STAGES 82-83: Lettermullan Island & Carraroe Peninsula
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| At Tra an Doilin, An Cheathru Rua |
Stage 82
Co. Galway: Leitir Meallain Island
Sunday 6 May 2023
14.12km or 8.78miles
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| Covering as much of Leitir Meallain as possible |
“Na treig an bothar mor, mar gheall ar an aichearra’’ (don’t abandon the main road for the sake of a shortcut)
Tim Robinson described this part of Connemara as ‘a land without short cuts’ and in my experience it is never worth taking any short cuts. You might miss something special!
It’s the coronation of King Charles III and the fact that I live in Northern Ireland, means that I’ve been given an extra bank holiday. A long weekend makes it much easier for me to get two stages done. On Friday night I drove down to Galway City, and we stayed in Oranmore with my sister-in-law, Aideen.
I’m running around this island today after completing Stage 83 yesterday (Saturday’s run coincided with the Carraroe ‘Darkness into Light’ walk). An early start this morning as I had to drive across four causeways to reach here. My watch says 7.52am as I begin my run from Leitir Meallain Heritage Centre, which is closed today.
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| Starting at Heritage Centre in Leitir Meallain |
At the main crossroads I take a left heading south which eventually leads down to the shore. I then cross over a rocky shoreline to reach a boreen that takes me all the way to the SW corner of Leitir Meallain. Across the sea, I can see Golam Island and its tall Signal Tower.
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| View towards Golam Head & Golam Island |
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| Only 12km (7.5miles) across to Aran Islands |
I thought I might be able to loop around the western end of Leitir Meallain but there is a ‘no entry’ sign on a farmer gate. Anyway, there are cows and a young calf in the field, so I’m pleased to run back the way I came.
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| With Cow and it's young Calf - so probably best not to enter |
I had worn my water-proof jacket as I thought there might be rain on the
way but now the weather is warm and sunny. Conveniently, I am able to return to
my car to leave my jacket back and drink some water too.
Resuming my run, this time I head north at the crossroads and after about 1km I take
a left onto ‘An Crapach’ (Crappagh Island). There is a ‘Private Property’
sign, but it doesn’t actually say ‘No entry’ so I venture slowly across
the causeway. I see a few cows ahead and I decide to turn back. This is out of
respect for the landowner but also because of my fear of cows (my least
favourite animal). I had read on-line about the farmer, Val Folan who runs an
organic farm on An Crapach. I like the way he called this whole area an ‘archipelago
of islands’ – a perfect word and I think I’ll steal it from him!
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| Entrance to An Crapach Island |
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| Causeway to Oilean na Crapach |
Further west I can see the islands of Fraochoilean Beag and Fraochoilean
Mor but there are no causeways to these islands.
From ‘An Crapach’ I retrace my steps and head further north and cross a
short causeway to Foirnis (Furnace) island. I have just realised to reach
Foirnis from Beal an Daingin you need to cross five causeways! The road
goes to the very top of this island and then there is a grassy path that takes
me onto a beach with very soft sand. I am now very close to Daighinis (Dinish)
Island. Even at low tide, I don’t think you could walk across. However, it does
look extremely attractive with a lovely sandy beach visible across the narrow
channel.
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| A loop walk/run - what every runner likes to do |
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| Soft Sand (not really for 'feet of the runner') on Foirnis Island |
In 1905, John Millington Synge and Jack B Yeats toured this area as part
of an assignment for the Guardian Newspaper, who were supporting relief in the
west of Ireland. Yeats drafted an essay about a boatman he met, ‘the
Ferryman of Dinish’, whose job was to ferry the schoolmistress to the
island. The Ferryman was not very happy with his life and it’s interesting how
he describes Dinish as the place ‘the Lord created last’.
"I
don't know what way I'm to go on living in this place that the Lord created
last. It's often when I sit down and
look around on it I do begin cursing and damning and asking myself how poor
people can go on executing their religion at all."
I remember
when I was in north Mayo on a beautiful July morning I heard a similar comment from
an old man, but he spoke with joy and pride. He described his home on the
Mullet peninsula as ‘The last place God made’.
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| Gap between Islands of Foirnis and Dinish |
In 1981 a short film was made about Synge’s and Yeats visit here called ‘To the Western World’. Margy Kinmonth who directed the film even convinced John Huston (Academy Award Winning director) to narrate the film. She repaid him with a Jack Yeats painting ‘Life in the West of Ireland’. Unfortunately, for me, there was no ferryman or woman to take me across to Dinish Island, so I had to retrace my steps and head south again.
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| No causeway (or ferryman!) to Dinish Island |
On the way back I did take a right turn down to a pier ‘Ceibh nua Fhoirnise’ which is quite close to Inis Eirc Island (Inisherk). Nobody has lived on this island since 1960 but some houses are still quite visible across the sea.
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| Looking across to Inis Eirc |
I leave the pier and run south all the way back to my car at the
crossroads. It is still only 9.45am and I’m delighted to have completed the island of Lettermullan. That means I have now done the whole ‘archipelago
of islands’ or as it’s locally called, ‘Ceantar na nOilean’.
Stage 83:
Co. Galway: Beal an Daingain to Casla
Saturday 7 May 2023
39.05 km or 24.26 miles
‘It
is ok to feel whatever you’re feeling and to know that it’s temporary’ Danny Quigley reflection on depression and suicide thoughts
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| Carraroe Peninsula, South Connemara |
Cheathru Rua translates as ‘reddish quarter’ referring more to the brown boggy terrain. Not that I noticed much about the colour of the area when I arrived in pitch dark at 4.00am this morning. The reason for my early start was to tie into a ‘Darkness into Light’ annual walk. These walks are organised by Pieta House in Dublin who provide counselling to anyone struggling with suicide or anybody impacted by suicide. There are hundreds of these annual events all over Ireland and they all begin at 4.15am. I was privileged to be able to join the Carraroe Walk.
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| With Grainne & Jack Lynch and camera shy dog |
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| Sometimes HOPE (Dochas) is all we need |
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| Early risers at 'Darkness into Light' Walk |
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| Darkness coming into light with Jack Lynch |
As dawn was breaking, I began my run,
heading north on the main R343 road. Just before I got to Casla (or Costelloe) I
took a left turn, onto the R374 towards Beal an Daingin passing the Radio na Gaeltachta
building.
Radio na Gaeltachta
In 1972, the Irish language radio
station started broadcasting and in 1996, the TV Station, TG4 followed. I am not a
great Gaelic speaker, but I enjoy watching TG4 for sport especially and I’m a
regular follower of the Irish soap, ‘Ros na Run’.
Last year I saw a beautiful program to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of ‘Radio
na Gaeltachta’. It explained how the Irish language station helped
promote the culture and music in the west of Ireland. I was struck especially
by this beautiful haunting song, ‘Amhran na nGael’, written and
sung by the talented west Kerry musician, Meabh Ni Bheaglaoich.
I continue along the R374 road towards Beal an Daingin but I take a left turn back down into the Carraroe peninsula again.
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| Bridge to Oilean na Rossa |
I leave Rosroe Island and head south towards
‘downtown Carraroe’ keeping Loch an Mhuillin on my left. Passing
this lake reminds me of a famous painting by the artist, Charles Lamb.
Charles Lamb and Eamon de
Buitlear
Charles Lamb was an Ulster man who studied at the Belfast School of Art. He was encouraged to come (and paint) in Connemara by Padraig O’Conaire. Lamb then toured the area on horseback and settled in Carraroe. One of Lamb’s famous paintings depicts a local woman washing clothes in Loch an Mhuillin. The background sky is stormy and the reflection in the water of the cottage is broken up by the woman’s washing.
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| Charles Lamb's painting at Loch an Mhuillin |
The wildlife film maker, Eamon de Buitlear was Lamb’s son-in-law and a regular visitor to Carraroe. Years ago, I remember watching his regular TV program, ‘Amuigh Faoin Speir’ (Out Under the Sky). Eamon was ahead of his time as regards highlighting nature and environmental issues.
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| I sat on a wall here and enjoyed the view over Loch na Caisleach |
It was tempting to take a slight inland detour back to the
crossroads where I parked my car. I was also wearing a base-layer under my
Clifton shirt and could have done without that today. I was hungry and thirsty too.
At least I still had some gel and chocolate, so I decided to stay by the coast.
Poitin: I recently enjoyed watching a beautiful Irish language (and Oscar nominated) film ‘An Cailin Ciuin’. Forty-six years ago, the first ever film, entirely in the Irish language, was called ‘Poitin’. It was made in Carraroe and the director, Bob Quinn still lives here. This part of Connemara always had a tradition of poitin making going back as far as the 1600’s. It was cheap and easy drink to make – all you needed was yeast, sugar and of course potatoes! From 1661 until 1997 it was illegal to produce. Today’s legal version is smoother with ‘only’ 40% alcohol. Originally, poitin was one of the strongest beverages in the world with alcohol content of up to 90%. In the olden days, many wee bottles of the beverage were smuggled to America and England, labelled ‘Holy Water from Knock’.
