Into County Galway

Ballygar to Aughrim 

We are up early after a restless night. The coffee appears to have done its job and kept us awake until late. Sue also spent the night scratching – Bed Bugs perhaps! We are downstairs early for some breakfast which we have to organise ourselves only to find Seán already seated at the table. Cáit has decided not to walk today and to meet us in the next town but we are meeting Philip from French Park who will take us safely through the day. He is waiting in the carpark at 7 sharp ready with maps in hand. We are pointed in the right direction, leaving our bags in the car but carrying only what is needed throughout the day.  No backpacks make such a difference and will make the day much easier. 

Philip drives ahead some 5 -6 kilometres, parks the car and then walks back to meet us, checking the track as he walks. As the day goes on the sight of Philip’s red jumper walking towards us is a welcome sight as this means we are on the correct walk. We are now on the Hymany Way in East Galway. It transverses the plains of this area along the watercourses, including the banks of the River Shannon, through farmland and alongside the bogs for which the Irish midlands are famous. Today we are given some Irish history and Sean tries to explain and convince us that Faery/Fairy Trees do exist – I still don’t believe him but will place this little piece of Irish knowledge in my Faery/fairy file. It is like me believing in the Sidhe or the little people.

The History of Fairy Faith

“When the Milesians, that mythical race described by an 11th century scholar in Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of Invasions), came to Ireland they banished the natives to the underground and they became the Sidhe, the fairy folk who live underground and sometimes reside in certain trees or bushes, usually of the hawthorn variety. You don’t want to disturb the fairy folk or you might bring some kind of misfortunate on yourself”    

As we walk we pass a large mill stone standing lazily against a small red doored building, it would have been a part of the mill house. The peat heaps are back again so we handle them again and they are much lighter than I had expected them to be, the fields have large ditches where the peat has been dug from and placed in piles to dry. The purple marsh orchid is again showing its beautiful flower in the fields alongside the white cotton grass. Some of the early sections of the walk are on muddy, grassy trails but as the day continues we remain on the back roads. The small wild strawberries and other edible berries are growing along the road, can’t resist trying them!

The crossroads at the ancient Ballinamore Bridge looms so we rest and check the map. The very high stone side of the bridge resembles the surrounds of a castle. The holy shrines dedicated to Our Lady are along the road and in parts where you would not expect them to appear. Most front yards have a shrine of some sort. The broad-leafed pink - purple Everlasting Pea clambers along the stone fences and up the roadside bushes on the embankments. We meander past the Castle Ffrench Stud, a 1779 manor house situated among century old trees and lawns, stone walled cobbled courtyard, stables and rolling parkland covering the estate. Along the sides of the road are large clumps of Gunnera, a large leafed dense plant, similar to rhubarb but growing much larger leaves. 

The pictures of O’Sullivan Beare are starting to appear more regularly on the signposts and boards.

Philip manages to find us a petrol station which serves coffee so an important stop and boots off. It is a nice break. Bottles of wine cannot be purchased until after noon as it is Sunday.

The day is starting to warm up and is 17 degrees so the sun cream lotion and hats are pulled out but we remain in long pants as we have fields to access and this means brambles and hogweed. The heat (17/18 degrees) is melting the bitumen. The hedges are now speckled with the white bell shaped Bindweed flower and we slowly approach the small village of Fohenagh. Not much to see except the church and a few deserted stone houses. Are they from the famine era or much later? The fields are now full of green crops, not sure what the crop is but parts of the fields are green and other parts have turned a yellow colour – similar to wheat. Over the main rail line and past Northbrook Cattle Company. I feel we are close to the end of the day or is it just a call from my body to stop.

Yes, we finally limp into Aughrim, a small village between Loughroe and Ballinisloe and our bed for the night in Valerie’s Pub Hostel. This accommodation was one of the hardest places to locate when I started looking for beds for the trip. An old fashioned but cosy hotel, the rooms are very basic, small and bunks which makes moving around the room very interesting and at times a little dangerous. The hostel has single/twin rooms, very small and snug, bunk beds, rooms face onto the street but it was quiet at night. Communal kitchen which supplied some eats for breakfast, communal bathroom with a large shower. Not many rooms so all are close to the bathroom amenities. We are the only residents tonight.

Meals are served in the hotel but times for serving would need to be checked as meals finish early on a Sunday.

After our walkers have all departed we sit and check what we have completed over the last few long and exhausting days. We have had a great few days. We head for the streets around the hostel to check out the area where the Battle of Aughrim of 1691 took place. The blue purple roses blowing in the breeze and the bug hotels set up by the local children are part of the beauty of the area.

An early night. There is a party in the other side of the hotel so hope the insulation is good. Light showers of rain have started.

Today we have walked 32.9klms.