Co. Galway: Gorumna Island
Saturday 25 March 2023
32.93km or 20.46miles
 |
| Luibin Gharumna coastal path |
It poured rain all the way down on my journey from Bangor, Co. Down to
Galway City last night, but the forecast is more promising today. I stayed with
my brother, Anthony, aka uncle Tony (Brian’s Godfather) last night and it was
an easy 50-minute drive out to Connemara this morning.
 |
| Getting ready to cross over to Gorumna Island |
I parked in the big car park just opposite the church in Leitir Moir. Two
workmen are emptying the bins and chatting in Irish as I look across towards
Gorumna island. Already here in Ceantar na nOilean (the islands
district), it’s a completely different world to Galway’s busy city. My schedule
today was to run around the islands of Gorumna and Leitir Meallain. However, as
sometimes happens on this adventure of mine, things did not go according to
plan, but more about that later.
 |
| I tried to cover every corner of Gorumna Island |
I decided to run clockwise today (sea on my left) to avail of the low tide later in the afternoon on the western side of Gorumna, which I wanted to coincide with me getting to ‘Bothar na nOilean’. More about that later too. First of all I cross the long Charraig an Logain bridge and arrive on Gorumna island. The causeway was built around 1898 and before that there was a footpath that could only be crossed at a very low tide. After about 2km, I take a left at a small crossroads. I’m now in area called Tir an Fhia (land of the deer) and heading towards the coast again. I follow a zig-zag road where I come to a pier.
 |
| Start of coastal path from the north side |
Along the shore I’m able to follow a beautiful coastal trail, Luibin Gharumna which eventually takes me to Tra Bhain (white beach). In olden times this was a gathering place for pilgrims to the Aran Islands. People from Gorumna Island and Leitir Moir looked across to Aran (only 12km away) and saw it as a spiritual and holy place. There are quite a few houses here and Tra Bhain seems to be the main village on Gorumna Island. Meanwhile, the light drizzle that was falling has completely stopped and thankfully, I don’t see any more rain for the rest of today.
 |
| An Tra Bhain |
There was a tragedy here in the 1860’s. Three brothers were drowned when their currach was rammed by a bigger sailing boat. Their sister Brid Ni Mhaille who had emigrated to Boston composed a sad lament for her siblings. The song is called ‘Amhran Na Tra Bhaine’ and it is still a popular song in Connemara. It was even recorded by Fiachna O'Braonain of the Hot House Flowers. Although Fiachna was born and reared in Dublin he has strong family connections with this part of Connemara and considers Irish his first language.
Agus d’fhág siad an caladh amach ar maidin leis an lá,
Dia linn agus Muire, siad an triúr a chuaigh
sa ngábh.
(And they left the harbour that morning, God and Mary
be with us. They are the three that went into danger)
 |
| One of the many piers on Gorumna Island |
Just south of Tra Bhain the rough coastal path slowly fades away as I trample through wet grass and streams of water. I spot another trail in the distance which thankfully leads to a farmer’s lane. It is now a lovely sunny morning here in South Connemara. Out in the bay, I can see Oilean an Anama (island of the souls). This beautiful area and the spring-like weather is indeed, good for the soul. I eventually arrive at a small harbour, and this is where things started to go wrong. In my defence, it’s easy to get confused as there are lots of quays and piers in this area. Of course, the only mode of transport here up to the late 19th century, was by boat.
 |
| Looking out towards Oilean an Anama (island of the soul) |
After reading in the Irish Times ‘Russian ships return to Ireland’s west coast’, I couldn’t help thinking that there are so many landing areas (piers and harbours) in this part of Connemara. The Irish Times reported that two Russian ships ‘The Umka’ and ‘The Bakhtemir’ were spotted off the coast of Co. Galway this week. A few years ago, we might have laughed this off, but with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it’s not such a joke anymore. The two ships were heading south and had left the Irish Exclusive Zone but then they turned around again and sailed up the west coast, causing confusion about their intentions. EU countries have stepped up surveillance of vital subsea infrastructure. Sometimes I feel I’m the only person out here in this corner of Connemara and I’m not sure what I would do if I spotted a Russian ship coming ashore.
