| Blow away all your Christmas cobwebs
By Malcolm Rogers
Are you bored with just visiting the relatives when you go home? Perhaps
you’re looking for something a little bit different on your next trip to
Ireland?
Climb Slieve Donard in Co. Down, the North’s highest peak. You don’t need
to be a mountaineer — four hours fairly easy uphill scramble will get you
to the summit, and it is absolutely free. (This compares very favourably
with the $50,000 fee it costs to climb Mount Everest.)
From the top of Donard you’ll be rewarded with views across most of Ireland.
On a clear day you can see as far south as Dublin, and eastwards across
the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. And if you’re really lucky you’ll see
a huge image of yourself, hundreds of feet tall, etched in rainbow colours
in the clouds a thousand feet below. It’s called the Brocken Spectre (after
a mountain in the Harz range) and the phenomenon occurs when the sun is
low and clouds or mist lie in the valley below you. Shadows cast from the
peak are magnified and diffracted producing startling effects. Spectacular
when it does occur. It’s also probably the most likely place to see a white
Christmas. There are few winters when the snow doesn’t lie think on the
Mournes, due to its north easterly position.
Medieval doorway
Adare is widely regarded as one of the prettiest towns in Ireland. Standing
on the east bank of the River Maigue, it’s a fairytale cluster of thatched
cottages, ivy-bedecked abbeys, noble castles and fine pubs. Its ancient
history is now lost, but probably stretches back to the people who regarded
the Celts as blow-ins, and the Gaels as economic asylum seekers. Since then
it has played host to Normans, English, Geraldines and now — it has to be
said — busloads of tourists.
A significant religious element ahs long shrouded the town — Franciscans,
Augustinians and German Lutherans have all left their mark. An Augustinian
Priory sits hard by the bridge (straddling the Maigue river with its 14
arches). Founded in 1316, many of the original buildings remain in good
condition. The main chapel still serves as the local Church of Ireland,
and is open to all, whether Protestant, Catholic or dissenter. Entering
this place is like opening a door into medieval Ireland. Spooky and uplifting
at the same time.
Underground world
Explore the Marble Arch Caves in Co. Fermanagh. Wrap up well for this
weird subterranean world. And if you can’t remember your stalagmites from
your stalactites — the ‘mites’ go up and the ‘tites’ come down.
Transport of delights
Catch a train across the Bog of Allen, probably the largest peat bog
in the world. The Clonmacnois & West Offaly Railway (telephone: 00 353 905
74114). The narrow gauge railway will take you on a journey across this
eerie landscape through a raised bog with its varied wildlife and natural
flora. As you chug past 6,000 year old bog oaks you can reflect on how different
railways can be — with the Bog Train at one end of the scale and the London
Underground a million miles away at the other end.
Quiet remembrance
Pay your respects at Glencree churchyard high in the Wicklow Hills. Apart
from the pastoral calm of this secluded place, the cemetery contains the
graves of five German airmen whose bomber crashed at Carnsore Point, Wexford
in 1941. Recent studies have shown that one of the airmen buried here was
probably Jewish. In an effort to avoid the gas chambers he passed himself
off as German — only to die in a country which was not even at war with
Germany. Poignant in the extreme. Take along a copy of Yeats’ An Irish Airman
Foresees His Death — it could have been especially written for the occasion.
Get fired up
Light a turf fire on Magilligan Beach (near Benone, Co. Antrim). Seven
miles of unspoilt strand overlooking Lough Foyle. Wait until twilight and
see the moon rise over the Hills of Donegal.
Seal spotting
Visit the smallest church in Ireland. There are a few candidates for
this title, but undoubtedly the most appealing is St. Gobhnan’s in Portbraddan
(also spelt Portbraden), Co. Antrim. St. Gobhnan is the patron saint of
builders, and no, before you ask, he’s not buried in a cowboy outfit. Rather
more incongruous is that Ireland’s smallest church (twelve feet by six)
should be dedicated to him given his special interest in the construction
industry. Needless to say other churches claim the honour of smallness,
but St. Gobhnan’s is probably most worthy of your visit because of its spectacular
setting on the shores of White Park Bay, with towering cliffs behind, and
the angry North Atlantic in front. Watch carefully and you’ll probably see
seals out in the bay. Oh and take a flask of tea and a wheaten farl sandwich
— there’s no shops, cafes or other tourists.
Walk the walls
Walk round the walls of Derry, the last completely walled city in these
islands. History, both heroic and terrible, lurks round every corner — history
from the fifth century, or history which was made just last week. This most
northerly Catholic city in the world is also one of the oldest inhabited
Christian settlements outside the Holy Land or Rome. From the walls you
can see the scenes of much of this history - from St. Columb’s Cathedral
to Free Derry Corner. RUC installations still look down on the city from
atop parts of the walls. Smile nicely up at them and you’ll get your photo
taken.
You will, of course, find yourself almost automatically singing The Town
I Love So Well. Make sure you have a copy of all the words with you.
Further Derry tourist information can be had on: 01504 365151.
A saintly stroll
Take a walk around what is arguably Ireland’s most holy place — the churchyard
of St. Eanna on the Aran Island of Inishmore. Over 120 recognised saints
are buried there. The shortest crossing point to the islands is from Doolin,
Co. Clare. Telephone 00 353 65 74455
Step into history
Experience one of Ireland’s finest castles — Trim in Royal Meath. For
centuries this was Ireland’s most significant castle, the centre of Anglo-Norman
operations in the country.
The very model of impregnability, the castle’s thick granite walls, murder
holes, dungeons and slit-like embrasures for the archers will transport
you back to a time when Ireland was a distinctly more dangerous place to
live.
Nature’s bounty
Wander a while in Altamont Gardens, near the village of Ballon in Co.
Carlow. A truly beautiful, tranquil place any time of the year, you’ll find
ornamental gardens, lakeside walks, and representatives of some of the exotic
trees the world has to offer. Mind you, Ireland’s own exotic specimen, the
strawberry tree, which grows nowhere else wild in these islands, abounds
here in the gentle climate of Carlow.
Enjoy some craic
Have a Guinness and a meal in one of Ireland’s oldest pubs — Kelly’s
Cellars in Belfast. The Guinness is great, the food is good (though fairly
standard) and the craic is usually at full throttle. There’s a traditional
session every Saturday. Telephone 01232 324835.
Time for reflection
Visit Raholp in Co. Down. Just half a dozen miles from Downpatrick, where
the Apostle of Ireland takes his eternal rest, is St. Patrick’s Hill, atop
of which stands an impressive statue of St. Patrick. The views from the
summit on a clear day extend to the North over Strangford Lough, and to
the west the Mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea. Just beyond Raholp
lie the two churches which mark the beginning and the end of Patrick’s ministry
in Ireland. Saul, where the Saint began his mission to Ireland circa 432
and where he is reputed to have died, has no Biblical connotations — ‘Saul’
derives from the Irish ‘sabhal’ meaning barn. Nearby is is the ruin of the
a church associated with St. Tassach who is believed to have ministered
the last communion to the dying St. Patrick on March 17, sometime between
460 and 490.
If you want to contemplate the Patron Saint of Ireland without all the
ballyhoo usually associated with him, this sedate, holy place is where to
head for.
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