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6 July, 2008

We began the day with a run.  It’s a wonderful, quiet place for a run, putting us in a great mood to start the day.  Our breakfast this morning (Seapoint House) was lacking though.  We each got 1 1/2 cups of tea (it was a tiny pot, about the size of a mug) and they never brought us more.  We also got 2 half pieces of toast each.  This was especially a problem because Sarah’s “vegetarian” breakfast only had one egg and half of a small tomato included in her cooked breakfast.  We have stayed at countless places in England, Scotland and Ireland that served hot breakfast, many of them in VERY rural places.  Each time she received a full plate of a filling cooked breakfast, but not here.  It also was difficult to get someone to take our money for checkout.  All in all, we found the house, grounds, and location wonderful, but the service at Seapoint House very disappointing.  This is the only place on our trip that we would not consider for a return visit.

Our first stop of the day was Carrowmore.  Carrowmore is the largest megalithic cemetery in Ireland. It contains 60 tombs in total, including one that is considered to be the oldest man made structure in the world. The drive from Westport took us about 1 3/4 hours.  The weather had been wet the whole morning.  We arrived at 11:40 AM and got the 12 (noon) guided tour, which left us exactly the amount of time it took us to look at the monuments across the road.  Admission is €3, but we used our Heritage Card (which has already paid for itself on this trip). Our tour guide was Austin, and he was great.  The tour lasted 50 minutes and I can’t imagine doing the self-guided tour – it must be a lot less interesting.   This is my third visit to this site and I always get a entertaining and informative tour.  This is one of the best attractions in Ireland and should be included on any “must-see” list of Ireland.  This is a kind of one-stop shop for Megalithic Ireland.  This cemetery was used for thousands of years and has just about every type of structure possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we finished at Carrowmore, we went to lunch in Strandhill at a pub with a nice restaurant called the Venue Bar.  It was packed, but had good food that was reasonably priced.  After lunch we went to tackle Knocknarea.  At the top of Knocknarea is a cairn that is visible from Carrowmore.  Underneath the cairn (the traditional burial site of Queen Meabh) is believed to be a tomb that dates to 3000 BC, but it hasn’t been excavated. She is said to be buried standing up in her armor facing her rivals in Ulster to the North.

The weather was on and off, so we got a little wet and the views were obscured some.  But it is really impressive what they built and how commanding a presence this is.  The climb takes about a half an hour and isn’t too strenuous.  There are also a handful of other ancient monuments that all appeared to be aligned together.  We looked around for a while before heading back down.  There is small car park with a port-a-john that I was happy to see before we got back in the car.  We were both tired at this point and Sarah is suffering from this throat issue, so we headed to Riverstown and our stop for tonight (Coopershill House).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arriving at Coopershill House is like entering Mount Vernon or Gunston Hall or Monticello must have been in the 1700s.  There is a 1 mile long drive lined by trees, pastures of deer, a river and then you see the house.  There is an opening in the trees that reveals a croquet lawn, a drive and a huge Manor house.  Simon (the owner) came out to help us with our bags.  His family built the house in 1774 and he still lives in it.  The house is amazing!

I’m so glad we decided to stay here!  We checked in about 4 and read, napped and showered.  About 6:30 we went for a walk down grass paths through the woods, next to the deer pastures.  It was like something from a children’s story.  The place is absolutely beautiful.  Also, hanging in the hall outside our bedroom door was what I believe is a famous portrait of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford by Van Dyck.  (Though I am not an expert at all!)

Simon upgraded us to a Superior room since there are only three other guests staying.  He has been a really wonderful host.  We opted for the 5 course meal at 8:15.  It was fantastic, most of the items were grown on the grounds or at a nearby farm.  All of the main courses were some sort of meat, but the chef prepared a special dish for Sarah that she loved.  After the meal they served coffee and tea in the drawing room with the other dinner guests.  The house is just beautiful, full of portraits of the family, stag heads, pikes, and other pieces of family history.  I’m going to have to try to learn more about the O’Hares!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously, staying at Simon’s is expensive when compared to a B&B or Guesthouse.  We stayed here as a treat and to give us a change of pace and are glad that we did.  We loved the peace and stillness that Coopershill provided, plus Simon makes you feel like a guest in his home during your stay (versus a paying guest). The house is deservedly featured in many guidebooks including Karen Brown, Ireland’s Blue Book and The Bridgestone Guide.  If you are looking for something upscale this is certain to please you.

One of the reasons we chose to stay on this side of Sligo was the proximity to Carrowkeel.  Carrowkeel is another megalithic cemetery (similar to Carrowmore).  The thing that I love about this place is that the tombs (14 of them) are all accessible for you to crawl into and see on your own.  It’s free and easy to get to, though the road is very rough and requires you to leave your car and walk a fair way to the top.  The highlight on a previous visit was taking shelter from a rain storm in the tomb that has the roofbox.  Only Newgrange is thought to also have this feature included.  The roofbox here is aligned to the midsummer sunset (usually in June) making it a great visit after Newgrange in the summertime.  Carrowkeel is probably best appreciated after seeing Newgrange, but would be impressive even on its own.  We were too worn out by this point to squeeze in a visit this trip (and Sarah was fighting through a nasty cold), but I plan on a visit next time I’m passing by.

Day 8 Ireland Itinerary

Carrowmore (1 3/4 hrs from Westport)
Knocknarea (15 minutes from Carrowmore)
Coopershill House, Riverstown, Co. Sligo (30-35 minutes from Knocknarea)

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