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DELPHI AND LOUISBURGH |
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The road due north from Killary threads along a narrow valley which
opens up, briefly, for a famous salmon and sea-trout lough-fishery with
the unlikely name of DELPHI (in the local pronunciation, Delph-eye ).
The story behind the name involves the first Marquess of Sligo, whose
seat, misleadingly, was at Westport. The flamboyant Marquess, a friend
of Lord Byron, was caught in the sway of romantic Hellenism and in 1811
set sail for Greece to search for antiquities. He swam the Hellespont
with Byron and rode with him overland to Corinth; but when he got to
Delphi, he suffered a bout of homesickness, finding that it reminded him
of nothing so much as his fishery at home in County Mayo. After numerous
adventures, and some pillaging of ancient sites, the Marquess returned
home to reminisce. Nowadays, there's an adventure centre at Delphi (tel
095/42307), offering supervised instruction in anything from wind-surfing
and canoeing to abseiling and mountaineering, and pony trekking is based
at the Drumindoo Stud (tel 098/66195). More important for people of a
more sedentary disposition, there's also a hostel and a comfortable,
glassed-in coffee shop where you can sit and gaze out as the cloud
creeps down the slopes of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm. Luxurious accommodation
, excellent cuisine, plus a taste of the area's history, can be had at
the Delphi Lodge (closed Nov-Dec; tel 095/42211, www.delphilodge.ie ;
£55-70/¬69.84-88.88), an 1830s sporting lodge by the lake, built for the
Marquess of Sligo in a surprisingly austere Neoclassical style.
North of Delphi, the road runs alongside sombre Doo Lough , also known
as the Black Lake, and over desolate moorland before reaching LOUISBURGH
(pronounced Lewis-burg ). This is one of the few instances where a town
this side of the Atlantic has been named after one on the other: it was
renamed after Henry Browne, uncle of the first Marquess of Sligo, had
taken part in the capture of Louisburgh, Nova Scotia, in 1758.
Louisburgh is essentially little more than a crossroads, but its planned
buildings give it an incongruous air of importance, and it's a pleasant
enough place to stay. The Granuaile Centre (June-Aug Mon-Sat
10am-7.30pm; tel 098/66341; £2.50/¬3.17) details the exploits of Grace
O'Malley, the pirate queen , and has an audiovisual display and local
tourist information (it is advisable to call before arriving as the
opening hours can be erratic). There is also an exhibition on the Great
Famine, as this area suffered heavily from 1845-49: there's a harrowing
tale about the march of six hundred starving locals in 1849 to Delphi
Lodge to beg, unsuccessfully, for famine relief; many of them, weak and
ill-clothed, died on the return journey amid the uncompromising scenery
of Doo Lough. This event is commemorated annually in the Great Famine
Walk (enquire at the centre for details).
Louisburgh makes a good base for exploring the sandy beaches that run
along the north coast as far as Murrisk Abbey. One of the best places
for food is The River Cafe in Bridge St (on the left as you cross the
bridge from Delphi) which serves tasty home-made soups and salads. There
are any number of excellent B&Bs around the area; try the excellent,
family-friendly Springfield House (tel 098/66289; £33-40/¬41.90-50.79)
or two miles out of town is the modern Three Arches (tel 098/66484;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79) which also has good family rates. Just outside
Louisburgh, at OLD HEAD (on the Westport Road), there's a campsite with
showers and laundry (closed Sept-May; tel 098/66021). Old Head has a
good beach , though little can compare with the nearby Silver Strand
beach, claimed grandiosely in the local tourist leaflets to be second
only to Florida's Key West; it is, incidentally, the site of a mass
Famine burial. You can reach it by turning southwest at the crossroads
just outside Louisburgh on the Killary Road along lanes that pick their
way through rolling country rich in megalithic monuments, with a clear
view out to Clare Island, Inishmore and the smaller islets; it has a
couple of B&Bs - Silver Strand House (tel 098/68730;
£33-40/¬41.90-50.79) is homely and comfortable and offers evening meals
of local seafood.
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