Our Big Adventure

GALWAY TO SLIGO

After 2 nights in Galway we are ready to continue our trek north. We leave County Galway and head north west into County Mayo, and William Butler Yeats country. It is said the heather clad moors and rocky hillocks gave Yeats inspiration for many of his poems and plays. This area was also one of the worst hit during the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849. Masses of people either starved or took off on sailing ships to the west, the United States, never to return. Deserted farms and villages lay scattered throughout this region. Many homes are still heated with peat, dug from the boggy ground. You always know who has the fire on here, the sweet smell of the burning peat is un-mistakeable. We stay the night in Westport, probably one of the prettiest towns we have seen in Ireland, in an old convent, now converted into a hostel. It’s basic but clean and we do have use of a kitchen, a bonus these days believe it or not so off to the market we go. I cook a baked dinner and we catch up on the laundry, so we have clean undies and socks and as a bonus, cold meat leftovers for the next day. Had a chance to have a look around the shops and check out the latest fashion here in shoes, you can see them in the pics above.

posted by Brian and Julie @ 8:18:00 PM