Drive yourself round the Bens
MALCOLM ROGERS motors around the delights of Connemara, recommends
the must-sees on the Ring of Kerry and has a look at the websites which
can save you money the next time you’re planning to travel in Ireland.
 By Malcolm
Rogers
IF your horoscope goes “This is a good time of year to pause and
reflect,” and your knee-jerk response is, “Yeah, but not if
you’re in a rush,” then maybe it’s time to head for
Connemara for a motoring tour.
Yes, motoring. It’s still possible to enjoy the art of motoring
here, as opposed to the much more utilitarian driving, and you’ll
soon find yourself as rested as one of the fat seals you’ll see
sunning himself by the shores of Galway Bay.
This tour, one I’ve been doing since my late teens, takes you into
Joyce’s Country and the very heart of Connemara. The route is 92
miles, but this is in no way related to 92 of your earth miles.
Such a journey in, say, the midlands of England, might take you a couple
of hours. In Connemara, even if the glorious views which assail you round
ever corner don’t delay your progress, the tortuous nature of the
roads certainly will. So set aside a full day for this drive. Right, seat
belts fastened, tank full of petrol, Yorkie bar on the dashboard and away
we go.
Our base camp, so to speak, is Clifden. An Clochan, ‘the Stepping
Stones’ is the ‘capital’ of Connemara. Framed by the
wild grandeur of the Twelve Bens and with its two impressive church spires
and view across Ardbear Bay, this is one of Ireland’s finest towns.
Being something of a tourism hot spot, you’ll be able to buy all
the Aran sweaters you forgot to get when you were in Aran. Ditto postcards
and quite a few other artifacts with a high leprechaun count. Despite
a rather well-honed knack for separating visitors from their money, the
town remains a fine centre from which to explore the rest of Connemara.
It’s also something of an epicentre for traditional music especially
sean nós singing. (Mind you, it’s also something of a centre
of excellence for country and Irish, as a lunchtime trip to a pub quickly
demonstrated. Their juke box pumped out a continuous diet of Daniel, Big
Tom, Larry Cunningham and whoever it is that sings Dance To My Ten Guitars)
.
From Clifden take the Sky Road north west along the shores of Clifden
Bay. The clifftops soon deliver magnificent views of the Atlantic, dotted
with scattered westerly islands. Bear right in order to come round on
the north side of the peninsula, now with Streamstown Bay on your left.
Here you’ll get distant views of the Twelve Bens, the highest of
which is 2395 ft.
In about four miles turn left onto the T71 (N59) sign-posted ‘Letterfrack,
Leenane’.
Just shy of two miles further on, take in Ballynakill Harbour. The perfect
place for your first picnic stop. Yes, I know you’ve only done half
a dozen miles, but you might as well make a day of it.
Then drive along Barnbeg Bay to reach Letterfrack in the shadow of the
1460 ft Diamond Hill. Behind are Muckanaght, Bencullagh, Bencollaghduff
and Benbaun.
Leave Letterfrack and continue with the Doughruagh mountain ahead, before
following the valley of the Dawross River and entering the Pass of Kylemore
Arched gateways, Victorian glasshouses and walled ornamental gardens
are all part of the impossibly beautiful Kylemore Abbey Gardens sheltering
under the Twelve Bens. Today, most of the original character has been
restored and the gardens are open to the public.
Access to the abbey is via the Pass of Kylemore, a magnificent gap which
runs east to west, and is considered by the locals one of the most beautiful
places in Connemara. And if the people here say somewhere is beautiful,
you can take it as read that it would support an entire battalion of Royal
Academy grade oil painters.
Proceed to the lovely shoreline of Kylemore Lough and the Maumturk Mountains
will soon heave into view. After a couple of miles you’ll catch
a glimpse of Lough Fee to the left.
You’ll be descending now, and will soon reach the shores of Killary
Bay, reputedly Ireland’s only fjord — although the people
from Carlingford Lough might have something to say about that claim. You
could ask a passing Norwegian but we wouldn’t want to stir up anything
nasty as regards that unpleasantness with his ancestors some 1200 years
ago. From Vikings back to Celts, and the 2688 ft Mweelrea which dominates
the nearby range. The highest peak in Connacht, Mweelrea is naturally
home to many Celtic legends. For more information, ask locally in the
pub at Leenane. Tell them I sent you.
