Westport – THE GALWAY COW

Traditionally, after descending Croagh Patrick, I always go for fish and chips in P. Dunning’s beside the Octagon. In there I meet the couple from Dunboyne that I mentioned in my previous post. I ask if they mind me joining them, and they don’t.

After a little conversation it transpires that the man, named Pat, is the first cousin of a woman who is married to the former Vice Principal of my secondary school in Galway. Times like this make one realise just how small Ireland is and that you don’t have to look to far to find someone who knows, or is related to, someone else you know. I guess it’s a small island. Continue reading “Westport Town: P.Dunning’s and Matt Molloy’s” →

Golden sunshine, dappling through grey clouds, gives off a heavenly aspect which instantly infuses me with a sense of warm spirituality. The mountain is bathed in a clammy heat that makes me perspire as soon as I begin my ascent. I’m here today to capture the essence of Westport, Co Mayo, and I can’t think of any place better to start than with its holy mountain.

Climbing Croagh Patrick was the first thing I ever did the first time I came to Westport. I’ve done it many times, in many ways. I’ve climbed it with friends, alone, with my dog, in the middle of the night of a blue moon, and even barefoot. But today I’m climbing it with a lens so as to fully appreciate and write about it. Continue reading “Croagh Patrick Gold” →