7 Day Tour
Guided by the leading Irish expert on walking
in Mayo, Gerry Greensmyth
Day
1 - Saturday
You arrive in Westport, a thriving little town nestling
under the shadow of Croagh Patrick, which has the distinction of being
one of the few planned towns in Ireland. It dates back to the 18th century
and its design and layout are credited to James Wyatt c. 1780. Your
accommodation for the next three nights is with Gerry & Bernie Greensmyth
at their country house on the outskirts of the town. After dinner, a
briefing of the coming weeks’ activities will be given. For the night
owls a trip to one of Westports many pubs for some traditional music
will be arranged.
Day
2 - Sunday
We begin the week with a 45 minute transfer by coach.
Going south we walk over Mám Éan; an ancient and very significant pilgrim
site. Here you will find St. Patricks Well and Bed, a Cilín (little
church and stations of the cross. Todays walk will end in the Inagh
Valley.
Day
3 - Monday
A 20 minute transfer by coach will bring us to Ballintubber
Abbey “The Abbey that refused to Die” founded by King Cathal O’Connor
in 1216. After a tour of the Abbey and grounds we will walk the ancient
pilgrim path Tochar Phadraig. Todays walk ends in Aughagower.
Day
4 - Tuesday
After a hearty Irish breakfast our coach leaves for
Killary Harbour passing en route the Erriff Valley and Leenane Village.
Our six mile Killary Harbour walk begins along a road dating back to
1846. It was built during the Great Famine to give relief work to locals
in return for food. Killary is truly spectacular and is the only fjord
in Ireland and the British Isles. Midway through our walk we’ll stop
for a picnic lunch, before setting off to meet our bus at the far end
of the fjord. By the early evening we’ll arrive at Cleggan Harbour,
where the Captain will welcome us aboard his boat, and following a short
voyage we arrive at the island of Inish Bofin. There a bus will transfer
all luggage and the less enthusiastic walkers to our Hotel/Guesthouse
where we shall have dinner at around 8.00pm.
Day
5 - Wednesday
After breakfast we shall set off to walk to the west
end of Inishbofin. This remote Island, with a population of just 180,
has many sites and places of interest to take in. We'll see everything
from cliff forts and monastic sites to the great sandy beaches and even
a Cromwellian Castle. There's the island's seal colony to view and a
deep sea cave and arch system which you can actually climb into.
At around lunch time we'll stop for a picnic, and later set sail for Inish Shark. (We may land here on Day 1 as disembarking is subject to tide and weather conditions). Inish Shark is said to be the former home of Oscar Wilde's mother for a very short time but is now famous for its deserted village where nobody has lived since 1960. After exploring the village, we again set sail, this time to the island of Inish Turk in Co. Mayo. Upon landing, we will be greeted by a local family and taken to our Guest House. Here you will be treated to a traditional island dinner followed by a visit to the only pub on the island and maybe a song or ten!
Day
6 - Thursday
After Breakfast we will set out on a tour of the
island. You will find Inish Turk a truely unique experience, as there
is no daily ferry, any visitors that do arrive are made to feel very
welcome indeed. It’s an island wholly dependent on the traditional activities
of farming, fishing and local craft businesses such as curragh building
etc. Our walk ends at the mouth of the harbour where we drop into one
of Ireland’s longest surviving Sheebeens for a little light refreshment.
Later we shall explore another route and return to our accommodation
and rest before dinner.
Day
7 - Friday
Our morning breakfast is followed by a short sailing
to Clare Island. Clare Island is synomymous with Grace O’Malley, the
formidable ruler of the Clew Bay district during the second half of
the 16th century. One of the most interesting places on the island is
the remains of the late fifteenth century Cistercian Friary, founded
by the monks of Abbeyknockmoy in Co. Galway. According to local folklore,
following the death of Grace O’Malley in 1600, her remains were interred
in the decorated O’Malley Wall Tomb in the Friary. The Chancel Vault
was once covered in fresco painting, patches of which still remain.
We will guide you through the island to the Lighthouse. Later in the
day we shall have lunch before catching our next boat to Roonagh Pier.
Here a bus awaits us and takes us back to Abbeyglen Castle for our last
evening together. After a sumptuous dinner in the hotel’s restaurant
we will adjourn to the bar for a good old fashioned evening by the piano.
See the tour on a map (click to enlarge)
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"With a little luck you will see wild dolphins, grey seals, gannets or basking sharks between the islands!"
Connemara Safari
Sky Road, Clifden, Co. Galway
Tel: (095) 21071 or Freephone 1850 777 200 - Fax: (095) 21797
e-mail