Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [369]
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann ( 096-71800; www.buseireann.ie) has regular services from Galway (one way/return €10.30/14) and Westport (€11.40/15.20). The bus stops in front of the Quiet Man Coffee Shop on Main St (Map).
If you’re driving or cycling further into County Mayo, skip the main N84 to Castlebar and head west to Leenane (also spelt Leenaun) then north to Westport via Delphi through the extraordinary Doolough Valley (Click here).
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AROUND CONG
Caves
The Cong area is honeycombed with 10 limestone caves, each with a colourful legend or story to its credit.
One of the best is Pigeon Hole (Map), in pine forest about 1.5km west of Cong. It can be reached by road or by the walking track from across the river. Steep, slippery stone steps lead down into the cave, where subterranean water flows in winter. Keep an eye out for the white trout of Cong – a mythical woman who turned into a fish to be with her drowned lover.
Just west of the village is the water-filled Captain Webb’s Hole (Map). Two centuries ago, a local villain nicknamed Captain Webb for the deformity of his hands and feet, is said to have lured a succession of 12 women here, stripped them and hurled them into the hole’s soggy depths to die. His would-be 13th victim however was a canny lass. She asked Webb to look away as she undressed, then promptly pushed him to his own watery grave.
Circles & Graves
Weathering the elements since the Early Bronze Age, the Cong Stone Circle (Map) sticks up from a field about 1.5km northeast of Cong, with a further three stone circles directly behind. About 3.5km east of Cong, north off the Cross road (R346), is the overgrown Ballymacgibbon Cairn (Map), supposedly the site of the legendary Celtic Battle of Moytura.
Neale
Turning off at the northern end of the village of Neale, 6km northeast of Cong, you’ll find the Gods of the Neale (Map) stone 200m east of the main road, through an unsigned gateway on the left. This mysterious slab, which is dated 1757, is carved with figures of a human, an animal and a reptile.
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DOOLOUGH VALLEY & AROUND
One of Ireland’s most poignant drives is through the pristine, desolate Doolough Valley along the R335 scenic route from Leenane (County Galway) to Westport. It was the site of a tragic Famine walk, which took place in 1849. In icy weather, 400 hundred people died along the road as they walked from Louisburgh to Delphi and back. They’d hoped to receive food and aid from a landlord, but were refused.
Most of the valley is untouched by housing, cut turf or even stone walls. Try to drive at a leisurely pace (early morning traffic is usually light), but aim for a dry day, as the narrow, twisting road becomes slippery in wet weather, and curtains of rain can greatly diminish the views.
Fishing (www.delphi-salmon.com; per day €120) is available at Delphi Lodge (opposite).
A host of other activities – including surfing, kayaking, ropes courses, abseiling and archery – are available at the Delphi Mountain Resort (opposite), costing €60/45 per adult/child for a full day of activity sessions, and €45/25 per half-day.
To the north and west of the valley, side roads lead to often-deserted beaches.
Delphi
Geographically just inside County Mayo, but administratively in County Galway, this swath of mountainous moorland is miles from any significant population, allowing you to set about the serious business of relaxing.
At the southern extent of the Doolough Valley, the area was named by its most famous resident, the second Marquis of Sligo, who was convinced that it resembled the land around Delphi, Greece. If you can spot the resemblance, you’ve a better imagination than most, but in many ways it’s even more striking than its Mediterranean namesake.
Don’t be dissuaded by the ‘private’ sign at the gate of Delphi Lodge ( 095-42222; www.delphilodge.ie; s €133-166, d €200-266, cottages per week from €800; ), though this Georgian former sporting lodge of the Marquis of Sligo does feel more