WEST LIMERICK GROUP ON A TRIP TO MAYO

We had a full bus booked for our trip but unfortunately we had a few people who couldn’t travel owing to sickness, we remembered them each day when we said our few prayers to start off the journey. Kilcolgan was our first stop for breakfast once we had collected all our passengers at Croagh, the South Court Hotel and Ennis. Old friendships were reunited and new ones born. The sun shone brightly giving an added radiance to the magnificent scenery, both beauty and rugged complimenting each other. Croagh Patrick was splendid and everyone experienced the climb (in their minds). It was a beautiful clear day and we could see right to the top and the altar. The Connemara scenery was again beautiful and steeped in history, small stone sectioned fields that made it hard to comprehend how they were able to grow crops, ruins of cottages all from the famine era. Clifden, Recess and Inagh Valley were splendid. We returned to the Westport Woods to get changed for dinner and afterwards took to the dance floor. We had C.C. Cooper, a beautiful country and western singer, who won an All Ireland award to entertain us. The cameras were flashing and there were many photos captured by our boys!! Fast forward to our third day, we travelled to Cong where most of the ‘Quiet Man’ film was made and ‘remade’. We marched down the main street of Cong led by our Pipe Major Seamus Hunt and All Ireland Bodhrán player followed by the group. We sure turned some heads and brought people out onto the streets with cameras. We were then met by Micheal Collins who directed the cast of the ‘Quiet Man’. The talent of our cast will become very clear when you look at the photographs, we regret that we didn’t have a video camera, the whole ‘Quiet Man ‘ experience was priceless. On Wednesday we found ourselves at the Ceide Fields in North Mayo. Beneath the wild boglands of North Mayo lies the Ceide Fields, the most extensive stone-age monument in the world, field systems, dwelling areas and megalithic tombs of 5,000 years ago. In addition the wild flora of the bog is of international importance and is bounded by some of the most spectacular rock formations and cliffs in Ireland. We found the visual showing of the history and how the Foxford Mills were formed, very interesting and extremely well displayed. The West is looking very good, lots of new roads being built, we visited so many different places like Castlebar, Pontoon, Lough Conn, Ballina, Killala, Ballycastle, but to name a few. We went back again to our hotel and after dinner we had a great surprise as we were entertained by the one and only Trevor Moyles, a very talented performer. He was brilliant, his music and singing would make the lame get up and dance. The following day we had our Mystery Tour. After a full breakfast we boarded Brouder’s coach where our driver Joseph Enright revealed all by telling us that we were going to Achill Sound, Achill Island and Black Sod Bay where we took in the Atlantic View. We had beautiful sunshine on our journey and we saw the scenery at its very best, to say it was breathtaking wouldn’t be sufficient enough. Some of the other places that we visited were Ballintubber Abbey, a royal abbey founded by King Cathal Crouderg O’Connor, King of Connaught 1216. It is said to be the only Church in Ireland founded by an Irish King where for almost 800 years Mass has been offered without a break. Fr. Frank Fahey and guides Julie and Maeve took us on a tour outside to see where the notorious priest hunter Seán na Sagart is buried. Did you know that Pierce Brosnan was married here? Not forgetting to mention another great film ‘The Field’ which was filmed around Leenane. We visited Aasleagh Falls and Lough Inagh, one of the largest lakes, Erriff River and those who saw the film will recognise the significance of these locations. I have just given you a taste of what we experienced and saw and everyone was unanimous that it was a fantastic holiday. We will be going on a day trip on Sunday 17th June to West Cork, you are all welcome to come and join us and have the ‘craic’.