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BELMULLET |
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Heading on from Bangor along the R313 through bleak uninhabited
bogland you'll come to BELMULLET ( Béal an Mhuirthead , "mouth of the
Mullet"), a functional little village, its streets perpetually mired
from the mud of the bogs. Like most Irish towns, it's a planned
settlement, founded as late as 1825 by the local landlord, William
Carter, to "create a home market for produce that did not previously
exist nearer than thirty miles by land". Its success was such that it
eclipsed the older landlord village of Binghamstown ( An Geata Mór ), on
the peninsula, which was deserted by the late nineteenth century. The
attraction of the place lies not so much in its physical charms as in a
kind of unpretentious unhurriedness - life goes on, shops stay open
until late, and the sun arches slowly toward the horizon over the wide
western sea.
There is a small tourist office on the left side of the main street as
you enter the town (tel 097/81500). You can stay in the Western Strands
Hotel (tel 097/81096; £40-55/50.79-69.84), which has basic rooms, and
there are also numerous B&Bs: for good value try Mill House in American
St (tel 097/81181; £26-33/33.01-41.90), or Drom Caoin (tel 097/81195,
dromcaoin@esatlink.com ; £33-40/41.90-50.79), which caters well for
vegetarians and offers fine views of Blacksod Bay. There are plenty of
bars and fast-food joints, so take your pick; the liveliest bar is
probably the one at the Western Strands , where you'll also get a good
cheap dinner . Leneghan's , next to the hotel, has comhaltas -
traditional music - sessions on the third Friday of the month; so does
the Anchor Bar , which serves local seafood.
A flat slab of land that seems tacked on to the mainland almost as an
afterthought, Belmullet Peninsula is sparsely populated, but the houses
are scattered in the characteristically Irish way (town-dwelling, as
well as Ireland's town-planning, was largely an Anglo-Irish invention).
Along with this pattern of habitation, you'll also see field-systems not
much different from the Stone Age ones uncovered at Céide .
The seaward side of the peninsula is raked by Atlantic winds to the
extent that almost no vegetation can survive. The landward side,
overlooking Blacksod Bay, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is much
more sheltered and has some good beaches , notably at Elly Bay halfway
down. To the east and north the land rises; although the cliffs are not
hugely spectacular, there's some rewarding walking. The peninsula is one
of the locations where the legendary Children of Lir were condemned to
spend their last three hundred years; they are buried, according to
legend, on Inishglora, a tiny island off the west coast. The peninsula
is rich in historical remains, too: there are promontory forts at
Doonamo, Doonaneanir and Portnafrankach. The one at Doonamo, on an
impressive clifftop site, encloses three clocháns and a circular fort.
Under the waters of Blacksod Bay lies La Rata , the largest of three
Spanish Armada galleons that sank in 1588.
In calm weather, Matthew and Josephine Geraghty run boat trips out to
the islands of Inis Gé (Inishkea North and South) for £12/15.24 return
(tel 097/85741) from Belmullet; Millicent Sweeney at Blacksod also
arranges them (tel 097/85662, or evenings tel 097/85774). You can
organize riding at the Durham Riding Centre near Blacksod (tel
097/85811).
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