Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [355]
The largest island on Lough Corrib, Inchagoill is a lonely place hiding many ancient remains. Most fascinating is an obelisk called Lia Luguaedon Mac Menueh (Stone of Luguaedon, Son of Menueh), which marks a burial site. It stands about 75cm tall, near the Saints’ Church, and some people claim that the Latin writing on the stone is the second-oldest Christian inscription in Europe, after those in the catacombs in Rome. Teampall Phádraig (St Patrick’s Church) is a small oratory of a very early design, with some later additions. The prettiest church is the Romanesque Teampall na Naoimh (Saints’ Church), probably built in the 9th or 10th century. There are carvings around the arched doorway.
Inchagoill can be reached by boat from Oughterard (or Cong in County Mayo). Corrib Cruises ( 092-46029; www.corribcruises.com) sail from Oughterard to Inchagoill (adult/child €15/7) and on to Cong (€22/10). Departures are two or three times daily May to October.
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LOUGH INAGH VALLEY
Magnificent desolation. If Buzz Aldrin hadn’t said it on the moon, we’d say it here. Okay, we will anyway. This stark brown landscape beguiles by its very simplicity. Cloud shadows throw patterns on the jutting peaks; pause and let the ceaseless winds tousle your hair.
The R344 enters the valley from the south, just west of playfully named Recess. The moody waters of Loughs Derryclare and Inagh reflect the colours of the moment. On the western side is the brooding Twelve Bens mountain range. At the north end of the valley, the R344 meets the N59, which loops around Connemara to Leenane.
Towards the northern end of the valley, a track leads west off the road up a blind valley, which is well worth exploring.
About 6km from where the R344 enters the valley stands the spotless Ben Lettery Hostel ( 091-51136; www.anoige.ie/hostels/ben-lettery; Ballinafad; dm €15-20; Mar-Nov). On the main Clifden road, in the heart of the Connemara wilderness, it has a tidy, homey kitchen and living room, and is an excellent base for exploring the Twelve Bens and Lough Inagh Valley. The hostel is 13km east of Clifden. Citylink buses will stop here if you arrange it with the driver, but note that it’s only possible to check in between 5pm and 10pm.
Steeped in Victorian grandeur, the atmospheric Lough Inagh Lodge ( 091-34706; www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie; s €104-138, d €168-240, dinner €43; ) is midway up the gorgeous Lough Inagh Valley off the R344. Set against a hill, it has a plum position on the water. Turf fires lend the cosy public spaces a scent that says ‘country’. You start breathing deeply from the time you enter one of the 13 rooms.
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ROUNDSTONE
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Clustered around a boat-filled harbour, Roundstone (Cloch na Rón) is one of Connemara’s gems. Colourful terrace houses and inviting pubs overlook the dark recess of Bertraghboy Bay, which is home to lobster trawlers and traditional currachs with tarred canvas bottoms stretched over wicker frames.
Sights & Activities
Wander the short promenade for views over the water to ribbons of eroded land.
Just south of the village, in the remains of an old Franciscan monastery, is Malachy Kearns’ Roundstone Musical Instruments ( 091-35808; www.bodhran.com; Michael Killeen Park; 9am-7pm Jul-Sep, 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat Oct-Jun). Kearns is Ireland’s only full-time maker of traditional bodhráns. Watch him work and buy a tin whistle, harp or booklet filled with Irish ballads; there’s also a small free