DAY 8 - KILLARY HARBOUR AND THE FAMINE ROAD

In 1960 we spent a vacation in Ireland.  We took the train (steam) from Dublin to Galway and hitched our way around the West reaching the Youth Hostel at Rosroe at Killary Harbour.  It seemed natural to revisIt fifty four years later.  As part of the Hill Walk Western Way walk there was an optional extra day walking from KiIlary Harbour along the Famine road to Leenane which was not actually a part of the Western Way.  

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Wittgenstein's cottage in front of the old hostel building

We had walked in from the road all those years ago but as an arranged part of our walk a taxi took us out to Rosroe and we walked back to Leenane.  The hostel building was still there but it had fallen a little into disrepair.  A notice said it was under renovation but that looked to be a doubtful claim.  Part of the building was a modest house which was used by Ludwig Wittgenstein, the famous philosopher, as a quiet place to write shortly after World War II. A plaque to this effect was unveiled by President Mary Robinson in 1993.

Our walk took us back to Leenane along the Famine Road.  This was a make-work project in the mid 1800's  at the time of the Great Famine when the potato crop failed.  There was considerable emmigration from Ireland as a result of this catastrophe.  The road runs along the South shore of Killary Harbour to the main road half way to Leenane.  This road dates from about 1850.  At the time it was considered wrong to simply give charity to people and for that reason roads like the Famine Road were constructed to provide employment to starving farm labourers in return for food.

The entrance to the Fjord at Rosroe

Not much of a road

Wild goats

An old run down cottage with a magnificent rhododendron bush (tree?)

This is the site of village of Fohar

Fohar was a small settlement that was abandoned at the time of the Great Famine.  There are roofless builidngs and old potato cultivation ridges evident.

We remember seeing Fuchsia the last time we were here

The Rhododendrons seemed new to us and they are apparently a plague for the farmers as they spread around

Still a rough track at this point

One of the dilapidated buildings

A cool running stream

The track connected to the path we had used on our walk from Lough Inagh to Leenane

Looking back along Killary Fjord to Rosroe, the scene of the boat trip

We joined up with the track into Leenane and were nearly home (by 50 metres) when the heavens opened and we had to take cover as best we could, a wet end to a lovely walk.  We sheltered near the Leenane Hotel, more swanky that Port Finn and it boasted a seaweed bath.  We hadn't seen a bath for many days as all the B and B's have showers.  We decided that perhaps a seaweed bath was just what the doctor ordered so we came back to spend an hour in simple luxury.  You start off in a very hot steam room for about ten minutes and then you move into another room with two large china baths,  They are filled with very hot water in which is soaking seaweed gather that day from the coast.  You add cold water until you think you can stand the temperature and you get into the somewhat unappetizing lookiong water.  You stay there for part of the hour and when you are ready you pull on a string to release forty seconds of cold water. Ugh!

Our European hiking group didn't do the Famine Road walk so they were now ahead of us.  We were to meet up with them once more.