Three days in Mayo (#1)
Ballina's Poacher - Ceide Fields - Belfry
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| The award-winning visitor centre at Ceide Fields |
We left Cork last Wednesday morning and, some 330 kms and four hours later, we arrived at our destination, the extraordinary Ceide Fields on the north coast of County Mayo, west of Killala (with its famous round tower), west of Ballycastle and a stone’s throw from my mother’s birthplace. Indeed, her teacher at Belderig NS, Padraig Caulfield, was the man who first found the traces of the ancient farms of Ceide buried deep beneath the wild boglands.
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| A visitor boardwalk runs alongside one of the exposed walls. |
The remarkable Neolithic site contains possibly the oldest known stone-walled fields in the world, dating back nearly 6,000 years. Years later, Padraig’s son, Seamus Caulfield, who had studied archaeology, investigated further and discovered evidence of cultivated fields, houses and tombs which had lain hidden for many centuries. The few acres you see at the site are just the tip of the iceberg as the fields extend for miles. Just look at how the white-topped marker poles stretch off towards the horizon.
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| Croquettes (gammon and potato) at Poacher |
We had a look around the centre itself and learned quite a bit, and even more when we took a guided tour out on the bog. Before all that, though, we needed some sustenance after the trip from Cork and enjoyed a wee lunch at the centre’s Ceide Ladle. The cafe offers a selection of soups, sandwiches, wraps, cakes and scones along with teas and coffees.
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| Cod |
In Belderig afterwards it was sad to see that Kelly’s, a pub cum/grocery (I used get my pint poured into the glass from a chipped enamel jug) and once the liveliest spot around, was lying silent. With time running out, we turned back east to Ballina and the Belfry Rooms (part of the Merry Monk complex).
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Manor Farm Chicken & Wild Mushroom Crumble, Watercress Crust, Salad Leaves, and Potato Crisps
An early dinner had been booked at the superb Poacher (spacious and comfortable) in the centre of Ballina, and here we enjoyed a meal as good as any, including a super steak (from Heffernans butcher on the ground floor) and a locally caught fish. Poacher is run by owners Yvonne Kathrein (chef) and Daniel Mayr (front of house) and is one of the few places where you’ll be able to enjoy both Austrian and German wines with the innovative cooking of a reasonably priced menu!
My companion was delighted with it, said she could do her starter (Crispy Pretzel - Fried Oliver Carty’s Gammon & Potato Croquettes) as a main and would be a regular customer if Poacher came to Cork. I’d agree wholeheartedly, and that’s coming from someone who’s often disappointed when dining outside of the rebel zone.
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| Superb steak from the butcher downstairs. The jus made it even better. |
After that, it was back to the Belfry (a newly built nine-room block) on the Killala Road and to our comfortable room with its cool walk-in shower and no shortage of sockets (not in the shower!). First, though, there was a call to their adjacent bar, the Merry Monk, for a drop of whiskey, and the choice was Connaught. What else could you ask for with the distillery a few miles down the road?
It was here in the bar too that the friendly staff serve a decent multi-choice breakfast and, unusually, they serve it up to you from 8.30 am until “any time”. No need for panic, but if you leave it until lunchtime, you could have a lot of company as the popular place tends to get very busy.
See Mayo Day 2 here. Mayo Day 3 here.
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| Monk's Full Irish with requested adjustments! |
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