Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [381]
* * *
A right turn off the main R314 is signposted for Kilcummin. On the R314 just after the turning to Lackan Bay a sculpture of a French soldier helping a prostrate Irish peasant marks the place where the first French soldier died on Irish soil. Lackan Bay beach is a stunning expanse of golden sand. There’s good surf here, but you’ll need to bring your own equipment.
Getting There & Away
A Bus Éireann ( 096-71800) bus stops outside McGregor’s newsagency in Killala twice a day Monday to Friday between Ballina (€4.20) and Ballycastle (€3.90).
Return to beginning of chapter
BALLINA
pop 10,409
Mayo’s second-largest town, Ballina (Béal an Átha; balli-nagh), is synonymous with salmon. If you’re there during fishing season, you’ll see droves of green-garbed waders, poles in hand, heading for the River Moy – one the most prolific rivers in Europe for catching the scaly critters – which pumps right through the heart of town. You’ll also spot salmon jumping in the Ridge (salmon pool), with otters and grey seals in pursuit.
Information
AIB (Pearse St) With ATM and bureau de change.
Chat’rnet ( 096-76510; Bridge St; per hr/day €4/10; 11am-11pm Mon-Fri, noon-11pm Sat, noon-10pm Sun) Central internet access.
Post office (O’Rahilly St) On the southern extension of Pearse St.
Tourist office ( 096-70848; Cathedral Rd; 10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct, closed Nov-Mar) Across the River Moy from the centre.
Activities
A list of fisheries and permit contacts is available at the tourist office. The season is February to September, but the best fishing is June to August. Information, supplies and licences are available at Ridge Pool Tackle Shop ( 096-72656; Cathedral Rd). Fly-casting lessons can also be arranged.
Pontoon, near Foxford, is a better base for trout fishing, in Loughs Conn and Cullen.
Festivals
One of the best outdoor parties in the country, the Ballina Salmon Festival ( 096-79814; www.ballinasalmonfestival.ie) lasts for two weeks in early July. Festivities include parades, dances, cart racing and more.
Sleeping
Belleek Caravan & Camping Park ( 096-71533; www.belleekpark.com; Ballina; campsites €19, apt per week €560, mobile homes per week €395-560; Mar-Oct) This well-manicured, grassy site, run by a friendly family, is a first-class camping ground with plenty of space for kids to play and good laundry and kitchen facilities. Ask about year-round availability (and cut-price rates) of apartments and mobile homes. It’s 2km north of Ballina, 300m off the Killala road.
Loft B&B ( 096-21881; www.theloftbar.ie; Pearse St; s €45-50, d €90-100; ) In the heart of town, you’ll find these nine modern rooms above one of Ballina’s livelier pubs. Those in front may get noisy around closing time, but in the back it’s quiet, and all have their own bathroom. Reception is at the bar.
Belleek Castle ( 096-22400; www.belleekcastle.com; s €100-140, d €160-260; Apr-Dec; ) A fabulously over-the-top neo-Jacobean manor, set deep in a 400-hectare woodland just over 2km north of town. It’s a luxuriant romantic getaway, with four-poster beds and loads of historic artefacts. The flamboyant restaurant, Granuailes, where meals are served with a theatrical flair, and the Armada bar are designed to look like the inside of a Spanish galleon.
Ice House ( 096-23500; www.theicehouse.ie; The Quay; r €250; ) This 1800s-built salmon ice store on Ballina’s eastern riverbank closed in the 1980s and languished until Dublin architect Joe Kennedy transformed it into an ultra-hip hotel. In a nod to the building’s origins, there’s a handful of 1800s-styled guest rooms with cedar bathtubs, but most have cutting-edge fit-outs (floor-to-ceiling windows, arctic-white moulded furniture). At the water’s edge, the vault where boats once unloaded their catch now houses a sleek bar and restaurant, Pier (right). Upstairs five spa treatment rooms are, somewhat disconcertingly, named after wrecked ships.
Mount Falcon Country House Hotel ( 096-74472; www.mountfalcon.com; Foxford Rd; d €180-240, 3- to 4-bedroom self-contained chalets per night