Sunday 27^th July             DRUMDONEY  -  DRUMCLIFFE  -  CREEVYKEEL  -  MULLAGHMORE 

                                                                 TULLAN STRAND  -  BELLEEK  -  SLIGO

Robyn writes:  We’ve had a big day today, but a very enjoyable one. We were all up by about 7 this morning, so once again we were out and about quite early in the day. Our first port of call was to be a prehistoric tomb, Creevykeel, in County Sligo. We were driving north up the N15 when we saw a sign for Yeats’ grave, so decided to go and have a look. WB Yeats was one of Ireland’s greatest poets, and he was buried in the churchyard there after WWII – he had actually died in France in 1939 and been buried there temporarily. It’s a very simple grave, as he had requested. We looked inside the church too, and it’s a very beautiful and unusual one. Instead of the usual stained glass windows, it has a huge feature wall of tiles.

                                                                          Yeats' Grave & church

Having ticked the ‘literature/culture’ box for the day, we continued on to Creevykeel. Jo’s cousin is married to a Creevey, and she’d told her about this, and given her some white ribbons to leave on the tree there. Dating back to the 3^rd millennium BC, it’s one of the best examples of a court cairn in Ireland. The burial chamber opens off the central court. This is one of the times a guide would have been excellent, as it’s hard to visualise what it would have been like originally! (5000 years is a long time.) Like a lot of ancient sites, the tradition has grown of a ‘rag tree’, where people tie ribbons or fabric strips onto a tree at the site to make a wish, so we tied our ribbons on.  

                                                 Benbulbin, hiding under a blanket of cloud

                                                                        Creevykeel

                                                              The rag tree

While we were at Creevykeel, we’d noticed a castle on the headland in the distance, so we headed in that direction. Investigations showed that it was Classiebawn Castle, and it’s not actually a castle; more of a Victorian gentleman’s country house. It was built in the 1860s by Lord Palmerston, one of Queen Victoria’s Prime Ministers. Through his family line, it was inherited by Lord Louis Mountbatten, and it was here in 1979 that he was assassinated by the IRA (sadly, also with his teenage grandson, another local lad and his daughter’s mother-in-law.) Not surprisingly, his daughter sold it soon after. It’s a stunning looking building, especially against the storm that was brewing in the Atlantic behind it.  

                                                                         Classiebawn Castle
 We continued on around the headland to some absolutely stunning scenery. The rain was coming down, the wind was howling, and it certainly was the Wild Atlantic Way! After that, we were glad to come to the little town of Mullaghmore, where Lord Palmerston also had the harbour built – an excellent gift for the town, as it’s huge and very sheltered. We were ready for a warm cuppa, and found it in the Pier Head Hotel. We were all wearing many layers against the cold and wind, while brave (crazy?) locals were swimming and jumping off the harbour wall! It was nice to sit in the warmth, eating our scones and watching the madness outside. After morning tea, and suitably rugged up again, we went for a walk right out on the harbour breakwater and watched the yachts sailing. (The rain had stopped by now, luckily.)

                                                           Wild Atlantic Way!

                                                           Mullaghmore harbour

                                                           Morning tea

                                                          The harbour

Our next destination around the bay was the Fairy Bridges and Wishing Chair on Tullan Strand. The Fairy Bridges are spectacular – natural stone arches with the waves pounding underneath. Lots of people were scrambling all over the place, but no-one slipped and fell, fortunately. There’s also a Wishing Chair, which apparently marks the grave of a local chieftain named O’Flaherty. Jo and I both sat in it, but we didn’t have any coins to leave as lots of others did! Following this, we walked along the strand for quite a way – I got thoroughly chilled and headed back to the car, but Lex and Jo were made of sterner stuff and went quite a way along the cliff walk. They arrived back just as the rain was sweeping over again.

                                                                  Fairy bridge

                                              Jo in the wishing chair (note the coins around her)

We were really ready for lunch by now, so drove the short distance to Belleek Pottery at Belleek. This business has been there since Victorian times, and is still going strong. The building is huge and beautiful. As it was a Sunday, tours weren’t available, but the café, museum and shop were open. We had nice sandwiches for lunch, and tea for 3 came in a huge Belleek teapot with matching cups, saucers etc. All very nice! We enjoyed looking around the museum and shop, and I did a bit of gift shopping there.

                                                    Lunch at Belleek Pottery

We came home via a shopping centre in Sligo, so Jo could get herself a new diary (she has written much over the last two weeks!)

                                              Benbulbin in the afternoon light

It was nearly 4 by the time we’d finished, so we were really happy to head for home for a cuppa and to put our feet up. Lex has gone off for a drive/walk to have a look at the nearby loch, while Jo and I have caught up on our diaries.                                                       

                                                         Lex and I at the Fairy Bridge, looking very windswept!