Castlebar's Bar One - Belmullet - Blacksod Lighthouse - Ballycroy (National Park).
Three Days in Mayo #2
Eat. See. Stay.
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| Marvellous Bacon Chop at Bar One, Castlebar. |
The friendly guide at Blacksod Lighthouse, with a twinkle in his eye, recounted a tale from his days as a fresh-faced naval recruit. The then-rookie Mayoman, eager for duty, found himself on the dock in Cobh bound for the naval base. He innocently asked which ferry he should take, only to be met with a stern command: ‘Sit down in the shed and behave yourself!’ The men in charge, you see, had mistaken him for a prisoner on temporary release from the Spike Island jail (served from the same dock). It wasn’t long before the navy came looking for their missing man, leading to a wonderfully red-faced apology for our much relieved Mayoman.
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| Blacksod Lighthouse |
We had arrived at Blacksod, on our second day in Mayo, having driven west from Ballina in the direction of Belmullet, opting to bypass the usual Achill Island drive and instead take the peninsula route to Blacksod.
On the way to Belmullet, the windfarm at Oweninny, close to Bellacorick, caught our eye. And no wonder. Some sixty giant pylons march across the skyline, producing clean electricity—quite a sight. Stopped to take a few pics and, less than an hour after leaving Ballina, we arrived in Belmullet, a busy and impressive town, the gateway to some lovely scenery.
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| Oweninny windfarm |
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Stories galore from this lighthouse on the edge of Europe, including how it came to be that a weather forecast from here was a significant factor in General Eisenhower deciding to head to the Normandy beaches on June 6th 1944.
There is a small looped route from Blacksod that rejoins the main road. And on a windswept hill, Fál Mór, you will see what you suspect to be an old stone circle, especially as the area has been a sacred place since the 6th century, associated with Saint Deirbhle.
The stones are certainly old, but the structure is relatively new and was created by the artist Michael Boffin. The circle, named Deirbhle’s Twist, was made by raising the existing granite boulders on site and placing them in an ascending spiral. Boffin said the stone was already here. “I have just, in a sense, rearranged it.” It is the final part of a sculpture trail spanning North Mayo to commemorate Mayo 5000, and the site serves as another waypoint on the Wild Atlantic Way.
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| Deirbhle’s Twist at Fál Mór |
Back then, to the “mainland” and a short trip via Bangor Erris to the visitor centre of the National Park at Ballycroy, not so much to visit the park as we were there less than two years ago, but to have a spot of lunch at the lovely Ginger & Wild Cafe. The menu offers soups, paninis, salads, quiches, and cakes, with views out over the park. Look out for the lovely plum cake! That, plus a cup of tea, revitalised us and we were ready to do one of the walks here.
This doesn’t start at the visitor centre itself, but a few miles down the road towards Mulranny. We were to be disappointed, though, as the entrance was barricaded and the beautiful boardwalk was severely damaged, likely due to one of the recent storms that had battered the West Coast. Nothing for it but to carry on to our new base, the Ellison Hotel in Castlebar.
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| Lamb starter at Bar One |
Dinner that evening was in Bar One, one of the best gastropubs in the country. I started with their Carolan’s Spicy Lamb Skewers With Tzatziki Yoghurt and a side salad. Sufficiently spicy to enliven it and very tasty overall, especially with a full glass of Mescan Blonde in my hand. They also offer beer from Reel Deal, another local brewer.
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| We had hoped to walk the easy Claggan Mountain coastal trail as we did 2 years ago but storms have destroyed the boardwalk. |
An excellent start and the high quality continued throughout the mains. CL picked one from the specials board: Pan-Fried Atlantic Cod with confit tomatoes, parsley, baby potatoes, steamed greens, lemon, and dill sauce. That was given a big thumbs up.
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| Visitor centre in Ballycroy |
And I also hit the jackpot with my special: the honey and mustard-glazed ham sirloin chop, served with buttered green cabbage, honey-glazed carrots, champ potatoes, and MacIvor’s Cider Sauce. There was quite a lot for the chef to handle, but he did a superb job of it. I thought the bacon may have come from the local Andarl, but was told that it was from a small producer in County Cavan.
Dessert didn’t get a look-in on the night, and we walked back to Ellison and its welcoming and comfortable Siar Bar. No craft beer, but a drop of Dingle Whiskey served as an admirable and above-average nightcap. As the very helpful barman said, “Hard to go wrong with a single malt.”
Check out Mayo Day #1 and #3