 |
| 'Good for the soul' weather |
Anyway, I leave the harbour and follow the road inland. At this stage I thought I was further west at OS point L87. However, I had only reached OS point L86. Therefore, when I headed north from the pier and took a left along a lake, I thought I was running south of Loch Bhaile. I was actually running along Loch Hoirbeaird. To compound my mistake, I ended up taking a right turn (instead of a left) at the T junction and ran 2km east, instead of west, adding an unnecessary 4km on to today’s mileage.
 |
| View of Loch Hoirbeaird, although I thought (at the time) it was Loch Bhaile! |
I didn’t realise it at the time but, while I was running in the wrong
direction, I passed my own magical 3,000 km mark which I’m estimating is the
halfway point of my grand adventure. I was probably right in the centre of
Gorumna island when I reach the milestone.
Sir Roger Casement agus Na hOileain
In the early 1900’s Casement started a relief fund when he heard of
people in this area dying of typhus. He was executed as an Irish rebel in 1916
but had previously earned his British Knighthood by standing up for those
suffering abuse in the Belgium Congo. Casement also always highlighted the oppressed
in Connemara. He is an interesting character who I’ve come across a few times in
my coastal adventure (especially along Fair Head on the Antrim coast). I will
refer to him again when I reach Banna Strand in Co. Kerry. Casement
realised how neglected the west of Ireland was and knew the lessons from the
famine were not really learnt by the British. He maintained that ‘only
Irishmen and Irish women could clean up filthy corners of the so called United
Kingdom’
William Cadbury also made generous contributions to Casement’s Relief
fund and later Cadbury set up his own charitable trust in 1919. Talking of Cadbury is making me hungry so it’s
only right to stop and have my own chocolate break! (Although it’s still lent
and I’m off sweets, I’ve awarded myself an exemption today!)
I continue along the main Gorumna road heading west and eventually I
come to a short causeway, Drochead Chaigheil that finally takes
me to the island of Leitir Meallain.
 |
| Crossing over to Leitir Meallain |
I had originally planned to circle Leitir Meallain but after taking a
wrong turn earlier, I decide to postpone exploring this island until my next
trip to Co. Galway. However, today I do plan to run as far as the crossroads on
the island and visit the Heritage Centre there. I’d only read last week about John
Bhaba Jack O’Chonghaola who set up the Centre in 2009 and filled it with his
own collection of artefacts. John Bhaba describes how Leitir Meallain is
twinned with a much bigger island in Norway called Sotra, population
20,000. Years ago, there would have been a closer connection between the west
of Ireland and Norway and even today these islanders have a lot in common with
each other.
 |
| The centre of Leitir Meallain |
 |
| Enjoying my tea & scone at Heritage Centre, Leitir Meallain |
After my earlier navigation error, I decide to reward (and console)
myself at the Heritage Centre with tea and a delicious fruit scone. I struggle
with my Irish when I’m ordering but I’m determined not to speak any English as
I’m in the heart of the Gaeltacht now. I sit outside and enjoy the beautiful
sunshine. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment and I did so as I tucked
into my late morning snack.
I retrace my steps, leave Leitir Meallain and head east back across the short
bridge to Gorumna Island. As I’m crossing the causeway I pause as I meet a
funeral hearse followed by lots of cars. The deceased is being taken for burial
to Reilig Chugeal cemetery on the Leitir Meallain side of the
causeway. I cross myself, something I hadn’t done that for a while, but it
seemed the proper thing to do in this situation. I continue walking slowly as I meet more funeral cars. Then at a small crossroads at Baile na Cille, I take a
left and pass through a hilly area aptly called ‘An Cnoc’. After
a few miles a dog comes running towards me. The lady of the house quietens her
animal, Sailor I think she called him. I take the opportunity to ask her about Inis
Bearachain and ‘Bothar na nOilean’ and she pointed me in the right direction.
 |
| Looking across to Inis Bearachain |
 |
| The entrance to 'Bothar na nOilean' from NW Gorumna |
Inis Bearachain
One of the first essays that the historian, Tim Robinson wrote was called ‘Walking
out to Islands’ in which he describes this hazardous route to Inis Bearachain
island. ‘Bothar na nOilean’ (road to the island) is marked on the
OS map and is a series of causeways, rocks and stepping-stones totalling a mile
long that will take you all the way to Inis Bearachain. Islanders had to manoeuvre their way from Bearachain
across to the mainland and back again to the island. Tim Robinson describes waiting
here patiently for the tide to go out.
