The kingdom of Connaught comprises of ancient monuments steeped in Celtic myth that stand proudly next to un-spoilt lakes and beaches. The ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ is a popular cycling route, but we take you off too into lanes lined with low stone walls and peat bogs. At the end of some of these you’ll find a Mass Rock, Fionn’s Rock and a Tene stone, a mean man and a ‘Quiet Man’.
The Gleniff Horseshoe is not a horseshoe at all but a 10 km loop of single lane road surrounded by spectacular Dartry mountain views. An awesome sight even on cloudy days.
One of the many restrictions of the Penal laws was that Catholics were not allowed to practice their faith. Catholic churches were closed so using large stones for alters, they met in remote, hidden locations. This one is in a particularly scenic location and is occasionally still used as it is close to a road.
Bartholmew Teeling was a leader in the 1798 rebellion and an officer in the French army. French military assistance of 1500 men under General Humbert arrived in Killala Bay in support of the rebellion. While having some success they were eventually defeated. The French were returned home and the Irish executed. The monument was erected in 1898, on the centenary of the French landing.
The Chapel is reputed to be the smallest in Europe and the 2nd smallest in the world. Built by a successful local trader to mark the resting place of his wife. Previously the site of a court house where 19 men were hanged in 1798
James Gralton, an Irish citizen, was deported when he became an undesirable alien in 1933. His ideas and views were not acceptable to the then new Irish state and church.
Thousands of catholics were displaced from the south of Armagh by gangs such as the Peep o days. Some settled here on what would have been only summer grazing. This area was inhabited until the famine.
Used to make quicklime by heating lime stone to a very high temperature. It was used in agriculture for soil improvement. It was also used for making mortar and for whitewashing houses among may other things.
Situated high on a hill over looking the picturesque Lough Allen. Coal was mined since the 1600’s until it ran out in 1992. The ESB was the mines biggest customer, whose nearby power station consumed 55,000 tonnes of coal per annum at its peak.
Donamon Castle is one of the oldest inhabited buildings in Ireland with the first recorded reference in the Annals of the Four Masters for the year 1154.
Inagh Valley is one of the most scenic valleys in Connemara. The massive quartz range of the Twelve Ben Mountains, framing the northern end of the lake, dominates the wonderful vista across the water of the Lough.
There is supposed to be 365 islands in the bay, one for every day of the year. In folklore Grace O’Malley, ( Grainnuaile) the fearless sea pirate used this bay as her base.
Captain Boycott was a land agent looking after land for an absentee landlord. With an economic downturn at this time many could not afford their rents. Many were evicted. The locals got together and refused to work for or help him. His name became a verb/noun in many languages to define social ostracism.
In 1849 when the country was suffering from a severe famine, a group of people from Louisburgh were told to present themselves at 07.00 at Delphi hunting lodge. It was a 19 Kilometer walk to where the relieving officers were staying. The weather was bleek and freezing. They did not get any food. As most were already in very poor health, many perished on the way back.
