Connemara and Tully Mountain

Arrival at Tully Mountain

We leave the shores of Lough Corrib heading west towards Connemara, a mountainous bog area dotted with small but charming sights. The weather is cloudy, with thick fog reaching across the lake, while the sea remains calm and the clear sky is not as forecast. Our first stop is Roundstone, where there are no signs of life, confirming the early habits of Irish people on vacation, and even more so for foreign visitors. Despite being 10 am, we see people having breakfast in the hotel restaurants. One possible reason could be that the weather, unlike our region, seems to be better in the afternoon than in the morning; or perhaps it's just a matter of being sarcastic. A harbor... crabs' cages waiting to be cast back into the sea in search of prey and little else, the village offers, certainly less than we had expected, as described by the guide. The Dogs Bay At Doonloughhan, it could be a great beach if viewed with sufficient sunshine, with a white-colored shore surrounded by smooth rocks; the first bathers arrive, with at least robust physiques, which is useful for diving into the cold Atlantic waters, while children find easy entertainment playing in the sand; the ocean water here has a literally tropical color, transparent and lapis lazuli. A nice walk along the shoreline helps to refresh both body and mind, happily relieved from days when the sights to see far exceeded the available time. Sky Road It must be beautiful, but it needs the sun to illuminate it, and even more so, the splendid coastline that looks like a lace created by nature itself. It's true that it's not raining, but the clouds don't do justice to what you see. Let's wait a few minutes, hoping for the typical Irish weather, when a ray of sunshine might illuminate the scene, but it's not today. There are more low-lying fogs than clouds; they could clear up with just a gust of wind. The splendid Anchor Bay... where there is indeed an anchor, and it doesn't take a toponymy expert to understand the origin of the name, has been chosen as the ideal spot for lunch. The whole thing in a suggestive setting with bright colors despite the lack of sunlight. Let's take a walk nearby, where there is an abandoned lobster factory, but all the infrastructure remains, allowing us to see the industrial processes.

Omey Island and Kylemore Abbey

An experience we hadn't yet had the chance to live was walking across a narrow stretch of sea that connects the mainland (although it's quite unusual for Ireland) with a smaller island, the Omey Island Of course, there's a trick to this, and it involves the tide. When it recedes, it leaves behind a hard, sandy seabed that can even be traversed with motorized vehicles. However, you need to be careful not to get fooled and know the phases of ebb and flow: when the water is low, we reach almost the mooring point on the island and return to park on the "seabed" because there's no parking available in the higher area, starting to explore this particular site on foot. We return knowing that the tide is visibly rising, retrieve our vehicle, and head back safely. After completing all these operations, the island has returned to its normal state, with the two parts of the sea reunited, and it won't be possible to cross again for a few hours. It's worth noting the road signs indicating the direction, which must take on their own peculiarity when the isthmus is submerged. Kylemore Abbey We decided not to spend the €15 required even just for a walk from the abbey to the gardens, limiting ourselves to taking some photos of the exterior. It's amazing how these historical and cultural sites are organized to be attractive both commercially and to all kinds of audiences: everywhere you find services, shops, bars/restaurants, visitor centers, in a style that we have often only seen in North America. In fact, the average audience is made up of families with numerous children and elderly couples, generally characterized by obesity. If we compare this to Scotland, we get the impression that the Irish are significantly larger (or wear bigger pants), which seems to be due to poorer diets, both in terms of quality and frequency of meals.

Excursion to Tully Mountain

At this point, the joker is drawn and ends up in our hands. Now it's time to play it: the sky promises occasional breaks, so we drive a few kilometers backwards, stopping at the starting point for the ascent to... Tully Mountain, found thanks to the help of a friendly farmer who grazes his flock between the sea and the mountains, who provides us with information and recommendations. There is no path but the top is quite obvious, just after the prominent ridge. The problem arises if we are caught in fog: we insert the GPS track into our smartwatch and start climbing haphazardly through the heather and rocks that occasionally require us to navigate around them, avoiding frequent puddles of water on the grass. We easily overcome the 400 meters of altitude gain in just over half an hour and a magical setting. On both sides of the promontory, green meadows descend to dive into the sea A rugged sea, dotted with islands and salmon farms. The view is so beautiful, fleeting and sudden, that it leaves us speechless, especially because of its elusive nature. At any moment, the scenery can disappear again, and this will happen shortly after the beginning of the descent, fortunately only in the upper part, so that we can reach the starting point without any problems. At the foot of the mountain is a small village, orderly, with colorful and well-maintained second homes, near the small farms where animals graze peacefully by the sea.

Mayo County

MAYO COUNTY

Evening in Tully Mountain

By 5:30 PM, it's time to head to the B&B for the night, passing through the Doo Lough Pass, a place of tragic memory due to the massacre that occurred during the desperate flight in search of food during the famine of 1849. Apart from a stone cross and the commemorative plaque, there is nothing that recalls those moments, but it is not difficult to imagine the suffering of hundreds of people who returned from the journey of despair, made even more desperate by not finding food and literally dying of hunger, cold and exhaustion, abandoned on the road by others who barely managed to stand. Now this is history, and we can only think about what happened due to the potato blight that had destroyed the harvests in previous years.

Since the B&B is still quite far away, it's best to have dinner at a local pub. Newport and continue to the charming Massbrook, which we reach at 8:30 PM, where a small house is waiting for us. lake view and two enthusiastic owners who designed and built it about a year and a half ago, and now welcome guests, in addition to having a small herd of 13 cows and a bull, mainly kept as a hobby. The wonderful location The property, elevated above the lake, offers a spectacular view of the lake itself as well as the high (for Ireland) mountains on the opposite side. We also spend a long time talking and receive useful information for tomorrow. We are told how peat is extracted in the area, now using mechanical systems but which was previously done manually using shovels. They complain that keeping livestock has become much more difficult because the same administrative formalities apply regardless of the number of animals, making the "hobby" much less enjoyable. He is an engineer and designed the spaces with taste and practicality, equipping the house with large windows due to the frequent bad weather. Talking to the Irish people is always pleasant, both in their manners and in their topics; the only drawback is the accent, which makes it difficult to understand their English. Like other locals we have had the pleasure of talking to, they too are from Italy and have also visited the south, being impressed by it. Beyond the beautiful landscapes and the friendliness found in southern Italy, it's not surprising that they prefer the Mediterranean, given the grey climate that characterizes their country. Two Spanish girls are also staying at the B&B; they are on a trip in reverse compared to ours and are therefore descending from Northern Ireland. Despite the obligation to take tests, they claim to have done nothing and not been stopped; after brief consideration, we believe it's best not to risk it, especially since we would still have to admit on the online form before returning that we were in the United Kingdom, which would cost us 5 days of quarantine. Having almost two more weeks of vacation remaining, we think it's better not to take the risk and also not to spend a week in house arrest.

Each county has a strong sense of pride, with flags and banners displayed everywhere, especially those related to sporting events like hurling and Gaelic football (a kind of rugby with gentler rules). It's surprising how a country of such small size has two unique sports that are so popular, even surpassing other well-known global sports where Ireland excels, such as rugby. The same applies to the banners promoting participation in the recent Tokyo Olympics, and even more so for those who brought home a medal.