Ireland Travel Part 1 : County Mayo
By Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp
Rolling bright green hills, lighthouses, a deserted town, huge cliffs overlooking the ocean waves, the best pubs with fun Irish traditional music, amazing hospitable people. We experienced all this off the beaten path on the Wild Atlantic Way … and more! We love Ireland and all there is to see and do.
With 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland, we chose two to explore. This month we will tell you about our experiences in the County of Mayo and next month the County of Donegal. Each has lots of sheep, cows and horses on the greenest pastures grazing and are full of fantastic people.
In County Mayo our knowledgeable guide was Fergus (means warrior) Sweeney .He guided us through the Solas Visitor Centre and we learned about the heritage, music, arts and history of the Erris area. We learned how life was so hard in this part of Ireland; Fergus told the true story of a farmer who in 1910 found the two skeletons of a couple who were trying to flee their famished land from the 1840s. Ireland was an impoverished island in the past, and where to have a potato and bread was luxury. People worked the hardest jobs you could imagine just to be alive. Many didn’t make it.
On a happier note we spent an hour at an Irish Gaelic language class and practiced words and phrases. Our driver then took us to the sea for a surprise, what they called “sand sailingsurfing” with sails on the magnificent sandy beach .We also learnt about the salt made from the ocean at the Achill Island Seasalt factory . The best part of the salt tour was tasting their goodies made from sea salt. We bought a bag of Irish toffee brittle in the well-stocked gift shop.
One of the wildest experiences in Mayo County was playing golf at Carne Golf Links. It’s spread out on the remote and rugged Mullet Peninsula, along the Wild Atlantic Way in the northwest of the county. We liked how they kept up the nature in the unspoilt sand dunes stretching 150 m above sea level. While we played golf, we admired the breathtaking views of the Atlantic across Blacksod Bay. The course features 18 holes designed by the late Eddie Hackett, who respected the natural landscape. There are also nine holes in the back. We were glad to get a taste of playing at this unique location..
Ceide Fields was another spectacular seascape attraction we enjoyed. It’s worth seeing the world’s largest Stone Age Monument in a huge lovely area. We hiked and took lots of photos at the wildly picturesque sites. We’re so glad we didn’t miss it! The visitor center gave informative interpretations. It’s not far from the Irish city of Ballina, where we decided to get a two-bedroom apartment for about another week and rest up from all of our adventures.
In touring sights in several counties, we learned a lot, felt exhilarated being near the ocean and beautiful land, found serenity seeing the sheep and cows grazing in the fields, felt sadness in feeling pain of those who suffered and died in the
famine, and had jolly fun in the pubs being with strangers who quickly became friends. We love Ireland and are happy to bring these recommendations for the awesome Counties of Mayo and Donegal. We hope to return someday to the Wild Atlantic Way!
Jason Rupp and Carla Marie Rupp are freelance travel journalists curious about the world and its people and places. Their emails are [email protected] and [email protected].