Bog-trotting our way to Westport

Galway

We started the day in Galway, a university city with an obvious medieaval past.  The city has a very fast-flowing river and I contemplated how dragonboating would work here, but concluded that going fast backwards would be the only result.

Travelled on many backroads to get to Westport, County Mayo.  Alek has renamed all the roads, which are:

• L (local) = lousy
• R (regional) = rough
• N (national) = nice
• M (motorway) = magic

The roads here have improved enormously, thanks to a huge injection of EU funds.  In 1995 there was only 2 kilometres of motorway, now they stretch across the country (but not to Westport, County Mayo).

Here in the west of Ireland, and in fact everywhere we've been, there are lots of new houses, and many beautifully restored and maintained older houses.  It's been really uplifting to see such changes for the better - we'll see what the future brings with the euro problems and the unemployment rate rising.  A great pity, as there seems a sense of optimism.  I've never seen so many B&Bs in my life, and they are all beautiful.  We've been staying mainly in hotels, as the off-season the rates are really good, but occasionally we've been in a B&B.

Croagh Patrick

In many parts of the country we have seen the cutting of peat from the bogs, great to see they are still using the old ways.  Country markets are everywhere, the ones here in the west seem to sell only hay and gumboots.

Westport is home to Croagh Patrick, where many pilgrims climb the rocky slopes on their knees as homage to St Patrick - I can assure you we are not here for that!

Today on to County Roscommon, the ancestral home of some of my maternal relatives, and then a final day in Dublin - sad for this journey to come to an end ....