Ireland Guide
Galway and Mayo
Sweeping strokes of geology have carved up the landscape of Galway and Mayo, forming a many-pronged block between Galway and Donegal bays that's almost cut off from the mainland by a string of lakes. In the south, the forty-kilometre stretch of Lough Corrib neatly bisects County Galway, the second largest county in Ireland after Cork. On one side, the largely flat, gentle grasslands of east Galway stretch across to the Shannon, sheltering a fascinating diversity of historic castles, cathedrals, monasteries and country estates. Between Corrib and the sea, however, stands the violent jumble of Connemara, a much-romanticized land, but with plenty to get sentimental about.
On the narrow neck of land between these eastern and western halves sits Galway city, an animated historic town with an enjoyable social, musical and artistic life. The city gives a whiff of the Gaelic culture that's far more noticeable out on the Arans, starkly beautiful islands that used to form a barrier across the entrance to Galway Bay.
Though ranking just behind Galway in terms of size, County Mayo has only half its population and is far less developed for tourism. In the north of the county, the intriguing Neolithic agricultural remains at Céide Fields provide a compelling focus, surrounded by kilometre after unexplored kilometre of desolate bogland and rugged seascapes.
Highlights
1 Galway pubs It's hard not to have a good time in the vibrant, youthful capital of the west.
2 Walking in Connemara The best way to appreciate the dramatic mountains, bogs and lakes.
3 Croagh Patrick A tough climb, enriched by historical and religious associations, and outstanding views.
4 Céide Fields A five-thousand-year-old farming community preserved under the bog.
The Aran Islands
In the late nineteenth century, the Arans became a living museum for anthropologists, antiquarians and linguists, seeking out the unbroken heritage of Gaelic language, beliefs and customs here, which in turn provided fuel for the Gaelic Revival and the Nationalist movement. Written and spoken Irish was a particular focus of interest, as even by this time the islands were one of the few areas of the country where the native language was in daily use. Patrick Pearse came specifically to learn Irish on Inishmaan, which was also visited by writers Yeats, Lady Gregory and, most notably, J.M. Synge – George Russell later joked that Synge's knack was to discover that if you translated Irish literally into English, you achieved poetry.
The Arans themselves have nurtured several excellent writers. Liam O'Flaherty (1896–1984) of Inishmore wrote many highly regarded short stories and novels, notably The Informer (1925), a salty tale of an ex-IRA man who betrays an associate to the police and is hunted down by his former colleagues. Meanwhile poet Máirtín Ó'Direáin (1910–88), also from Inishmore, explored themes of alienation and the anonymity of city life in the Irish language.
In 1934, the documentary-maker Robert Flaherty released his classic Man of Aran, in which he sought to record the islands' vanishing way of life, though some of it had already disappeared – he wasn't averse to re-creating scenes that were no longer witnessed. A few of the traditions captured in the film still exist – you'll still see people collecting seaweed for fertilizer, building dry-stone walls and fishing from currachs (traditional pointed skiffs), though these are no longer covered with animal skins.