Clare Galway via the Wild Atlantic Coast

 

Next stop Clare Galway to stay with Richard and Paula. The journey took us west along the Wild Atlantic Way, which is a tourist route following the coast.  First stop Berta Beach, which sits below the mountain peak of Croagh Patrick. Its name comes from its association with St Patrick who is said to have spent forty nights fasting on the summit. This is a beautiful area, exposed to the wind from the Atlantic Ocean. The doors of our car were nearly ripped from our hands by the gusting wind as we stepped out of the car to take a few photos.

Continuing along the coast we came across OldHead, a small harbour along the coast. The rain started as we arrived.  We stopped for a very short break to take a few wet wind swept photos before continuing on our journey. 

Doolough Famine memorial. In the Doolough valley is a memorial to the 600 people who walked the valley in the freezing cold to request food from the land owners in 1849 during the famine. They were denied and sent back. Many perished on the walk to and from the inhuman landowners in Delphi. They died where they fell, with no one strong enough to help them. We arrived on a wet, windy and overcast day, so it created a sense of how a difficult a walk it must have been. 

Cong

Then on to Cong, the home of the Quiet Man film starring John Wayne. It is also home to Niamh’s family. We stopped to meet Bernie and Michael who gave us a friendly Irish welcome. They both work in Ashford Castle, so we were treated to a visit around the incredible 5 star hotel, once owned by the Guinness family. Most of the guests were American, who arrive each year to find family and pay pilgrimage to the film. This hotel is the height of luxury, with its own cinema (The Quiet Man is often on the list of films) and an incredible snooker room and many bars and restaurants.

The trip from Cong to Galway is about 40 km. This was our final leg to see Richard and Paula. The last time we were here was in 2007. In that time the population of Galway has expanded. New houses, business parks were clear to see. Most obvious was the traffic jams, which we had not seen during our previous visit. As always fantastic hospitality. Kathy and Luke joined use for a fun evening and a few glasses of wine.