Spring 2023

Kylemore Abbey, Aasleagn Falls, Doolough Valley and Burrishoole Abbey near Newport - 7 May 2023

7 May 2023 - Kylemore Abbey/Killary Harbour/Aasleagh Falls/Doo Lough Valley/Coffin Ship/Croagh Patrick

We weren’t sure we could park where we were last night in Letterfrack, said it was ok on Park4night, plus it was a Saturday/Sunday - so the university wasn’t being used. No one came knocking on the door - so all good. Could hear people from the pub early evening.

I drove today - on and off for about 5 hours - just touring around. The weather has been a bit iffy today, some heavy rain; but not for too long. Although my husband reliably informs me we’re in for rain for at least the next week ☹️ What about all these summer clothes I’ve packed?! We were lulled into a false sense of the weather when we first arrived in Ireland!

First stop was Kylemore Abbey, a neo-gothic country house built by English businessman Mitchell Henry in 1860. After WW1, refugee Benedictine nuns took it over and ran it as an exclusive girls’ boarding school with 200 students, and it closed in 2010. The nuns still live upstairs. Our pal, Rick Steves said the best part was the view from the lake. Plus it was raining so didn’t fancy walking around the gardens. Saved another €30! And - there were at least 3 coach loads of tourists…

Next stop was looking over Killary Harbour which is a signature discovery point on our map. It is one of Ireland’s three fjords. The long narrow body of water was carved by an advancing glacier. The rows of blue floats mark mussel farms, with the mollusks growing on hanging nets in the cold seawater.

We got lucky in the carpark for the Aasleagh Falls as a car was just leaving one of the longer spaces, otherwise we would have had to drive on. There were men fishing, trying their luck to catch salmon (hadn’t caught any when Tintin asked).

Carried on and stopped off en route with a lovely view for lunch. Once again, road not wide enough for two cars to pass simultaneously - and had to be so careful - there were lots of sheep in the road!

Next a drive through the Doo Lough (Irish for “Black Lake”) Valley - described by our pal Rick as some of the most desolate country in Ireland. No houses along the way. Stopped off in the wind and rain at the gray cross.

We’re in County Mayo now. Their rural people depended almost exclusively on potatoes for food, and were the hardest hit when the Great Potato Famine came in 1845. In the winter of 1849, about 600 starving Irish walked the 12 miles from Louisburgh over the summit and south to Delphi Lodge, hoping to get food from their landlord. They were turned away. On the walk back, almost 200 of them died along the side of this road. An annual walk commemorates the tragedy - in 1991 Archbishop Desmond Tutu made the walk, shortly before South Africa ended its apartheid system.

From there we visited the Coffin-Ship Sculpture - a memorial to the famine - it depicts a coffin ship like those of the late 1840s that carried the sick and starving famine survivors across the ocean in hope of a new life. Weak from starvation, the desperate emigrants were vulnerable to famine fever, which they spread to others in the barely seaworthy ships’ putrid cramped holds. Many who lived through the 6 - 8 weeks journey died shortly after reaching their new country. Very thought provoking.

We crossed the road to the start of the Croagh Patrick hike - see notice board for more information! The weather was naff, and we walked up a mountain - well a big hill, yesterday!

Drove through Westport, which looked like a nice town. Tried to park, but couldn’t fit in the park and display carpark - too busy.

Why is it that it seems like it’s low tide every day when we’re driving? We’re parked up near an old friary for the night, it’s good to see the tide coming up and bringing the swans in closer!