…a bit round-about, but up today needing to get back to Dublin by evening, for our flight home Sunday morning. Since we basically had all day, we decided we should see more of Galway and Mayo before hitting the motorway back to the airport hotel.

Our Route curled to the west and north of Cong, into the mountains of Mayo and up along the Atlantic coast (known here as the Wild Atlantic Way).

The hairpin at Leenaun gave great views of the thin split of ocean that comes well inland, we encountered a Garda rural road warden who walked around and inspected the car before we could proceed.

From Delphi north we hugged a lake in the Doolough Valley, at the top end of which is a memorial to dark event during the Great Famine, where hundreds walked 10 miles in the bitter cold to try and get food or tickets to a workhouse, only to be refused and sent back the way they came. Hundreds died of cold, hunger and exhaustion.

The northern coast road from Louisburgh to Westport was scenic, and then we shopped and walked around Westport which was teeming with people on a relatively warm dry day.

From Westport we then went through Castlebar and down a pretty straight shot back to Dublin. Despite my growing head cold, we are now settled and ready (if not that willing) to head home tomorrow.