Down by the Bay

"If we could make chains with the morning dew the world would be like Galway Bay" 

- John Lennon's the Luck of the Irish

We made our way over to Ireland's left coast, and one of the most placid and relaxing spots on the trip thus far - Galway Bay.  Located, appropriately, in County Galway, the bay is about 30 miles long, with the Aran Islands off to the west, and multiple other islands within the bay itself.  Our pitstop on this part of the trip landed us at the luxurious Galway Bay Hotel.

The hotel, located directly across the street from the ocean and its accompanying beaches, provided the setting for a nice, romantic late afternoon walk with my sweetie.

The oceanwalk provided a picturesque, flat and calming pathway to pass the time holding hands and asking strangers to take corresponding hug photos.

Up bright and early the next morning, the absolutely picture-perfect beach day provided us an oceanside morning run.  And for the second time on this trip, our running explorations brought us to memorials commemorating the famine in Ireland, the last memorial being in Dublin on the River Liffey.

This particular commemoration is the Mutton Light Famine Memorial, spotlighting the last lighthouse on their homeland Ireland seen by thousands of the refugees who fled the country through the Port of Galway during the Great Famine of 1847-1850.  This actually corresponds with the period of time when some of my ancestors made their way to America (more on that later)

Scott and I felt it would be appropriate to make our way out to the lighthouse, but alas, security fences being what they are, we weren't able to run to the base of this particular edifice.

HOWEVER, the same would not be said for just a bit later that morning when we made an inland trip to find one of Ireland's oldest standing lighthouses, the Ballycurrin Lighthouse.

Built in 1772, Ballycurrin Lighthouse is  on the eastern shore of Lough Corrib, at Ballycurrin Demesne, Headford. This unusual lighthouse lies just inside County Mayo on the Galway/Mayo border and is said to be the only known inland lighthouse of its type in Europe.

It has a modest height of approximately 22 feet and its upper section can be accessed via spiral metal and stone steps attached to the exterior. Due to years of neglect/disrepair, however, the staircase is no longer considered safe, so we were cautioned not to try to climb to the top.

Lighthouse-thwarted twice in one day for Scott and I!

The 252-year-old lighthouse has a mill stone for its roof and the uppermost section of the lighthouse would have been used to burn timber to create a beacon.

Records suggest it was built by a local landowner, Sir Henry Lynch, in 1772 who needed a marker to get his provisions off the Galway to Cong ferry to his home at Ballycurrin House, though some believe it was in fact built by his wife so that he could have a marker to make his way home after visiting the pubs in Galway & Cong!

This stop provided one of those moments you hear about from nearly every person who makes a trip to Ireland - the friendly, warm welcomes you get from the denizens of the Emerald Isle.

In this particular case, it was John, who invited us into his house so he could proudly show us what he considered to be the best view of Lough Corrib - the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland, and the second largest lake on the entire Emerald Isle.

John couldn't have been nicer, and was thrilled to tell us that the day before we arrived to the lighthouse alongside his lakefront home, the local council had voted to dedicate funding to the restoration of said lighthouse!  In fact, when we pulled up next to John's home, he thought we were members of the council coming to check out the beacon.

Alas, John, it was just four travelers from America.  But thank you for opening your doors and hospitality to us to show us how important it is to connect with and respect the locals who call Ireland home!  And yes, the view was spectacular!