After satisfying your curiosity and thirst in Leenane, your designated
driver (he’ll likely be the only one in Connacht) to branch right
on to the L101 sign-posted ‘Maam Cross and Galway’. You’ll
be motoring along higher ground now before gradually descending through
the area known as Joyce’s Country. Follow the valley of Joyce’s
River on to Maam Bridge, then turn right on to the L101 sign-posted ‘Maam
Cross’. Cross Joyce’s River and continue over higher ground
with 2012 ft Leckavrea to the right.
Proceed through the lonely countryside to Maam Cross and head for Screeb.
From there, head for Carna and skirt round the numerous inlets of the
Atlantic and glory in the fact that it’s not every day you have
to navigate round an ocean while driving.
You’ll soon cross a river bridge, the road now taking you up the
westerly shores of Kilkieran Bay, eventually arriving in the village of
Kilkieran.
Continue on the L102 to the outskirts of Carna, meet a T-junction and
turn right onto a road sign-posted ‘Cashel’. Those Twelve
Bens will be ahead of you once again, seemingly drifting about the Connemara
countryside. In just over three miles rejoin the coast and skirt Bertraboy
Bay. In a further four miles turn left on to a road marked ‘Cashel
and Roundstone’. In a mile or so you’ll pass Cashel Bay, and
in another four miles turn left on the road sign-posted Roundstone. Rejoin
the L102, then in one mile turn left again.
You’re back now on the Clifden Road, passing Ballyconneely Bay and
a short time later Mannin Bay. You’ll drive past the spot where
the airmen Alcock and Brown landed after their first trans-Atlantic flight
in 1919. To complete your Connemara quest, cross Ballinaboy Bridge, turn
left, pass Salt Lake and shortly after, you’re in Clifden.
Go and treat yourself to a Guinness, and repeat as necessary.
 What
to see on the Ring of Kerry
One of the most famous routes in the world, the Ring of Kerry, stretches
round the Iveragh Peninsula from Killarney to Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Caherciveen,
Ballinskelligs, Waterville, Caherdaniel and Sneem before, after some 170km,
reaching Kenmare.
1. The Skelligs
Off the westerly reaches of The Ring lies one of Ireland’s three
World Heritage sites, the 700ft Skellig Michael. A monastery plied its
business of praying for the people of Ireland for 600 years from 588 AD.
In its heyday, people on the mainland of Ireland would kneel in the direction
of Skellig Michael at Mass-times. They couldn’t hear the monks but
they could share in their fellowship. Stand and look in awe.
2. Paddyfrogs Restaurant
The elegant, sophisticated Paddyfrogs restaurant overlooks Waterville
Bay and combines really tasty interior design with succulent food. Original
artwork on the walls and subdued lighting complement sophisticated contemporary
Irish cuisine. Tel: 00 353 66 947 8766.
3. Art for everyone
The Ring of Kerry is well supplied with small galleries and artists’
studios, including the impressive Cill Rialaig art centre in Ballinskelligs.
Cill Rialaig was the birthplace of one of Ireland’s most revered
folklorists and story tellers Seán O’Connall (1853-1931),
and it is now a retreat for artists from all over the world. Tastefully
designed in the manner of the clochans and ancient stone forts, the gallery
hosts exhibitions of sculpture and paintings throughout the year. The
centre also runs children’s art classes in summer and boasts a first-class
café.
4. The Gap of Dunloe
One of Ireland’s finest panoramas, the Gap of Dunloe is a highlight
of the Ring of Kerry. This narrow eight-mile pass through the country’s
highest mountains, MacGillyciddy’s Reeks, begins at Kate Kearney’s
Cottage and finishes with a descent into The Black Valley, past stone
monuments and statues worn by millennia of moody weather. You should properly
take you time here, park the car, and journey through the Gap on the Kerry
Way by foot.
5. Pay your respects to Daniel O’Connell
The main church in Cahirciveen was erected in 1888 to the memory of
Daniel O’Connell, The Liberator, one of the towering figures of
European history. It remains the only church in Ireland named after a
lay person. On the outskirts of the town, on the Ring of Kerry, is the
Daniel O’Connell Memorial Park. This quiet, well maintained park
is a contemplative tribute to the first Catholic ever to be elected to
the British House of Commons.
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