CROAGH PATRICK
craic, which doesn’t translate into English, but
when you’re there you know what it means.
Everything they say about Ireland is, probably,
true. It’s very green, the people are very
friendly, the Guinness is good, they love to
play music and sing in bars. There are a lot of
sheep, not too many people and it used to be
one of the most expensive destinations in
Europe. But it’s no longer pricey. Like the
Greeks the Irish have woken up to the fact
that if they want tourists they have got to be
a little more realistic about their prices.
Today, shop, pub and restaurant prices outside
the main cities, Dublin, Cork etc, are about
the same as here in the UK. You don’t even
have to use Ryanair to get there either as Aer
Lingus and BA both fly from Gatwick and if
you book far enough ahead the prices are very
reasonable. Also, you don’t need a passport as
historically the British regard the Republic of
Ireland as a domestic destination. But it’s
sensible to take your passport as it always
makes passing through airports easier. On your
return to the UK you go through a special exit
in the Border Control zone. All you need show
is your boarding card, no passport required.
Known as the Emerald Isle, there is no doubt
that Ireland is a beautiful place and it is very
green. We flew to Ireland West Airport or
Knock as it is usually called, with Aer Lingus;
it’s a great little airport on the west coast. We
hired a car, essential as public transport
whilst efficient is not very frequent and drove
to Westport, a beautiful little town just 37
miles from the airport.
CLEW BAY
Westport, situated on Clew Bay, is truly
lovely. In 1842, the novelist Thackeray visited
and wrote, "The most beautiful view I ever
saw in the world”. There may be better but
that was 1842 after all. With just 5,600
inhabitants it is a prime tourist destination,
although there weren’t many there when we
visited in July. This is a very Irish town,
designed around the Carrowbeg River, with
interesting Georgian architecture and all the
shops have kept their original fronts. It’s a
fascinating place to wander round.
We stayed in the Hotel Westport, a pleasant
four star hotel with friendly, efficient staff.
Our room was fine but on the ground floor
with a wonderful view of the car park. But we
were only in it to sleep so it didn’t matter.
The Hotel Westport is very proud of its gay
credentials hosting two gay weekends in
March and November plus having many civil
partnership celebrations.
Westport has a great bar and restaurant scene,
with Matt Molloy, of the Chieftains, owning
a bar right in the middle of the town, which
gets busy on a Saturday, particularly when the
man himself is playing in the bar. We had
dinner in Sol Rio, which they say is the best
restaurant in town. Owned by husband and
wife team, Sinead and her Portuguese chef
husband José, they offer great food and a
terrific atmosphere, at a very reasonable price,
about 70€ (£56) for cocktails, three huge
courses and wine and that’s for two!
All of Westport seems to typify everything
that is good about Ireland; the friendly
people, the charm and unique atmosphere of
the place which is summed up by the famous
ACHILL ISLAND
Roger Wheeler visits Westport and explores County Mayo
Achill is Ireland’s largest island, connected to
the mainland by a short bridge. There have
been people on Achill for almost 6,000 years,
so there is loads of history. Despite some
pretty awful new architecture it still has its
own striking natural beauty. There are miles
and miles of fantastic beaches with some quite
stunning views of the mountains, huge sweeps
of sandy bays, some of the highest sea cliffs in
Europe and if that’s not enough lots of really
interesting little villages, shops and craft
galleries. Of course there are pubs and good
restaurants and despite its apparent isolation
Achill Island is really easy to get to. There is a
fascinating deserted village, a result of
Ireland’s Great Hunger (an Gorta Mór) of 1845.
We drove along the Atlantic Drive, which is
quite spectacular. As a perfect holiday
destination Achill has a lot going for it and it
seems like you’re not actually abroad. This
corner of County Mayo in the west of Ireland is
a serious holiday destination.
www.westporttourism.com
www.greenway.ie
www.hotelwestport.ie
www.achilltourism.com
www.discoverireland.com
DESERTED VILLAGE
KEEL BEACH ACHILL ISLAND
IRELAND’S
GREAT GREEN
SECRET
This is a great area for touring; nearby
Ballycroy National Park is 11,000 hectares of
unspoilt wilderness and Croagh Patrick, the
most famous hill in Ireland, 764 metres high, is
just six miles away. But we went further west
and headed to Achill Island. We could have
cycled or walked along the famous Great
Western Greenway which runs from Westport
to Achill. The Greenway is an amazing 42km
cycle track that runs along a disused railway
line and is completely separated from the road
and goes though some lovely scenery. In good
weather this would make H