[29-7-1985]

Foto: Tyrrellspass Castle, tussen Dublin en Athlone.

Uit de reisbeschrijving van Frames National:

First we take a short panoramic sightseeing tour in Dublin City seeing the major sights before setting off on the tour of Southern Ireland.
Travelling westwards by way of Maynooth, a neat orderly University town beside the Royal Canal site of one of the greatest Catholic seminaries in the world, St Patrick’s College, and Kinnegad a pretty border village, we reach County Westmeath, an attractive lake filled county of lush grazing land bounded by the lovely Lough Ree.

[29-7-1985]

Foto: Corpus Christi Church, Athlone.

Uit de reisbeschrijving van Frames National:

The small country town of Roscommon lies next en route. This is an old wool town which slides down the southern slopes of a wide hill. The name comes from St Common who founded a monastery here in 746 AD. Nothing now survives but at the foot of the town lie the ruins of a Dominican priory founded in 1257.
Crowning the hill top to the north are the ruins of a late 13th century Castle built by the Anglo Normans. lt was a Royalist stronghold in the 17th century but surrendered to Cromwell’s forces in 1652.
The road continues through Castlerea, a small market town on the lush green banks of the River Suck and Ballyhaunis a handsome market town dwarfed by a giant landscape of tiny lakes, to reach Castlebar, county town of Co Mayo with a busy centre around a tree lined mall. lt was established at the beginning of the 17th century and had a turbulent early history culminating with the flight of the English garrison under an onslaught from the French in 1798, an event which became known as the Castlebar races.

Westport, our stop for two nights lies some eleven miles further on. This is a gracious Georgian town and former port surrounded by trees and mountains on the edge of Clew Bay with its galaxy of islands. A planned town, it was designed in 1780 and has an hexagonal market place and delightful boulevard called the Mall. Down the middle of the street runs the River Carrowbeg, under an avenue of sycamores. Westport is the gateway to Connemara, favoured land of James Joyce, which we shall explore tomorrow.

Day’s mileage 182

Voor dat we Roscommon bereiken, komen we door Athlone.

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Tussen Roscommon en Westport ligt het plaatsje Knock dat drijft op de gelovigen die hier komen vanwege een Maria verschijning.

De laatste alinea van Wikipedia luidt:

Evenals Lourdes heeft ook Knock ingespeeld op de commercialisering van het geloof. Op een gemeenschap van 600 inwoners werd een basiliek gebouwd, die plaats biedt aan 10.000 gelovigen. Op aandrang van de kerk werd in de omgeving tevens een vliegveld gebouwd en verrezen er diverse ho(s)tels. Ook ontbreekt het niet aan souvenirskraampjes.

Meer informatie op de Wikipedia pagina.