A year-long celebration is underway to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Swinford, a County Mayo town as proud of its heritage as its time-honored strength of community. ℘℘℘ The words were painted high on a whitewashed brick wall, just above a red and green Mayo flag flapping in the wind. MELLETT’S DRINKING EMPORIUM ESTB 1797 “Is it … [Read more...] about In East Mayo: A Community Where Past Is Prologue
Connacht
Sláinte! The Great October Fair
The Ballinasloe October Fair is one of the oldest fairs in Ireland. While now predominantly associated with horses, in its heyday it served as a market for the sale of cattle and sheep by the farmers of the west to their counterparts in the east of Ireland. An Irish adage advises: Go East for a woman; go West for a horse. When I was a girl I had a … [Read more...] about Sláinte! The Great October Fair
The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks
Bones of Irish children were found 170 years after they died on a “coffin ship” en route to Canada in 1847. Vertebra and jaw bones were identified among the remains, believed to be of Irish children fleeing the Great Hunger, that were discovered in 2011 on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, about 500 miles from Montreal, in Canada. Canadian scientists have concluded that the bones that … [Read more...] about The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks
Paddling in the Wake of St. Patrick & Game of Thrones
Looking for a truly exceptional adventure? Paddleboarding is the fastest growing sport in the world, and Ireland offers an abundance of waterways – some challenging, some less so – and, as our intrepid Canadian couple discovered, all flanked by stunning landscapes of mountains, lakes, coastlines, and islands. ℘℘℘ We wanted to drink in Ireland’s audaciously green spring, but do … [Read more...] about Paddling in the Wake of St. Patrick & Game of Thrones
Mighty Mayo
Steeped in history with landscapes that go from brilliant beaches to windswept boglands, lakes, mountains to islands, pilgrimage sites to pirate queens, Mayo has it all. There’s something about Mayo... Oh, the Green and Red of Mayo I can see it still Its soft and craggy bogland Its tall majestic hills Where the ocean kisses Ireland And the waves caress its shore Oh the … [Read more...] about Mighty Mayo