Legends of Ireland

This tour introduces some of the great ancient traditions of Ireland, by following a trail through places where major parts of the action took place. We set out from Belfast to take the coast road along the Sea of Moyle, then westwards for the Giant's Causeway, through County Derry to Donegal, then southwards to Sligo and ending in Cavan and the mystical source of the River Shannon.

Belfast to Giant's Causeway
235 km
From Belfast the route heads eastwards to Carrickfergus with its splendid castle built in medieval times, when Belfast as a small settlement and Carrickfergus was the principal port of entry to the whole of the north of Ireland. The greater part of the next 30 miles runs close to the sea, along a road bounded by cliffs of black basalt or white chalk and with a string of pleasant villages and little harbours and a great many small car parks with picnic places, a wonderfully welcoming road. The road runs just above the shore, with the open sea to the right and, to the left, the steep edges of the great basalt plateau of County Antrim.

Nowadays known as the North Channel, its ancient name was the Sea of Moyle and, for three hundred years, it was the home of the Children of Lir. These four children were transformed to swans by their jealous stepmother and condemned to live for equal periods of time on Lough Derravaragh, on the Sea of Moyle and off the west coast at Erris. A most delightful sea coast in the summer time, the old story describes it as a miserable place of storm and ice-cold water where the swan-children suffered miserably.

The route meets the north coast at Ballycastle, famous in song as the site of the Old Lammas Fair - which is still celebrated there. Old Lammas was an ancient Celtic festival held in honour of the god Lugh around harvest time. A short ferry trip from Ballycastle takes you to Rathlin Island, famous for its part in the almost historical story of the Scottish chieftain Robert Bruce who sheltered in a cave there, after a military defeat. In the cave, the story goes, he watched a spider which succeeded in spinning its web, after repeated failures. This encouraged Bruce to try once more for victory.

The north Antrim coast is a marvel of scenery, with many byroads leading off it to beautiful bays and strands. Most famous of all isthe Giant's Causeway, a long finger of land reaching out into the sea. It is made up of hexagonal pillars of volcanic rock, giving the impression of paving stones. The legend tells that it was built by a giant who wanted to make a footpath across the sea to Scotland. The other end of his causeway may be seen in the wonderful Fingal's Cave on the Scottish island of Staffa - but the sea washed away the rest of it a long time ago so that people have to take to boats again to make the crossing. Don't just stop at the Causeway - beyond it lies a succession of cliff-girt inlets, accessible by footpaths.

Giant's Causeway to Lough Neagh to Letterkenny
310 km
From the Causeway, you may go south to see Lough Neagh, another achievement of the giant of old and another reminder of how close Scotland is. An Irish and a Scottish giant were engaged in heated argument across the Sea of Moyle. The Irish hero scooped a handful of earth out of the land of Ulster and flung it at his opponent. He wasn't quite a strong as he thought and the clod fell short of the mainland. The scooped hollow filled with water and became Lough Neagh. The clod landed in the sea and is now known as the Isle of Man.
The trail heads north again through Derry/Londonderry and into Donegal. For a splendid view over Inishowen and the two great sea loughs Foyle and Swilly, take the road up the hill to the Grianan of Aileach, the sun palace of the chieftain of that name. It is a magnificent circular enclosure, built of stone two thousand years ago. Its good state of repair is thanks to a 19th century bishop who had it rebuilt.

Letterkenny to Meenlaragh (for ferry to Tory Island)
105 km
From Letterkenny a road to the northwest leads to a wonderful circuit of the northwest of County Donegal, a remote region of seacoast, lakes and mountains. Far to the north is Tory Island, a lonely spot far, out in the Atlantic - but accessible by ferry boats. This was the domain of Balor of the Evil Eye, a particularly fierce and malicious ruler of a gloomy ancient race, the Fomorians. They were defeated in a great battle in County Sligo by the ancient gods, led by Lugh, the great spirit of light and poetry. Tory to-day is a welcoming spot, famous now for its school of painters rather than for any dark mysteries.

Meenlaragh to Sligo
350 km
The coast road of Donegal reaches its extreme at Bloody Foreland - the northwest corner of Ireland. A great expanse of sloping green hillside, dotted with white cottages, it owes its name not to any expletive but to the colour of some of its rocks. From Bloody Foreland, the route goes south to Bunbeg and west to the Derryveagh Mountains, marvellous wild scenery, the haunt of eagles and the location of the fairytale castle and beautiful gardens of Glenveagh and of Gartan Lough. Gartan was the home of the great St. Colmcille, a distinguished historical figure, who founded monasteries in Ireland and on the Scottish island of Iona - but also associated with a great many legendary doings. Gartan was also the scene of an altercation between another cleric, St. Ronan and the less than pious King Sweeney. Sweeney seized the saint's prayer book and flung it into the lake. Even though a helpful otter retrieved the book, Ronan cursed Sweeney, transforming him to a bird-like creature who subsequently led a miserable existence - but composed beautiful nature poems in the course of it. Seamus Heaney published a modern translation of the old tale.

