Transfer to Westport

No biking for today so we had a bit of a leisurely start.  This segment of the trip is done and we transferred by taxi to Westport. So we left the bikes behind and met the taxi at 10:30am.

This first segment was in the Donegal region, we are now in the Connemara region, a rural area which is known for its rugged beauty and traditional Irish culture.

For a country the size of South Carolina, I was surprised that the taxi ride was over three hours to traverse less than one-third of the country.  Maybe it’s the bendy roads and the lower speed limit.  We stopped half way for a break in the village of Drumcliffe, at the burial place of W. B. Yeats, a famous poet and writer.  

It rained for a good part of the day, which didn’t matter that much since it was a travel day.  Our taxi driver was a pleasant guy who has been doing this for 40 years and we had a good conversation with him for nearly the entire trip.

We arrived at the Clew Bay Hotel in downtown Westport early afternoon, dropped our stuff off, then walked the town for a bit.  This is a very touristy town, with lots of places willing to part you from your money: pubs, restaurants, gift shops, and the like.  It is also home to PortWest, an Irish outdoor clothing store where I picked up a new rain jacket for the remainder of the trip.

Among the many restaurants, we settled on The West, just around the corner from the hotel, for dinner.  It was a good choice.  They had some of the typical pub foods but also some different selections.

We start the second segment of our bike tour tomorrow, biking 52Km to the town of Leenane along the shores of Clew Bay and through the Doo Lough Valley.  I have no idea what these places are, I just copied the names from the description for tomorrow.  We’ll find out tomorrow what they are all about.  The forecast calls for additional rain.

We ventured out after dinner to take a walk along the greenway that goes through town.  I think half the time you would be walking your bike as it is very steep in spots.  On the way back we strolled through downtown hoping to hear some of the traditional Irish music this town is famous for.  Our literature suggested that Matt Molloy’s pub was a good place for this, but, although the place was packed to the rafters with people, there was no music there.  

Next door, however, at the Porterhouse pub, there was music drifting out the door. This place was even more packed, standing room only, with people spilling out the door.  I guess you gotta be early to get in on something like this.   

We stood outside and listened for a while as the music seemed oddly familiar.  We eventually recognized the tune as a Johnny Cash song Ghost Riders in the Sky.  So this was old American music, performed in a very Irish manner. Those in the pub were familiar with it also, because part of the time, nearly the entire pub was singing along, hooting and hollering.  Quite a lively place.