Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [270]
Spillane’s ( 066-713 9125; Fahamore; bar meals €6-25, mains €10-25; 1-9pm Jun-Aug, 4-9pm Apr, May, Sep & Oct, 6-9pm Nov-Mar) Outside tables overlook the beach, bay and mountains; inside, the usual bar-propping Guinness-swillers look on as feral children tear past waitresses serving pub stalwarts. In summer you’ll need to act like a kid to be heard.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
This is driving country. Buses are weekly at best.
Cloghane & Around
pop 280
Cloghane (An Clochán) is another little piece of beauty tucked away on the Dingle Peninsula. The village’s friendly pubs and accommodation nestle between Mt Brandon and Brandon Bay, with views across the water to the Stradbally Mountains. If you don’t fancy scaling Mt Brandon, there are plenty of coastal strolls.
On the last weekend in July, Cloghane celebrates the ancient Celtic harvest festival Lughnasa with events – especially bonfires – both in the village and atop Mt Brandon. In late August, the Brandon Regatta is a race in traditional currach canoes.
The 5km drive out to Brandon’s Point from Cloghane follows ever-narrower single-track roads, culminating in cliffs with fantastic views north and east. Sheep wander the constantly eroding rocks oblivious to their tenuous positions.
You can get tourist info in Cloghane from the shop and post office near the hostel and pub. Pick up copies of the local walking and hiking guides from the shop or your accommodation.
The vacuum-silent St Brendan’s Church has a stained-glass window showing the Gallarus Oratory and Ardfert Cathedral.
SLEEPING & EATING
Mount Brandon Hostel ( 066-713 8299; www.mountbrandonhostel.com; dm/s/tw €20/30/50; Mar-Jan; ) A small, simple hostel with scrubbed wooden floors and furniture, and a patio overlooking the bay. Treatments such as shiatsu massage are available.
Mullally’s ( 066-713 8154; mullallysbar@eircom.net; s/d from €35/70) A big old place where the turf fires in the pub never seem to go out, Mullally’s has basic B&B rooms in addition to a decent kitchen that turns out the kind of meaty, hearty fare that keeps hikers hiking.
O’Connors ( 066-713 8113; www.cloghane.com; s from €50, d €70-90; ) Book ahead to bag a room or a table in this welcoming village pub, which serves evening meals (€14 to €18) made with local produce, ranging from salmon to steak, between 7pm and 9.30pm. Landlord Michael is a fount of local information and can also explain why there’s an airplane engine out front.
Crutch’s Hillville House Hotel ( 066-713 8118; Connor Pass Rd, Kilcummin; s/d from €60/100) Built in 1833 by alcoholic aristocracy and later tinkered with by a retired army captain who used railway tracks for beams, this blue-and-white, creeper-covered hotel is a surviving bastion of upper-crust eccentricity. The style here is unique, perfect if perfection is irritating. A much-loved breakfast is included in the room rate; dinner (mains €17 to €23) is available in the restaurant overlooking the sycamore-ringed lawn.
* * *
WALK: MT BRANDON
At 951m, Mt Brandon (Cnoc Bhréannain) is Ireland’s eighth-highest peak. It’s made up of a beautiful series of high summits that lie along the edge of a spectacular series of east-facing cliffs and steep ridges above a rocky, lake-filled valley. An ascent of the mountain is a serious all-day trip. You should be well equipped with weatherproof clothing and mountain boots, even in summer. Above all you should be experienced in the use of a map (Ordnance Survey Map No 70) and compass because thick mist can develop quickly, as can wind and rain. Allow at least six to seven hours return.
A popular route from the west is the Saint’s Rd, which starts at Kilmalkedar Church. To avoid 274m-high Reenconnell, start the trail at the large Mt Brandon car park, signposted from the Dingle–Feohanagh road. It’s a straightforward 6km slog there and back, well marked with 14 crosses interspersed with white markers, and takes five hours return.
The classic way up Mt Brandon starts from Faha (OS reference 493120) above Cloghane. (You can drive there. If