From Gartan head southwards through Donegal town into the County of Sligo, a region brimming over with legend. Close to Benbulben, St. Colmcille fought and won a bloody battle over the copyright of a manuscript. Farther south is Knocknarea, a splendid, isolated hill by the seaside marked by a huge stone cairn on its summit. A fairly energetic walk leads to a wonderful view over Counties Donegal, Sligo and Mayo. Tradition tells that it is the tomb of the redoubtable warrior Queen Maeve of Connaught who, with the Ulster hero Cúchulainn, was the central figure of the epic Cattle raid of Cooley.

Sligo to the Shannon Pot
200 km
Go through Ballymote to see the Caves of Kesh, huge, dark openings into a limestone cliff on the hillside. These are entrance portals to the land of the Sidhe, the supernatural race who dwelt above the ground in Ireland until they were conquered by our Gaelic ancestors. They live now in a wonderland beneath the surface of the earth. Also known as 'faery' and 'good folk', some are good and heroic - others rather unpleasing. Finn McCool, another of Ireland's legendary heroes, was lured together with his followers, into a cave at Kesh by four horrendous harridans, only narrowly escaping with their lives. Not far from the caves are the Bricklieve Mountains with a wonderful collection of passage graves, stone tombs built five thousand years ago and so old that any legends connected with them have been forgotten a long time ago.

Got through Boyle to meet the River Shannon at Carrick and then seek the source of Ireland's greatest river in County Cavan on the Cuilcagh Mountains - themselves, like Ballycastle, a traditional site for the celebration of the Festival of Lughnasa. Go northwards again to find the village of Glengevlin and signposts for the Source of the Shannon. Surrounded by the mountains, the Shannon Pot is a place of enchantment. A deep, tear-shaped pool lies in the shade of ancient willow and thorn trees. Calm in dry weather, after a rainy spell its surface swirls with the force of the water welling up from caverns below the ground. Underneath the dipping branches of a lichen-covered willow, the river sets off on its long journey, snaking its way between green fields.

Long, long ago the beautiful maiden Senan, in spite of dire warnings, went to bathe in what was then no more than a pool. It was no ordinary pool, but a sanctuary to the gods who did not tolerate such intrusions. The waters suddenly overflowed, carrying the maiden away with them, filling great areas of the lowlands to create great lakes and never stopping until they reached the ocean far away. So Senan perished - but she achieved immortality in giving her name to the river that she had created.

Our legendary tour ends here. You might be tempted to return to Carrick (100 km) and hire a boat for a cruise on the same Shannon. Or you may head for the southern shores of Lough Neagh and Monaghan Town and thence to Belfast (300 km) or Dublin (375 km) with their ferryports and airports.

FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information on any of the items featured above, or on the counties in general, please contact:

Fáilte Ireland North West
Aras Reddan
Temple Street
Sligo
Tel: 00353 (0) 7191 61201
Fax: 00353 (0) 719160360

Email: info@irelandnorthwest.ie
Web: www.irelandnorthwest.ie

Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism
Fermanagh Tourist Information Centre
Wellington Road
Enniskillen
BT74 7EF
Northern Ireland
Tel: 0044 (0) 28 6632 3110
Fax: 0044 (0) 28 6632 5511

Email: info@fermanaghlakelands.com
Web: www.findfermanagh.com

Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau
44 Foyle Street
Derry
BT48 6TE
Northern Ireland
Tel: 0044 (0) 28 7137 7577
Fax: 0044 (0) 28 7137 7992

Email: info@derryvisitor.com
Web: www.derryvisitor.com

Causeway Coast & Glens
11 Lodge Road
Coleraine
BT52 1LU
Northern Ireland
Tel: 0044 (0) 28 7032 7720
Fax:0044 (0) 28 7032 7719

Email: mail@causewaycoastandglens.com
Web: www.causewaycoastandglens.com

Flavour of Tyrone
Killymaddy Tourist Information Centre
190 Ballygawley Road
Dungannon
Co. Tyrone BT70 1TF
Tel: 0044 (0)28 8776 7259
Fax: 0044 (0)28 8776 7911

Email: killymaddy@freeuk.com
Web: www.flavouroftyrone.com

Sperrins Tourism Ltd
The Manor House
30 High Street
Moneymore
BT70 45 7PD
Tel: 0044 (0)28 8674 7700
Fax: 0044 (0) 28 8674 7754
Email: info@sperrinstourism.com
Web: www.SperrinsTourism.com