Moytura's Irish
Bookshop

We now have a chat club which I hope you will join and use. It offers the chance to share and answer questions about all things Irish. Perhaps some of you will have common roots, family connections -

Ancestry.com has the greatest databases in the world for those in North America who are trying to trace their ancestry.

Hit the banner to see the some of the extensive lists available and do a search from their own database search engine.

If you have enjoyed your wander through the site I'd love to hear your comments, good, bad or indifferent, perhaps you'd sign my GUEST BOOK.
Or EMAIL me with any suggestions you might have.

Westport is the largest coastal town in County Mayo and one of my favourite places. It has a character all of its own and is a very cosmopolitan place, being a popular spot for visitors and the many non-nationals who came and decided to stay. Its environs were host to Prince Charles and it is the homeplace now of Brian Keenan, former Beirut hostage and author of "An Evil Cradling" (an excellent book for those who haven't read it)
.

Clew Bay
.

This mountain is a place of pilgrimage and once a year, on the last Sunday in July, thousands climb to its summit, many barefoot..The climb is tough and surely tests the mettle. (I did it just once about 20 years ago.) But with a hearty group for support the arduous climb can be fun. The view from the summit spans most of Connaught, but most striking is that of Clew Bay itself.

National Famine Memorial

At the foot of Croagh Patrick is the National Famine Memorial - a brilliantly sculpted 'famine ship'. Incorporated within the rigging are depictions of skeletons. The famine touched all parts of Ireland but nowhere was its effects more devastating then here in the west. Over 1 million people died in that three year period and a further 1 million emigrated. I often wonder who were the strong ones - those who left, braving the famine ships, to make new lives for themselves, or those who stayed and survived and whose descendants now live and work in this thriving, free and independent country. It is estimated that the Irish diaspora number approximately 50 million worldwide. The huge drain on the West of Ireland during the famine years and through emigration in the various times of recession has certainly left its mark.

I could fill this page with photographs and still show only a tiny fraction of the scenery that awaits the traveller to this area, particularly the 40 mile drive from Croagh Patrick through Louisburg to Leenane in County Galway. So, with the addition of only a few, I shall endeavour to use words to help build an image for you. 

Our journey brings us through valleys of such indescribable beauty. Every turn in this twisting road opens up a new vista of valleys, lakes, rivers, forests and mountains, more breathtaking in their beauty than the last.

In late May and June the whole valley is aflame with golden gorse, tempered with the white mayblossom of the hawthorn and awash with cerise-coloured wild rhododendrons.  In the Autumn months the place is a carpet of fuschias, so nature keeps this place a kaleidoscope of colours almost all year round. It is indeed a place of unimaginable beauty.  As it nears the sea we find Killary Harbour, one of the deepest inlets in Europe, and it is said that British submarines sheltered here during WWW2.

Mountain sheep roam nonchalantly along the roadside grazing off whatever grass they can find and totally heedless of the tourist traffic which travels this road.

Once again we are reminded of the famine as we journey for about 3 miles into the valley. In an area called Doolough, we come across two stone cross memorials. The first is located on the left hand bend in the photograph and was erected in 1994 by AFRI - (Aid From Ireland - a third world agency and one which my brother had the privilege of serving for a year in the 1970's).

.

The Valley at Doolough
.
The east facing base of the monument is inscribed as follows:

"Monument
1994 AFRI

To commemorate the hungry poor who walked here in 1849 and walk the  third world today."

The northfacing base has the following words inscribed:

"How can men feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings?"

Mahatma Ghandi in South Africa

The west facing base has inscribed:

"In 1991 we walked AFRI's great famine walk at Doolough
and soon afterwards we walked the road to freedom in South Africa"

Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The people of Doolough and its surrounds, almost 200 souls in all, walked into Louisburg for food and were turned away with nothing - they all perished on the walk back. These monuments were erected in this valley in their honour.