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| Caladh Thaidhg (Taidhg's Harbour) |
I took the road down to Caladh
Thaidhg (called after Taidhg O’ Cathain who owned boats in this area). When
I reached Taidhg’s pier I roughed it along the coast as far as Tra an
Doilin. Across Greatman’s Bay I can see ‘An Tra Bhain’ where
I visited and ran along in March. It was a good decision today to stay by the shore as
I got to meet a fellow adventurer from Albany, New York who was cycling around
the Irish coast. His name was Brendan and he had been camping overnight. He is
also lucky with today’s weather.
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| The rocks are bigger in Connemara |
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| With Brendan from Albany, New York |
At Tra an Doilin I meet two swimmers, and I could see why they come here every day to this beautiful, secluded beach with its clear blue water. The beach is also called An Tra Choirealadh, because of its shiny coral shingles and sand.
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| Coral strand at Tra Doilin |
At this stage I realised that it would be too difficult to stay strictly by the shore, so I took a road inland, Bothar Bui until I came to a crossroads where I headed south along Bothar Rinn to the very bottom of the peninsula, Cora na Ronna.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a coastal path along the southern shore. I figured it must have been an ancient trail from pre-famine days when there were thousands of people living in this area. I come to Tismean beach and later cross a bridge, which looked like a dam. Eventually I meet the boreen at the SE corner of the peninsula, Gob an Phointe.
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| The wild colours of Connemara |
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| Tismean Strand, south coast of Carraroe |
I follow this boreen, Bothar an Chillin north and take a second turn to the right which brings me down towards the shore. I end up trampling through fields but then I have a moment of celebration when I see in the distance a graveyard. I know this is ‘Tra na Reilige’ (graveyard strand). Just south of the cemetery there is an ancient medieval chapel, Tempeall MacAdhaigh which was constructed by saint Smocan. He came over from the Aran Islands and apparently built the church in just one day! Maybe he also began his work early at 4.15am like I did this morning.
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| Tempeall MacAdhaigh - built in one day! |
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| Seat at top of cemetery at Tra na Reilige |
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| Tra na Reilige |
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| With Nan and Bill at Tra na Reilige |
I run by the shore, passing the graveyard and the beach. When I come to the pier I meet two more swimmers, Nan and Bill. I stop to chat, feeling content that I have nearly completed the loop of the peninsula.
Battle of Carraroe (Cath an Cheathru
Rua)
I cannot leave Carraroe without
referring to its most historical event. This happened in January 1880, and it
refers to a dispute over evictions and land rights. There were several
years of bad harvests. Tenants could not pay their rents and so notices of
evictions were pinned to doors. People from around the county rallied to join the Carraroe people,
including twelve boats from nearby villages and the Aran Islands. With just
sticks and stones, the tenants and their allies defeated a large force of RIC
men armed with rifles and bayonets.
This was the first successful attempt to
prevent an eviction. The Irish National Land
League had only been founded a couple of months previously by Charles Stewart
Parnell and Michael Davitt. Davitt wrote that the landlords were “a brood
of cormorant vampires that has sucked the life blood out of the country”.
Davitt knew what he was talking about, as his own family had been evicted from
their home when he was only four years old. The Land League was generally non-violent
and used methods of publicity, moral intimidation and boycott against landlords
who broke the Land League code. I am proud to say that my own grandfather took
part in similar protests in East Galway. He was involved in a ‘Cattle
Driving’ campaign and was imprisoned in Galway Gaol, now the site of Galway
Cathedral for eleven weeks. (I will talk more about this when I reach, Galway
City). All these protests achieved a remarkable degree of success in the west
of Ireland. Parnell and Davitt often referred to the ‘Battle of Carraroe’
in their American campaigns. Thankfully by the 1920’s most of the tenant
farmers of Ireland had become owners of their farms. The landlord system, which
had dominated Ireland for centuries came to an end.
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| Along Gleann Mor road |
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| Oasis of greenery at Gleann Mor |
Anyway, back to today. I leave the
harbour and head inland but take a right turn along ‘An Glenn Mor’.
Unlike the rest of Carraroe (or anywhere else in south Connemara) this area is a
strange oasis of greenery with its trees, bushes and lush pastures. It has also
got the highest point in the peninsula, Barr an Doire (88 metres), which still
isn’t much of a hill.
At the harbour at Sruthan
I take a left turn back down to the main village. The Eurospar where I left my
car is now a hive of activity with a late morning buzz of shoppers. I sit on
the boot of my car, enjoying a Coffee and scone - feeling very satisfied with
myself.
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