Thursday 5 November 2009

County Mayo - or, where I went during my blog break

For an utterly obsessive planner of trips, this was all a bit last minute, or rather, last second. Zero and I booked the flights a mere nine days ahead, and the B+B just four days ahead. Stansted to Ireland West-Knock, and then a hire car. We stayed in Newport. It was a little wet, or, if I am completely honest, absolutely saturatingly wet.

First call on arrival was Knock - the village, not the shrine - with the purpose of breakfast. After meandering round the countryside - my map reading, Zero's driving, we weren't lost, we just couldn't find where we were looking for - we had a walk in the grounds of Westport House.

These are two views of Newport - looking down stream from the road bridge (our B+B is among the houses on the right) and looking up stream (the railway no longer runs across the bridge, the Church is dedicated to ... you guessed, St Patrick). Pub where we had our evening meals is behind you as you look at these pictures.



The next morning, from my bedroom window:



Walking looked off for the day, so Zero drove us down to Linane, where it was still raining. It was possible to, quite literally, see the water pouring off the hill sides as we drove towards Linane.





After a coffee break, our next destination was a town called Cong, where a film called "The Quiet Man" was filmed. Or, so a conversation with a couple of local residents revealed, one scene was filmed. Other scenes were filmed at a cottage in or near Cross, a nearby village - cottage now no longer surviving. Never mind, Cong still lives on the glory of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. By now, the rain had stopped and off we went walking in the grounds of Ashford Castle and in the woods near Cong.



[Zero's nostalgia, having had her photo taken at this point in her youth]



The next morning from my bedroom window:



But it did brighten up enough by the time we had finished our breakfast (10 am - ish) for us to get out on a walk.



The three walks at Derradda are only 5 minutes drive from Newport; we did the green one - not because it was the "easy" one, but because it was the only one that didn't involve walking along the main road for a stretch. After negotiating a flock of sheep coming the other way as we started (we were, I think, less of a problem than the two dogs who had come out of nearby garden to greet us), we ended up with one of the dogs as a companion for the walk.


Setting off ...

Windswept ...


Cutting peat ...

Our companion, and the views southwards ...


Back to the hillside to the north ...


Feeding the dog at the end of the walk ...

From here we drove on to Achill, and Achill Sound. From this point - no photos, but we both saw him more than once - we spent about an hour watching a seal. Apparently there is an island full of seals out in Clew Bay, and they come up into the rivers in the area following the salmon on their way to spawning grounds.



Sunday was Knock, for Mass. Now, the day before had been all excitement at Knock (the content of this report is not quite as cynical as the headline), but the Sunday was quite calm. Mass struck me as expressing Irish Catholicism at its best - a very strong devotion on the part of the faithful - and at its worst - a complete lack of any real sense on the part of the clergy that this was Liturgy and was due some objective sense of honour. I am now reading a book about the apparition there.



The representation of the apparition in the statues at the place at which they occurred suggests a tremendous theological richness - the Lamb on the altar, surrounded by the adoring angels speaks of a Liturgy that is essentially an event of Heaven before it becomes an event of Earth in the celebration of the Church. St Joseph and St John the Evangelist accompany the person of the Virgin Mary, whose hands are held in an attitude of prayer.

And, finally, Zero squeezing everything into one bag at the airport ...


6 comments:

Father John Boyle said...

This post has made me nostalgic too - father came from a few miles away from Knock. Weather best described as 'soft' I think. You didn't do Croagh Patrick?

Joe said...

Father John:

We looked at Croagh Patrick from Westport. And again through the pouring rain driving down to Linnane .... And we could just glimpse it across Clew Bay from our walk. And Zero talked about doing it in bare feet ...

Doesn't count, I suppose ...

Anonymous said...

Yes, Fr John I did suggest that we climb Croagh Patrick-even in shoes but Joe looked at me as if I was joking!

Anonymous said...

Zero looks like she was praying for a safe flight rather than packing a bag!

Joe said...

Zero: half the time we were in Mayo it was just not possible to see the top of Croagh Patrick for the cloud and rain ... My risk assessment had an obvious control measure at the end of it ... don't do it!

Anonymous said...

zero replies
What risk assessments did the faithful of long ago make?!