The West of Ireland and its Hidden Treasures
In the picturesque and student city of Galway , the tourists who, every weekend, storm the pubs that fill the streets of the Latin Quarter . Now they are replaced by two classic guests from the Irish West Coast: the rain and the icy wind that blows from the sea.
However, the threatening sound of both is drowned out by the crackling of the fire and the first chords of the violin of Connor , which, a few seconds later, is accompanied by Eoin's guitar.
Although the tone of his song seems happy, in reality the lyrics narrate the suffering of so many Irish families in the Great Famine that devastated the country between 1845 and 1852 , leaving a million dead and forcing many others to emigrate. It was one of the great misfortunes that forged the brave character of the Irish.
Kinsale
dark is the tale , as is the thick liquid that Patrick pours from the single large tap that presides over the hardwood bar. As you sip that pint of Guinness, Patrick will tell you, both in words and in his deep oceanic gaze, that the path that awaits you will not only take you along one of the best scenic routes in the world , but it will also take you into the heart of a Magic Island . A Emerald island whose power is to dye your traveler's heart green.
the irish Atlantic Coastal Route , more than 2,500 km of marked roads , stretches across 9 counties on the island. From the small coastal town of **Kinsale (Cork) ** to the northern county of Donegal , in which Celtic roots run deep into a land of dramatic landscapes. More of 50 blue flag beaches, 20 long-distance trails and 500 events and festivals that allow you to soak up the Irish culture.
Although in the southern half of the Atlantic Coastal Route you will find jewels such as the island of Skellig , the peninsula of dingle or acquaintances Cliffs of Moher , Patrick will advise you to know the north.
While, in the background, Eoin's scratchy voice sings 'Black is the Color ', by Christy Moore, one of the greatest of Irish folk music.
Wild Atlantic Way through Donegal
Patrick will then tell you about the strange forms, sculpted by the Atlantic wind, of the bushes of the connemara national park . Shrubs that cover irregular land, dotted with lakes and small mountains that strive to get the best views of the area.
Some of the megalithic tombs in the park are more than four thousand years old and “only” a century and a half the walls of the Kylemore Abbey , which used to be a castle and whose reflection in the small lake in front of it is one of the most recognizable images of the Atlantic Coastal Route.
A little further north, the stretch of 550 km of route that crosses the county of Mayo.
Ireland comes to your heart
Mayo is Ireland's third largest county, but the second least populous. The result of this combination is a land in which Mother Nature unfolds all her powers to show you how beautiful her work can be.
The first test you will find is the Killary Harbor Glacier Fjord , one of three natural fjords in Ireland. The place is perfect to leave the car aside and explore it by boat, bicycle or on foot.
A little further north, the long lonely beaches of Doovilra, White Strand, Carrowmore, Bunlough Strand and Carrownisky Strand They are perfect for taking a walk, a swim – only suitable for the brave – or simply contemplating a horizon that sometimes appears dotted with islands.
Killary Harbor
One of these islands is Claire . The largest of the 365 islets that dot Clew Bay was, in the mid-16th century, the residence of the Pirate Queen Grace O'Malley.
Patrick will tell you that her cousin, her James, runs a bar on that island and portraits of the redhead hang on its walls. pirate queen , the same one that dominated the seas of Ireland and whose exploits are still told in the 21st century, both in books and in plays.
Clare Island panorama
On Clare Island you can still visit the old O'Malley's castle , but nothing better than chatting with some of its 150 inhabitants to learn a little more about the Ireland that exists beyond the photographs.
Back on the mainland, the time will come to rent a bicycle at Westport and tour the 26 miles from the Great Western Greenway , the best in Ireland. The views from the walk to the eastern end of Achill Island (Ireland's largest) are unbeatable, including the point where they commemorate the place where they sank five ships of the Invincible Armada, in 1588.
Great Western Greenway
Some sailors were saved from the disaster and ended up reaching land. The same image would be repeated in front of the donegal shores and it is for this reason that an unusual percentage of Irish people from the North West are dark haired with brown eyes. They are the descendants of those Spanish soldiers and sailors who failed in the greatest military enterprise of Imperial Spain.
And it is that the ocean is inclement here . It constantly and mercilessly hits the rock walls of the cliffs, as if so much beauty bothered it and wanted to destroy it forever. But not even the god Neptune himself could destroy the haughty and proud cliffs of Slieve League , which rise 600 meters above the sea, being one of the highest in Europe.
A path allows you to walk along its cornice, finding old lighthouses and houses where one dreams of staying forever to contemplate the sea. Others, instead of contemplating it, prefer to dominate it and that is why they stop at the beaches of Easkey, Strandhill - both in Sligo - or **Mullaghmore (Donegal)** and break out their surfboards to ride some of the best waves in Europe.
Slieve League Cliffs
If you have a little more time, Donegal is the best Irish county to learn Gaelic. In the more celtic ireland , time seems to have stopped and traditions continue to be part of the daily life of its inhabitants.
In order to absorb them to the fullest, Patrick will advise you to visit Donegal during the celebration of the earagail festival , which this year will take place between July 10 and 28.
The music of harps, flutes, bagpipes, violins and bodhrans (typical Irish frame drum) will join traditional Irish dances and legends and mythological tales, told by the light of a campfire. Ireland comes to your heart.
Malin Head
Feelings will also surface when you peek into the Malin Cape cliffs (Malin Head). Ireland's northernmost point is on the Inishowen Peninsula and marks the beginning – or the end, depending on which direction you choose – of the Atlantic Coastal Route.
A tall stone tower - built by the English in the early 19th century for fear of an invasion by Napoleonic France - braves the wind along the precipice. Precisely, the wind helps to fly the hundreds of birds that nest on the limestone walls.
Down there, sunken in the depths of the ocean, lie more remains of German submarines and ocean liners than anywhere else in the world. History, life and impressive landscapes in a single glance. A perfect reflection of what Ireland is.
A sharp blow on the bar brings you out of your reverie. Patrick has just poured you another pint of Guinness, although you don't remember asking for it. The music of violins and guitar has been replaced by that of a harp played by the skillful and sweet fingers of a beautiful dark-haired woman . She doesn't look Irish, but she might as well descend from those Spanish sailors Patrick told you about.
Malin Head
His music smells like the sea... Green valleys populated by forests, lakes, bushes, ancient ancient ruins and family farms... To mountains of windswept tops , islands that hide Myths and legends , and infinite and lonely beaches that wait for you to be shipwrecked in them so that you can keep them company.
You take a sip of your Guinness and think only of embarking on your journey along that Wild Atlantic Way that seems to have been created by fairies and leprechauns for the enjoyment of mortals . Your heart jumps euphorically in your chest and doesn't stop pumping blood... A green blood, like that of Ireland.
_ *Enjoy here a complete photo gallery of The Irish Wild West, stop by stop _