other main town. Uachter Árd or the ‘High Upper
Place’ aka ‘the Gateway to Connemara’ was in medieval times the stronghold
of the O’Flaherties, the scourge of Galway City.
Indeed the west gate of Galway was adorned in former times with the inscription:
“From the fury of the O’Flaherties, Good Lord deliver us.”
The area was finally reduced to obedience under the reign of Queen Elizabeth
I — you can still see the ruins of the 16th century O’Flahertie Castle at
Aughanure, a little to the south east of the village on the road to Galway.
Equipped with thatched cottage pub, traditional stone buildings and a
19th century church, the crowning glory is the lovely Owenriff River running
through the town. It starts high in Connemara’s mountains and empties, at
the edge of town, into Lough Corrib.
The area is a centre of excellence for anglers — Lough Corrib is the
largest lake in the Republic and it not only offers some of the most spectacular
views around but it is a world-renowned fishing spot. The freshwater trout
and salmon lure fishermen from all over the world to try their luck.
If fishing is a wee bit energetic an activity for you, your salmon can
still be sampled in one of Oughterard’s several restaurants.
Boating and cruising are also to be recommended on Lough Corrib — craft
are available locally, as well as maps of the many islands on the lough
which you can explore. Inchagoill is the largest, and is an enchanting place
with a couple of ruined churches — one dating back to the 12th century,
Teampall na Naomh. On an obelisk is to be found one of the oldest Christian
inscriptions in Europe.
Oughterard is the starting point for the Western Way, approximately 31
miles, and passing through some of the most dramatic scenery in Ireland,
nay, the world.
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