Connamera Loop

Please use Ctrl+ to see photos better. Separate issue -Google should improve the quality of photo presentation on their blogs, as my photos are all high resolution.

Photo highlights, top to bottom:

Kylemore Abby

Connamera Landscapes

Directional signs, Leenhan

Gaynor's Pub, Leenhan

Paris as William, in the school play "The Field"

Killarney Fjord photos

Commercial mussel floats, Killarney Fjord

Series of beach photos, Renvyle Peninsula

Thatched roof homes, Tullycross

Hooker, Tullycross

Royal swans

Kylemore Abby

Paul Sanders and Kylemore Abby

My 83 year old father has been visiting from Bellevue, Washington, for a 2 week stay. He has been actively exploring Ireland, including the Cliffs of Mohr, Inish Mohr, Inish Boffin and this blog describes our Connamera Loop day trip.

We drove a ways south along the coast from Carna, then turned inland, heading towards Connamera, driving the Connamera Loop. It is described as a tour thru an ever changing landscape of majestic mountains, spectacular beaches, the wild Atlantic, mist covered lakes, pre-historic bogs and shady glens. That is a pretty fancy description, but not far off from what we saw.

We headed up from Maam Cross (a hub of local activity over the centuries, where deals are made and goods are traded) on R336 to the small village of Maam, surrounded by pretty countryside and the Maamturk Mountains, which contain pre-historic and early historic sites. There are also some good fishing lakes around. We continued driving thru the countryside towards Leenane, past a turnoff for Patrick's well, a place of pilgrimage, believed to cure cattle and some human ills.

We approached Leenane, with good vistas of Killary Harbour, Ireland's only Fjord. This old word village is very quaint, and it brings you back to the time of Bull McCable, the anti-hero of John B Keane's play "The Field", made into a film, which featured Gaynors, a local pub in Leenane. I just saw our daughter, Paris, featured prominently in a play of The Field, at her school this week. She was William, the gentleman who tried to buy Bull McCabe's farm. Interestingly, this play is written from a true story in Ireland's past. Also, I had read a review of the play currently in Dublin, starring Brian Dennehy, the famous American actor. I was unaware of the play until then, wondering what attracted a renowned American actor to come over for this show. It is from the 1950's in rural Ireland, about a gritty Irish farmer, who toils on his land, only to see it auctioned off, and the buyer gets murdered, with a subsequent cover up. It is about the Irish people and their enduring link to the land.

My dad did go into a local pub in Leenane, not looking for beer, but coffee. The owner let us into his closed pub at 9AM, where there was a warm fire, and fresh coffee. He gave us his strong opinion of the current state of Irish politics ("bad" is a kinder description of the words he used), and we looked at historical photos of British Navy visits to this small port in the Fjord, during the World War. Remember, in a prior blog, I describes how the enemy and British subs had both sought safe haven in this harbour, during a fierce Atlantic storm.

We headed west, along the Fjord, to the Renvyle Peninsula, where we found a spectacular white sands beach, with good views of offshore islands, including Inish Bofin, where Steve and I had gone, one of our first weekends in Ireland. This was probably my favorite beach in Ireland, to date. We met a nice guy who was training his son for an all Ireland shore fishing contest. Sharks are one of the hot fish to catch. He gave us some good touring suggestions.

Next, we went to Tullycross. There is a photogenic row of traditional thatched roof houses in this quaint village. There is an annual Mussel Festival here in May. Dad talked to the local priest, who was just getting out of Mass. There is a big Hooker planted along the town sidewalk.

We turned south along the coast, ending up in Letterfrack. We then zipped down to Clifden for lunch. We turned west, to Claddaghduff. There is a graveyard with the remains of children whose lives were cut short by the Gorta Mor (great hunger) famine 0f 1847. We also went to the town of Cleggan, where the ferry goes to Inish Bofin. My dad went there a few days later.

The highlight of the trip was the Kylemore Abby. This beautiful Castle was built in the 1800's. It in now primarily a school, run by Benedictine nuns. The lakeside location makes for stunning photos which show the Abby's reflection. We timed our visit just right, as the golden ray's of the setting sun highlighted the castle, reflecting off the calm lake. I will go back there during the Spring, to see the surrounding gardens in bloom. Dad astutely noticed wild rhododendrons on the drive past the Abby, which will blossom purple. This should be fun to see in a few months. Quite an amazing place, only a half hour from our home.

We headed south, thru the beautiful Inagh Valley, surrounded by mountains and lakes. This area was featured in an earlier blog, which had a nice rainbow photo. No photos there today, as it was getting dark. Dad said this day trip was a 'home run' and I agree!