It’s an idyllic image of Ireland—this view that we’re looking at out the enormous windows of the dining room of our hotel.
In the foreground are gently rolling hills. The grass on the hills embraces a broad spectrum of shades of green.
In the distance, rising sharply from the wide green landscape, is a stunning mountain. It’s a very special mountain for the Irish: Croagh Patrick, a sacred link to Saint Patrick.
Not far from the 2,510-foot-high holy hill lies a sea of deep blue. No place in Ireland is ever very far from the water, be it the vast sea that surrounds this island or the great multitude of lakes, ponds, rivers, and trout streams that help paint tranquil scenes all across its emerald countryside.
Near Croagh Patrick and within easy walking distance from where we’re sitting is a tiny town (population 4,250) that’s surely one of Ireland’s prettiest—Westport.
We’re savoring this magnificent view while enjoying a fine breakfast at the lovely Knockranny House Hotel in an area of Ireland that too many tourists miss—County Mayo.
Packaged tours tend to cling to Ireland’s south shore area and rarely venture much farther north from its two international airports than Galway. Getting to County Mayo does require a little extra time on the road—very little, really. “Out of the way,” Westport is only 50 miles beyond the city of Galway; indeed, it’s only 115 miles from Shannon International Airport!
Our drive through County Clare and County Galway to get here was wonderfully scenic and the roads are uncrowded, Ireland being the least densely populated country in Europe.
There’s very good reason to journey a tiny bit farther to experience this part of Ireland. “Mayo is magic"—that’s how famous visitor and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair summed it up.
A Genuine Gem
We sensed that Mayo magic when we walked around Westport. Nearly every Irish town is pleasant—clean and safe, streets lined with ascetically pleasing bright-colored buildings—but Westport stands out as a genuine gem.
A rushing river—the Carrowbeg—runs through it, spanned by a hump-backed bridge, lined by trees, and bordered by an avenue of attractive buildings that locals call The Mall. The “town square” is called The Octagon because that’s how it’s really shaped.
Laid out to the plan of renowned 18th-century architect John Wyatt, Westport sits on the shore of picturesque Clew Bay against the backdrop of that hallowed mountain where Saint Patrick once fasted for the 40 days of Lent. Here, it’s said, he received from God a promise that Ireland would never lose the Christian faith that he had brought to this land. Pilgrims climb Croagh Patrick for the religious experience, others just for the joy of the awesome views of Westport and Clew Bay.
Only a short drive north of Westport lies Achill, Ireland’s largest off-shore island. We drove this mountainous island’s famous Atlantic Drive, which unfolds vistas of bogland, classic Irish scenes of rough farmland with row after row of neat stone wall borders, some of the country’s finest beaches, and sea cliffs that nearly rival County Clare’s famed Cliffs of Moher.
By U.S. standards, no place in Ireland is very far from any other place in Ireland, so it wasn’t a very long drive to County Mayo’s Moy River Valley region, home to some of the country’s finest salmon and trout fishing. This region of County Mayo also boasts a delightful town that’s famous for its fine woolens: Foxford.
The Foxford Woolen Mills offers one of the best selections of top-quality, reasonably priced woolen goods to be found anywhere in Ireland. A remarkable English nun who teamed up with an Irish Protestant Freemason businessman founded it in 1892 to create job opportunities for area people who were reeling from the effects of the Great Famine. Its Visitors Center commemorates the famine and the inspiring story of Mother Agnes Morrogh Bernard’s achievement with an award-winning, multi-media, self-guided tour that’s powerfully moving.
Like Something out of a Movie
Heading south from Mayo’s Moy River Valley region, we arrived at the town of Cong, just atop County Galway. The reason that it struck us as something out of a movie is that it is. It was the location for the film for which director John Ford received an Academy Award—“The Quiet Man,” starring John Wayne (whose ancestors hailed from County Mayo), Maureen O’Hara, and Barry Fitzgerald. The splendid Irish scenery that Hollywood was looking for back then is still here now.
Also near Cong, and also like something out of a movie, is Ashford Castle, a spectacular mid-19th-century castle with castellated towers that sits on 350 acres of fabulous grounds overlooking lovely lakes. Originally the fantasy estate of the Guinness beer family, it’s now one of Ireland’s finest luxury hotels.
Staying at the awesome Ashford Castle is worth the splurge. This is a castle in which everything is an exquisite treat, even spending time in its dungeon.
During a fun evening at its cozy “Dungeon Bar,” we enjoyed listening to an Irish entertainer sing:
Again, I want to see and do the things we’ve done and seen
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar
And there’s 40 shades of green.
It was but one of so many beautiful experiences that made us glad that on this visit back to Ireland, we discovered the magic of County Mayo. We promised ourselves that we would return to Ireland for an encore of County Mayo.
For we, too, again want “to see and do the things we’ve done and seen.”
And More in Mayo
Awesome Ashford Castle, the lovely little town of Westport, mountainous Achill Island, and the Foxford Woolen Mills with its great products and very moving museum were the highlights of our few days in County Mayo. If they were all that County Mayo offered, they would make a visit to this beautiful part of Ireland well worth it.
But there’s much more to Mayo. Other spots we enjoyed along the way in Mayo include the following:
- Flannery Knitwear is near Graughill, and we stopped for a free cup of coffee and a tour of its factory, factory craft shop, and small working farm. Farmer Patrick Flannery expanded into the knitwear business after selling fine homemade sweaters door-to-door in this part of County Mayo. The company now sells to more than 70 shops in Ireland and exports to U.S. and European markets.
- Enniscoe House, on a wooded estate overlooking the shores of Lough (Lake) Conn near Crossmolina, is a grand old Georgian home that has recently been declared a Heritage House of Ireland. The property also houses the Mayo North Family History Research Centre, a popular spot for people tracing their Irish roots. County Mayo roots seem to be good for raising movie stars; the ancestors of John Wayne, Grace Kelly, and Mel Gibson all hailed from County Mayo. County Mayo also claims the legendary Irish clan the Costellos, although neighboring counties Roscommon and Galway make the same claim.
- Lough (Lake) Conn is renowned for its February to September brown trout fishing season and its spring salmon fishing. All around County Mayo, we saw great fishing spots and fine golf courses.
- The Danlann Yawl Art Gallery near Mulrany on the Corraun Peninsula next to Achill Island is the dream of Irish artist Seosamh O’Dalaigh. Not only can you shop here for some of his fine works in oils, watercolors, and pastels, but you can also board at an onsite apartment and take a weekend or longer workshop at the O’Dalaigh School of Painting, which tutors both beginners and experienced painters.
