Clare Island
Measuring 8km by 5km, Clare Island manages to cram in two hills, Knockmore (462m) and its little brother Knocknaveen (223m) to the east, behind which the mighty sea cliffs along the northwest shore are home to important breeding colonies of seabirds, notably fulmars. Other rare birds found on the island include peregrines, choughs and barnacle geese, while notable plants include petalwort, a species of liverwort. A leaflet available on the boats details five walks on the island, including a complete circuit which takes about six hours.
The harbour, which shelters a Blue Flag beach with fine views of the mainland mountains, is guarded by a well-preserved, sixteenth-century tower house, which was the main stronghold of Grace O’Malley. In the middle of the island’s south shore near the post office and shop, she – or more likely a relative of hers – is buried in an ornate Gothic tomb in the mid-thirteenth-century Cistercian abbey. More notable from an artistic point of view are the frescoes in the chancel, among the finest extant medieval paintings in Ireland, which depict cattle raids, people hunting and fishing, musicians, dragons and griffins.
Croagh Patrick
Rising to 764m to the east of Louisburgh, the cone of Croagh (pronounced “croak”) Patrick dominates Clew Bay and the Westport area. It was the pagan home of the mother goddess, now converted into the holiest mountain in Christian Ireland, and on a fine day offers an awesome panorama, stretching from the Twelve Bens in the south to Slieve League in the north.
The starting point for the ascent of Croagh Patrick is the excellent visitor centre on the R335 on the north side of the peak. Here you’ll find lockers, showers, advice about the climb and the weather, an excellent café and a DVD on the history of the mountain (on request). During his long missionary tour of the island, St Patrick is supposed to have passed the forty days of Lent in 441 alone on the mountain, finding time to hurl all of Ireland’s snakes to their deaths over the precipice of Lugnanarrib just to the south of the summit. This association with the saint has made Croagh Patrick the focus of major pilgrimages, which take place three times a year, on March 17 (St Patrick’s Day), August 15 (Assumption Day) and – the main event – on the last Sunday in July, Reek Day (which coincides with the pagan harvest festival of Lughnasa). On this day, tens of thousands of pilgrims still make the climb to attend Mass on the summit, some of them fasting and walking barefoot.
The climb itself, taking on average 3hr 30min return, is easy to follow though very steep in places – you’ll need good walking shoes and preferably a stick, available from the visitor centre. At the summit you’ll find a small chapel that took twelve men six months to construct in 1905, though archeologists have discovered evidence of much earlier building work up here, a massive rampart dating from pagan times.
Westport
Set on the picturesque shores of Clew Bay, WESTPORT is an agreeable, easy-going town that matches its location with some fine architecture. Its main visitor attraction is Westport House, a graceful, Georgian mansion now surrounded by a country park of rides and amusements, which separates the town centre from Westport Harbour. The centre itself was laid out in classical style in 1780 for the Browne family of Westport House by James Wyatt, who built a striking, octagonal square and canalized the Carrowbeg River, flanking it with the tree-lined Mall. More recently, the town has developed an artsy, cosmopolitan feel, attracting many visitors and residents from other parts of Ireland and Europe. During the summer, the place is abuzz, especially for the prestigious, ten-day Arts Festival in early October (wwww.westportartsfestival.com).
The National Museum of Country Life
The National Museum of Country Life digs beneath the dewy-eyed nostalgia that besets popular images of rural Ireland to reveal the harsh realities of country life from 1850 to 1950. Even the scenic approach, 8km east of Castlebar off the N5, fits into the picture, with the museum’s sleek, modern lines reflected in the beautiful lake of Turlough Park
The exhibition is on three levels: Level -1 includes a brief but worthwhile history of the period from an ordinary person’s point of view, with examples of the ingenious uses of twisted straw rope – baskets, hens’ nests, mattresses, stools and horse collars. Level -2 chronicles the unremitting work of farming and fishing, of housewives, craftsmen and tradesmen, including a recording of a poignant letter home from an emigrant to America, and footage of men making a coracle on the River Boyne. Probably the most interesting section deals with the seasons and festivals: churning butter on May Day to ward off evil, leaving food and drink out for dead relatives on Halloween, and grainy footage of Wren Boys, who would knock on doors on St Stephen’s Day (Dec 26) with the corpse of a wren, asking for money to bury it while singing songs and telling jokes – the money, of course, would be spent on a party. Level -3 presents personal reminis- cences of the changes in rural life. You can also look inside the adjacent “Big House” of the landowners, the nineteenth-century Gothic Revival Turlough Park House, designed by Thomas Newenham Deane, architect of the National Museum in Dublin. As well as a good café and shop, there are guided tours of the museum and a range of workshops, demonstrations and performances.
