They say that Ballycastle is a good base for exploring The Burren, and they also say that the best way to explore the countryside is on foot. At breakfast this morning I was warned that I would have to negotiate Corkscrew Hill, and then told me I wouldn’t be able to cycle it. How right they were. I walked about 3km in total but it was worth it for the views from the top. See picture below, looking down on Ballyvaughan and across Galway Bay.
I’ve been tracking detritus that I’ve spotted strewn along the roadside since I started the trip, and as you can imagine hubcaps have featured prominently on the list. This morning I’ve seen so many of them on the roadside, more than all of the previous weeks put together; I think it proves my suspicion that the roads in Clare are by far the worst I’ve encountered.
Into Lisdoonvarna, where I have fond memories of a wet miserable weekend under canvas in 1980, Emmilou Harris, meeting Paddy Moloney in a gents in a hotel in Lahinch. Seems like I know more places in Clare than any of the other counties I’ve visited, but it maybe only familarity with Christy Moore songs. ‘Lios Duin Bhearna’ – the lios or enclosure of the fort in the gap. The town developed into a tourist centre in the middle of the 18th-century when a top Limerick surgeon discovered the beneficial effects of its mineral waters. People travelled from near and far to bathe in, and drink, the mineral waters. Rich in iron, sulphur and magnesium, the waters gave relief from the symptoms of certain diseases including rheumatism and glandular fever. The Spa Hotel was the centre around which the village developed. It was due to the popularity of these mineral springs and the huge amount of people going there that led to the Lisdoonvarna “matchmaking tradition”. September became the peak month of the holiday season and with the harvest safely in, bachelor farmers flocked to Lisdoonvarna in search of a wife. By the 1920s, matchmaking was still in vogue and people continued to come and “take the waters”, including many of Ireland’s clergy. It was around this time that one of Lisdoonvarna’s most famous sayings was coined, describing the town as a place “where parish priests pretend to be sober and bank clerks pretend to be drunk.
I’m in Ennistymon now for apple pie/coffee – An Teach Bia, not great. I seem to remember Chris been engaged to a butchers daughter here at one time, don’t recall the name, otherwise could call in and she how’s she’s doing. First person I met when I got off my bike told me to be careful of my stuff, it wasn’t safe; seems strange in a small country town. Ennistymon has two claims to fame, it’s shopfronts, see photo below, and an 18th century poet, Brian Merriman, who wrote a particularly bawdy 1200 line poem The Midnight Court. It’s been a pleasant morning, the sun struggling to shine through the clouds and little enough wind. The cycling has been easy, and my aches and blisters have not been troubling me.
One Man And A Bicycle 
Graham, Karen, Alannah, Keelan & Boo said
My God Kieran you must be taking speed … either that or your hitching with some tall dark handsome stranger!! You are really getting around and it sounds like we are all missing out on a good time (all except the cycling that is, of course). Its hard to believe you’ve travelled so far and are now talking of home, are you sure you don’t want to stay on the road? (no offence to you Gillian and Sarah – i’m sure you’ll be only too happy to see him home).
Think of all that lovely fresh air brushing through your hair (or helmet), the wonderful pies etc. you’ve tasted on the road, the exhilaration of rushing down all those hills with your feet stretched out in front of you and screeching like a child with pure enjoyment, the travelers you have met along the way (and all those ladies who’ve given you b&b). But then again, the bliss of getting into your own bed with your own duvet and pillows, your coffee machines, the ability to go for a nap at 2 in the afternoon, the girls of course, your car … the list is endless.
BTW let me know when Granny Margaret’s apple pie is ready – we don’t want you having to worry about the calories it contains if you were to eat it all by yourself. I’ll bring the cream!
K
FrankO said
Hi Kieran I was in Ennistymon myself last weekend visiting AliG for a weekends golf in Lahinch. You seem to be making fantastic progress, are you going thru Limerick or across the Tarbert ferry?
Regards
FrankO
Deb said
I happened upon your blog while surfing … I was also at the soggy Lisdoonvarna Festival 1980. I spent 9 weeks cycling around Ireland on my own that summer.
A great way to see a country.
Hope you enjoyed your trip as much as I did mine.
Deb from Vancouver, Canada