March 2023, Week Twenty Two, Day Two

 Hello again my lovelies, I'm on a roll, posting three days in a row! Let's see if I can keep up the momentum, haha.
Day Two of our County Mayo trip was a very wet and stormy day. We had planned on going to Achill Island, but due to the weather we decided to stay closer to our temporary home, and explore the peninsula instead. The Mullet Peninsula is only about 21 miles/33 km long, and ranges from about 7.5 miles/12 km wide, to just 660 feet/200 metres at it's narrowest point. It is at the far west of County Mayo, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, and every bit as rugged and windswept as you might imagine. As you probably already know, I love those kinds of landscapes, so I absolutely loved it!

St Deirbhile's Old Church and Graveyard.

In the morning, we drove to the southernmost tip of the Peninsula, and visited St Deirbhile's Old Church and Graveyard, and the newer Faulmore Cemetery. I don't plan on being buried in a traditional graveyard, but if I did, I think something like that would be ideal, with vast open views of the ocean and sky. The sun attempted to peek through the clouds a few times throughout the day, but we definitely couldn't see across to Achill Island!

Deirbhile's Twist.

From the graveyard we went to see Deirbhile's Twist, which is a modern stone circle sculpture in nearby Faulmore. Not be be confused with an ancient stone circle, it is still an impressive sight. I loved this quote I read from the artist, Michael Bulfin; ‘The Stone is the landscape. It was always here. I have just, in a sense, rearranged it.’
You can find out more about the sculpture and the artist HERE.

Deirbhile's Twist.

We had been rained on a few times already by this point, so drove up to Belmullet town and went to Talbot's Bar and Restaurant to dry off and have some lunch. I was craving seafood, and had their incredible chowder, followed by a seafood platter, all washed down with a pint of Stout, of course. Yum!

Gareth and I at Talbot's, Belmullet.

Seafood Chowder and Guinness at Talbot's, Belmullet.

That afternoon the weather was very wet, so while we drove around the Peninsula, we unfortunately didn't have the best views of the numerous beaches and the rugged beauty of the place. Instead, we took in some great views of delicious pints in the various pubs we stopped at, haha! First, we stopped at Lavelle's also known as The Eagle Bar, and played some darts while waiting for the rain to stop. There was a clear-ish stretch of weather for a while then, and we drove to see the Dún na mBó Blowhole and got to some very stormy seas near Gladree.

Beers and Darts at The Eagle Bar.

Dún na mBó Blowhole

Stormy Seas near the Dún na mBó Blowhole.

After that the rain started again, so we found shelter in Cormac's Pub in Drum. I imagine that in season, the whole place is bustling and full, but on a quiet Tuesday in March they only had the small bar room open, with a handful of locals and a turf fire going. And it was there that I had the best pint of Guinness of my life! Guinness connoisseurs will usually tell you that it tastes better in Ireland than anywhere else, and I agree. But during this trip I found that County Mayo in general, and the Mullet Peninsula in particular had the most incredible, smooth, creamy pints of stout that I've ever had. The fact that we were so obviously out of place, in such a sparsely populated area, and still made to feel so welcome by everyone we met, only added to the ambience.

Best Pint of Guinness I've ever had! Cormac's Pub, Drum.

From Drum we drove south to Blacksod and had a short (and wet) walk to see the pier and lighthouse. We found shelter at Una's Bar, where we played some pool and had another delicious pint of Guinness, before heading back to our accommodation.

Two more pints of Stout, Una's Bar, Blacksod.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. I have known some people who complain very loudly if it rains, and say that the weather ruined their holiday, but I believe in making the best of things. You can never guarantee the weather, especially in Ireland! As Billy Connolly said, "I hate all those weathermen, too, who tell you that rain is bad weather. There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. So get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little."
So maybe we didn't get to see as much as we wanted to this day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves! We had some delicious food and drink, met some of the locals, enjoyed the craic, and most of all, enjoyed each other's company.