Europe 2014: Galway, Kylemore Abbey, Sligo (Ireland)

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Galway, Kylemore Abbey & Sligo 9th-16th August 2014
Photos below
Half hour south of Galway is the tiny town of Clarinbridge 'The Home of the Oyster'. That didn't sound like a town we could pass through without stopping so we found ourselves at Paddy Burkes for a light lunch of freshly prepared oysters. On arrival to Galway we were surprised how small it felt. It was really easy to explore on foot and the Latin Quarter was especially lively. And so many young people everywhere! We enjoyed some on-street dining in the Latin Quarter watching buskers and a constant stream of passing foot traffic. On Sunday night we found a great little tapas bar in Salt Hill (Black Cat) with live jazz and followed that up with more live music at O'Connors Pub. So all in all a relaxing and musical time enjoyed in Galway. To Clifden for the night, we took the longer scenic route through Roundstone and Ballyconneely. We were expecting the roads to be a little worse, a little narrower after all the warnings of driving slowly but they have been fine, good really. We have no need to be driving fast in this scenic corner of the world!

Kylemore Abbey provided a wonderful stop for a couple of hours the next day on the way to Westport. The estate is set on 1,000 acres and as well as the beautifully designed Abbey and Church set on the lake, has a Victorian Walled Garden encompassing six acres. In its heyday the walled garden contained 21 heated-by-boilers glasshouses along with the extensive, and currently maintained, vegetable, fruit and flower gardens. There are two cottages in the gardens, one was for the Head Gardener, apparently a highly prestigious role that needed an upmarket cottage to attract and keep the right person, and another cottage called a Bothy for the workers to share. It is all connected by walking trails and visitors can if they want make a full day of it by bringing their own picnic (if you don't want to eat in their cafe). We were really lucky with the weather with it mostly being clear the times we were outdoors. All in all, we can't believe how often it has rained, all the time, often out of the blue, but rarely a heavy downpour, just a drizzle that passes and then comes back later.

Oh and the Abbey itself has quite an interesting history. It is now (and since 1920) run by an order of Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in WW1 and prior to that the owners that had it built and the owner that later acquired and lost it couldn't have had more contradictory 'love' stories. In the first instance, Mitchell Henry and his bride Margaret fell in love with the Connemara area whilst on honeymoon and Mr Henry purchased 15,000 acres as a romantic gift for his bride and went about creating her a castle. They had nine children and by all accounts were deeply in love, preferring each others company to that of high society. They were also greatly loved by the community and the 125 tenants on his estate whose lot they spent a good deal of time and money improving (they were responsible for building a school for the tenants children, a village pump, post office, creating employment and reducing rents of the tenants amongst other acts of philanthropy). At 45 years of age whilst on family holiday in Egypt, Margaret Henry took ill of dysentery and died 16 days later. Mitchell Henry had her body brought back to Kylemore and laid to rest in the mausoleum built in the gardens. He then ordered the construction, by the same architect, of a Church next to the mausoleum, to be built as a mini replica of their grand Abbey as a lasting memorial to her. It is a beautiful gothic church with fine stained glass windows. The next owner of Kylemore was not so 'romantic' in his handling of the estate. The Duke of Manchester, who had a taste for the highlife and gambling, was bankrupt at just 23 years old. To solve his financial difficulties he married a wealthy American heiress, whose father bankrolled the purchase of Kylemore for them. The heiress, now a Duchess due to marriage (he got her wealth, she got his title) spent another small fortune altering and modernising the interior of the castle to her tastes. She didn't get to live out her days on the estate either though, soon after her fathers death, with the ownership deeds now held by the Duke, the castle changed hands - lost in a bet at a high stakes game of cards.....

After two nights in Westport, it was an easy drive to Clifden for an overnight stop, we don't like to drive too far in a day :) The B&B operator in Westport recommended we stop at the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar on the way and we are certainly glad he did. It was just off the highway and free admission as a National Museum, and what a lovely museum it was! Showcasing the rural life and history of ordinary, hardworking folk, it was an interesting little stop. The following day there is another pleasant drive following the coast north to Sligo for a two night stop. We didn't know it when we booked, but the Fleagh Festival was being held in Sligo this year, Ireland's biggest traditional music festival, and the town was packed and pumping.

On Sunday 17th, a visit to W.B. Yeats grave in Drumcliff and a drive north toward Derry ends our time in the Republic of Ireland but marks the beginning of one week in Northern Ireland.

Galway - O'Connors pub - note the Singer Sewing Machine Table

Great pianist & guitarist

So many bits & pieces

Seems about right

Galway City

Busking family in Galway we had dinner in a pub right opposite and they were very talented

Joyce's shop is on it's 3rd generation at Recess

Not just cats eyes on the road

Film crew at Ballyconneely

Photo for our niece Aisling - Aisling B&B in Clifden

Good idea put candles in wood heater

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey gardens

Kylemore Abbey gardens - 6 acres inside walls - Pears against the warm walls

Kylemore Abbey gardens - there was 22 glasshouses - this one has been refurbished

Kylemore Abbey church

Stained glass window of the 5 virtues - Fortitude, Faith, Charity, Hope & Chastity

Another town - another bridge with magnificent flowers

Museum of Country Life - Castlebar

Museum of Country Life - hen nest - hens were always kept in the house

All post boxes were re-painted green from English red after independence

Man trap - to protect their land from trespassers

Cray Pots and baskets

Thatched roofing

Full saddle and harness for a horse

The Blacksmith

Pack horse harness

Museum of Country Life - conservatory

Museum of Country Life - great door from the library

Museum of Country Life - gardens

W. B. Yeats grave in Drumcliff, county Sligo

Sculpture near Yeats grave

Still beachgoers even when cold and windy - especially parasurfing

Waiting for fishermen to come home

The Fleadh runs for a week and attracts 300,000 people. It is a celebration of traditional Irish music. It is held in a different Irish town each year - this year at Sligo.