An interesting event at the time was one initiated by the Choctaw Indian Nation in America on hearing of the Irish tragedy. They fundraised for the starving in Ireland, raising US $170, a considerable sum of money at that time. Their own history is one of sadness too and they named the journey from their own lands to the reservations 'The Trail of Tears'. In 1997, commemorating 150 years since the famine, the Chief of the Choctaw Nation walked the 'Famine Walk' along with hundreds of others, thus forging further the links between our two peoples, both with tragic histories.

Just a half mile further on is the second cross bearing the following inscription:
.

The road through the valley twists and turns for another 20 miles bringing us to the village of Leenane and back into County Galway. John B. Keane's "The Field" was filmed here and this sleepy little village has been recorded on celluloid for posterity. The village offers welcome sustenance to the tired traveller after their long drive.
 

Lough Inagh

For those of you who have never spent a while with us in the West of Ireland, I hope I have given you a taste of what I think is a place of such beauty, magnificence and grandeur in its sparse loneliness, not to be equalled anywhere.  Those of you who have travelled this journey already know of what I speak. Although I drive this way at least twice a year and drag every unsuspecting visitor we have with me, I never cease to be amazed at the wonder and beauty of the place, whether in rain or shine.

the Rest of the Journey

For those who have just joined me on this page why not go to the beginning of our travels and see some of the places in The Start of Our Journey through the West of Ireland. 

My Place Amongst the Stones gives the history of my company name, Moytura - a celtic heritage going back thousands of years. 

We journey to my own parish of Lackagh - a small village just 12 miles from Galway with a mighty big history. Learn all about the Battle of Knockdoe - one of Ireland's bloodiest of conflicts in the 16th century.

We move on to take a quick jaunt around Galway City; and then to the heart of Connemara - with its wild and wonderful beauty. 

From there we journey south into County Clare to see The Burren - a place that has lain undisturbed since the Ice-age and of immense botanical, ecological and archaeological importance.

Visit Ireland's finest early monastic heritage centre in Clonmacnoise, County Offaly; and to my favourite of all the early Christian Church locations - Clonfert, South County Galway, with its beautiful tiny 12th century Cathedral of Saint Brendan. Come with me around the grounds and see the 1000 year old Yew Walk and the Bishop's Palace. 

While on the Clonfert pages, you can learn a potted history of Saint Brendan the Navigator, possibly the first European to set foot in North America in the 6th. century. And join me in the celebrations when this tiny cathedral was listed in the World Monuments Watch 2000 most endangered monuments.

Join me on my 'Famine Journey' which starts in here Westport, and moves to Sligo, my Dad's County and the departure port for many of the 'Coffin Ships'. This part of my journey ends in Grosse-Île on a tiny island east of Quebec City. 

On this page you will learn some of the history of our Famine Refugees from 1845 - 1849 and find the final resting place of over 6,000 of my country folk who died within sight of their first freedom in over 300 years. This is where many of the Irish roots in North America started.

Our Journey moves on to other places on that visit to Canada where we see Quebec City and some of Ontario's lovely places and then to two of Canada's famous Catholic Shrines - Saint Anne de Beaupré and to Cap-de-la-Madeleine.

Finally, join me on my pilgrimage to a peaceful haven in a war-torn country in Medugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovinia. The other areas of my Web site can be found in the drop-down box below.

I have added links pages of other places related to the places we visit, links to leisure activities in Ireland i.e. golf, fishing, horse riding, sailing in Ireland, festivals, entertainment etc. and some of my friends' home pages. 

Don't forget to bookmark this page and return to take up on more of your journeys with me. Oh .. and please sign my Guestbook if you have enjoyed your travels. Go raith míle maith agat - thanks a million

Every now and then people send me stories, poems, or URLs to other Home Pages that I find very touching or uplifting, they can be found at the links below. Some will make you smile, maybe even laugh, some may make you cry or a little sad - but all will leave a little bit of a mark, if only for the few minutes you spend reading or listening to them. Enjoy - I call this section: