The first Sunday in November was the perfect weather for a day trip to Clew Bay, which took just under the three hours. That mix of sun and showers, blue sky and dark threatening clouds, is the ideal backdrop for such a magnificent landscape.
You see, I’m on the beginning of a new artistic venture, but early days so not going to talk too much about it yet! Clew Bay, overlooked by the impressive Cruachán Aigle, most commonly known as Croagh Patrick.
We stopped at a real beauty spot by Murrisk Abbey with views across the water to a myriad of islands and beyond, as colours flickered constantly from mauves to sienna to umber, under the ever-changing skies, which blessed us with anything from a trickle of drizzle to a deluge! As our camper is out of action, we decided to use the back of the car as the kitchen, from which I served a nice fry up! You just can’t beat food cooked with the background of such scenery!
The Barony of Murrisk is actually called after a semi mythological figure who may have been a real person. Her name was Muirisc or Muireasc. She was the daughter of Úgaine Mór or Hugony the Great who was said to have been the 66th High King of Ireland. With 22 sons and 2 daughters, he was a busy man, and legend says that he split Ireland into 25 areas, one for each child, and presumably one for himself too. Muirisc came to rule Mag Murrisc, now the Barony of Murrisk and she was famed as a daring sea captain, who ruled “o’er hardy sailors and great men”. It is unsure of when she was supposed to have lived but somewhere about about 2000 years ago
Strangely enough, Murrisk Abbey is closely associated with the O’Malley clan and indeed it is thought that a certain Grainne Ní Mháille was baptized there many years later, in 1530. She of course, became known as Granuaile, the famous Pirate Queen and she too was a commander of many men, much to the annoyance of the colonial powers.
Down the road from the Abbey is another maritime connection, but this one, so much more tragic. It is a sculpture by John Behan and erected in 1997. It is the National “Famine” memorial and depicts skeletons clinging to a ship, a reminder of how many died on their voyage to the new world in this terrible time. Note I use quotation marks as Famine is a misnomer. There was plenty of food in Ireland at that time, all being exported, as the people starved. Against the background of such a natural beauty, between mountain and sea, it is a stark reminder of how wrong colonization is.
Another Abbey we visited, this time on the Northern shore of Clew Bay, was that of Burrishoole. This Abbey, near Newport, dates from 1469 when it was founded by Richard de Burgo, also known as Risteard an Cuarscidh (Richard of the curved shield), a powerful chieftain who went under the title of Lord Mac William Oughter. The De Burgos, who later became the Burke family, were of Norman origin but after some time, became, as the famous phrase notes, “more Irish than the Irish themselves”. This meant they disowned the Norman way of life and immersed themselves into Gaelic culture, adopting the language and the ancient Irish Brehon laws.
The word 'Abbey' is actually not a correct title as it was a Dominican 'Friary', and one in which Risteard spent his last years, as a friar himself! Strangely, the “Abbey” originally drew down the wrath of Rome as the Pope had not given permission to have it built, but later, near the end of the 15th century, all was forgiven and the Abbey thrived.
It had a very turbulent history however. In the mid 16th century, Honoria de Burgo, the daughter of Risteard an Iarainn (the original Risteard’s descendant ) and second husband to Granuaile (Grainne Ní Mháille), founded a small convent near the Abbey. Nearly a hundred years later, English soldiers raided the monastery and brutally treated two nuns (both over 100 years old and one most likely the same Honoria), leaving them for dead. Both had escaped their captors but died soon after and are said to be buried together.
Over the years, the monastery gradually fell into disrepair as the friars were persecuted and fled, only to return and once more face persecution in these colonial times. Eventually the roof fell in, towards the end of the 18th century, leaving the ruin we see today. The graveyard is still in use however, and indeed I noticed a plaque on the wall which shows it won the best graveyard of 2016!
Not far from Burrishoole Abbey is the castle of Carraigahowley or in Irish, Carraig an Chabhlaigh which means Rock of the navy or fleet, which has been translated as Rockfleet Castle. This site is connected to the famous or infamous Pirate Queen, Gráinne Ni Mháille, known as Granuaile or Grace O’Malley. She indeed, is the common link to all these places I visited. Commanding the western seas in the 16th century, she was a thorn in the colonist’s side as her activity on the ocean drew the attention and wrath of the English who constantly attempted to bring her down, without, I may add, much success. After her son was captured, she sailed to London to plead with Queen Elizabeth I for him to be released. Many tales are associated with that meeting of two opposing cultures, but yet, of two women, each a leader in a man's world. By all accounts, there was a mutual acknowledgement of the other's position and power, a respect that enabled a deal to be done. Gráinne, though, was not one to be messed with, as we read about how she captured the son of a noble family in Howth Castle after being refused hospitality, only releasing him after the family promised to forever lay a place for her at their dinner table. This practice is, as far as I know, was still carried out at formal dinners till recent times at least (perhaps it remains so!).
When we arrived at Carraigahowley, it was clear that some major reconstruction work was in progress so it is at the moment, inaccessible. This Castle was built by Risteard an Iarainn or Iron Richard, Burke who was a prominent chieftan of a Norman family who had long adopted Gaelic customs. He was also the second husband of Granuaile. It is said that they married according to the Gaelic Brehon laws for one year and a day, after which they could divorce, and seemingly, she did just that, retaining the castle for herself. However, divorce or not, it appears that they remained allies and it was their son mentioned above who is buried in Ballintubber Abbey. An imposing fortress, Carraighahowley was also a strategic castle for Gráinne, allowing her to control the waters on the north side of Clew Bay. The nearby jetty boasts magnificent views towards the numerous islands and back towards the castle itself, breathtakingly beautiful!
Heading inland on our way home, we visited Ballintubber Abbey. Ballintubber was founded in 1216 by Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobhair, the King of Connaught and son of the High King and brother of the last properly recognized High King of Ireland.The claim to fame of this Abbey is that it has survived as a place of worship since its foundation, despite its turbulent history. Originally built in the Hiberno-Romanesque style, a fire in 1265 which destroyed much of the timber, allowed for “newer” Gothic architecture influences to be used in the reconstruction of 1270. Later, the Abbey persevered through the reformation when it was once more partially destroyed, and the arrival of Cromwell ensured a more systematic ravaging of the whole monastic complex. Still, however, it survived, even in the Penal times which followed. Bit by bit it has been restored and I have to say that there is a very serene atmosphere inside its walls.
One of those buried on the site is Teabóid na Long or Theobald of the Ships/Theobald Burke, a prominent chieftain living in an era when the old Gaelic ways were clinging on by a thread. This famous chieftain who played both sides of the coin when it came to allegiance, switching from fighting his native Irish chiefs, or siding with them against the English colonists, was the son of Gráinne Ní Mháille or Granuaile.
All in all, it is a place of such amazing natural beauty, as well as being steeped in history, with an abundance of sites to visit.
