June 4th, Westport

We are staying at a very nice place in Westport. Mike and Scott are in the main house while I am across the car park in another building. The rest of the B&B is occupied by people from the states who are in Westport for a wedding.

 I spent the morning walking around and trying to find a laundry but settled for a dry cleaner which does wash/dry/fold. A bit expensive but someone else is doing it. Then a pharmacy for more bandages for my knee and vitamin E cream because the scabs are beginning to come off on my face and I don't want to get any scabs. And finally the SuperVal for rolls to go with the wonderful cheese I have.

 

I headed out on the N59 back towards Leenaan. Most of the scenery is similar to yesterday but I had to snap a couple of pictures to show that there are blue skies in  Ireland and they still have fantastic clouds!

 

 

Sometimes you run into clumps of trees and the area around them is just gorgeous.

 

So I have turned off N59 onto R335 and headed into unknown territory. I am also getting back on the same track as the guys, so I will see if I catch up with them at some point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stopped at the Aasleagh Falls and ran into Mike and Scott. After they took off and I went to photograph the Falls, I realized that I had missed the perfect opportunity to get them on film. In my afterthought way, I caught them as the biked away.

 

I then got my pictures of the Falls.

 

And caught up with the guys as a bit later. I am also upset that the hotel you see in the back ground of the sheep, is where we stayed in Leenaan! We could have caught the Falls with a lot less time 2 days ago!

The yellow building across the water is the Leenaan Hotel.

Passed the Delphi Lodge that is in my book of 1000 Places to see. It is surrounded by gorgeous country side.

When I ran into the guys, Mike told me I had to take a side trip over some of the road they had just came over. I did a good piece of it up to and through Tawnyard Forrest and it was really beautiful, but it also served to convince me that the guys are nuts! The road is awful and the hills, incredible.

 

We met up again at the Altore Megalithic tomb which dates to 2000 BC.

Next stop was the town of Louisburgh which has the Granuaile Center which details the history of Ireland in the mid-1500's as well as the history of Grace (Granuaile) O'Malley. There were several family trees including that of her son with her first husband, Burke. Her descendants became the Marquis of Sligo. That family chart reminded me of the castle, Westport House, I saw on my 2008 visit that is the home of Jeremy, 11th Marquis of Sligo. There was a display of the history of Grace O'Malley but also of the fight that Jeremy was fighting to change the law so that one of his 5 daughters can inherit the title. I wonder if it has been approved now that the first child of William and Kate can inherit the crown regardless of gender. Their castle was very interesting and the family still lives in mart of it.

 

We are back to driving along the coast, this time Clew Bay. The water is so blue! And the animals along the road grazing now include horses. We were stopping in Murrisk  to see the monument to the Famine victims. I think the guys found it, Scott was particularly interested, but I didn't. I took a few more pictures and headed back to Westport.

 

We went out to dinner as usual. It was a restaurant above a pub. We have had a ton of good food here. And each night, the guys go out looking for music with various degrees of success. For the most part, it has been starting too late. They have discovered some local color though. For 2 most part, I haven't joined them because this fall has made me really tired. But last night we headed to O'Malley's which is owned by one of the members of the Chieftain's, a well known Irish band. There was an gathering of musicians who played that included  older men playing string instruments, the oldest looking of them playing a combination of a type of drum and the harmonica. There were 3 younger women playing the squeeze box and flutes. Finally 2 very young female violin players and a very young bartender with a banjo joined the group. Mike bailed early but Scott and I made it past 10:30, late for us.