‘’Watching waters pour out like an unhurried river, until by
degrees the first of the stepping stones loomed up to the slowly sinking
surface’’
 |
| Climbing over the gate will take you to the causeways |
I was fortunate to arrive at this spot at
low tide and lucky to meet that lady with the dog, who explained exactly how to find
the start of ‘Bothar na nOilean’. (It was on a bend through a
farm gate and beside a deserted house). However, do not even attempt to cross over
to Inis Bearachain by this route. I struggled to cross over the first broken
and rocky causeway that was covered in slippery seaweed. What a dangerous
journey this must have been for the islanders. It would have been a long mile across
these greasy rocks, especially as it was always a battle against the tide and
other elements. Even I was worried about picking up an injury even though I was only crossing over only
a small section of those hazardous rocks. Still, it was interesting to experience some of the hardship my ancestors had to go through.
 |
| The first (slippery) causeway of Bothar na nOilean which I struggled to walk on |
 |
| This second causeway looked even more hazardous |
The other interesting fact about Inis Bearachain
is, that in 1935, families who lived on the island (and in other nearby islands) were relocated
to Rathcairn in Co. Meath. Each Connemara family was given a Land Commission
house, a small farm of about 20 acres, a sow, piglets, and basic equipment. This
was a social experiment to reverse Cromwell’s action of ‘To hell or to Connaught’.
In 1935 this move was also seen as a cultural benefit to the new Ireland; a
plan to save the Irish language and to spread the Irish culture on the eastern
side of the country. Maybe some day I’ll get to Inis Bearachain. From this side
of Gorumna it looked like there are some beautiful sandy beaches there and I bet the
islanders who left this area, still pined for their beautiful ancestral home.
After leaving ‘Bothar na nOilean’, I continue along this coast road. The sun is shining now and it’s a perfect day for running, although I am tiring now. I stop at a pier at Glenn Trasna (crossing of the glen) and finish my second gel and some more Cadbury’s chocolate. On my OS map it looked like you could take a trail across the open glen to a country road north of here, but I couldn’t find the path.
 |
| Naomh Anna GAA grounds |
 |
| Crossing back over to Leitir Mor again |
Eventually I come to a crossroads
and take a left, passing the impressive GAA grounds at Naomh Anna. I make my
way back over Charraig an
Logain bridge to the island of Leitir Moir where I’d parked my car many hours
earlier.
Stage 81 Revisited: Ballynakill Church, South Gorumna, Connemara: Sunday 7 May 2023: 3.81km or 2.37miles
 |
| SW Corner of Gorumna Island |
I missed this area back in March when I took a wrong turn, so it made sense to return today as I was nearby, in Lettermullan. This graveyard has a combination of old handmade graves and modern headstones with the ancient church itself right in the middle of everything.
 |
| A modern grave in ancient Ballynakill Church |
 |
| Ballynakill Church |
To reach this holy and special place you take a turn south at a small crossroads, signposted Reilig. The junction is about half a mile east of Leitir Meallain island. I drove down this narrow road taking a left turn after another half a mile. I parked my car outside the cemetery. After walking through the graveyard and reading various headstones I found a narrow grassy path on the edge of the cemetery. I ran along this trail heading south all the way to the shore.
 |
| Grassy path from Ballynakill Church to the sea |
 |
| Rocky coast, SW Gorumna Island |
Once I reached the sea, it was just a matter of following the coast eastwards until eventually I came to a pier, ‘Ceibh Pholl ui Mhuirun’. I had to cross over a very rocky shore before coming to that harbour. From the pier, I followed the road north until I reached ‘Lough Bhaile na Cille’ (Ballynakill lake). Then I took a left turn, along a narrow road, that brought me back to the graveyard where I started. Happy to have fully completed Stage 81 in case ‘The Coastal Audit Committee’ check up on me!
