Bunlahinch Clapper Bridge

While on a working holiday in Mayo a couple of years ago I went to Cross Strand Beach with my family and on the way back we came across the very cool Bunlahinch Clapper Bridge. 

Clapper bridges like this one were designed to cross wide shallow rivers and were used as footbridges.
It is thought that this bridge was built sometime between the 1840s and 50s by  the Irish Church Mission.

Clapper bridges are a pre-historic form of stone-built bridge. 
The word clapper originates from Sussex England where it came from the use of the word plank.  

The basic structure consists of small stone piers or pillars, which are spanned by flat stone slabs or planks.
The bridge is over 45.5 meters in length and over 0.5 in width.

The bridge is part of the Clew Bay Heritage trail (No14) and is very close to the superb  Srahwee Wedge Tomb .  

The bridge is well worth a visit along with the many other great sites that form the Heritage Trail.
Signposting is good for this site as it is with the other sites on the trail. 

Conor and Daire give you an idea of the scale of the bridge. 

Turlough Round Tower

Turlough Round Tower is a well kept but a somewhat squat looking tower.
It is claimed the tower may date back to the 9th Century, but recorded documentation of the tower came much later in the 17th Century.  
The tower compared to others is a smallish 23 Meters tall.
The arched doorway is just under 4 meters above the ground level, but has been blocked up with mortared stone.
There are four windows at different levels, with four more at the top just below the cap.   
The OPW are said to have carried out repairs on the tower in 1880 which included re capping the tower.

The church is dated from the 18th Century but it incorporates a window and plaque which both date back to the 16th Century.

Access - You can see the tower from the N5, parking is not a problem.
The graveyard is quite steeply sloped in parts, so mind your footing.    
 

Meelick Round Tower

Of the many round towers I have been lucky to visit Meelick Round Tower would have to be in my top 10 favourite tower sites.

The tower is 22 meters high with the doorway just under 3.5 meters from the base.
The brick work on the tower is sandstone, but looks like it has been scraped or blasted (which gives the stone a very bare look).

The tower is thought to have been built between the mid 9th Century and early 10th Century and is located on a monastic site associated with St Broccaidh.

At the base of the tower is a headstone which bears the inscription Or Oit Do Grieni (a prayer for Griene ).

Access -  The tower can be seen from the N5 on your left before Swinford heading north.
From there just follow one of the two roads that bring you to the tower.
Parking will not be a problem as the location is a graveyard that is still in use today.











    

  

Moyne Castle

This large spacious ruin of Moyne Castle is dated to the 16th Century, although a lot of what you can see today was added at a later stage.
The castle falls right on the Galway Mayo boarder with both county's claiming the castle, all I can say is when I google mapped the castle it fell on the Mayo side.
Either way it is signposted on your right coming from the main Headford - Cong  R334 road.

David MacJonyn (Jennings) Blake was owner in 1574, Ulick Earl of Clanricarde then got it by confiscation in 1585.
Richard  his successor got a re-grant of the castle, with four quarters of land in 1610.

The castle passed hands a few more times mostly staying in the Blake family until they moved to Merlin Park Galway.

Access - The hardest part of getting to see this castle is where to park, the road is very narrow and twisty so great care should be taken wherever you park as you make your way to and from the castle.

Shrule Castle

Located on the Galway Mayo border is the ruin of Shrule castle built around 1238 by the Norman deBurgo family of Galway.
All that remains today is four walls (with a couple of very nasty cracks running from top to bottom).
The history of the castle would appear to have been fairly quiet until 1570 when it was captured by
Sir Edward Fitton with a strong British force.
From then on the castle exchanged hands several times.
It was occupied until sometime in the 17th Century.
History refers to a massacre that took place in 1641, but their is some dispute as to the amount killed.
The castle is on your right as you come into Shurle from Galway, and is very easy to spot as you travel along the N84
This ruin is in a dangerous state so caution should be used at all times during your visit.

 



 

Killala Round Tower

Killala Round Tower is one of Co Mayo's five round towers.
Thought to have been built in the 12th Century the tower stands 52 meters high.

The original monastic foundation here probably dates back to the 5th century, when Saint Patrick appointed Muiredach as first bishop of Killala.

The tower was struck by lightning at some stage in the 19th century, the repairs have left quite a bulge on the side of the tower (above the doorway on the left).

The tower is very easy to find you will see it before you reach Killala, parking is no problem on any of the side streets.

Photographing it is another matter, the image above was taken stood upright balancing on the back of a bench with my nephew Conan holding onto my legs.

 

The Stone Circles of Glebe [Cong]

Circle Number 1
This is the circle that is signed from the main road.
It is quite large but the overall effect is spoiled by the thick black railing
surrounding the circle.

Circle Number 2
This circle can be found in a field behind the first circle and to the left.
Very few of the original stones remain but this circle still has a nice feel to it.

Circle Number 3
This circle is now part of someone's back garden.
On one side is a thick black railing (like circle 1) and the other side has had
a wall built right up against some of the circle stones.
This circle is located at the back of a house on the Cong side of circle number 1
(or directly behind circle number 4)

Circle Number 4
The biggest of the four circles but also the most ruined.
(perhaps a thick black railing might have been of help to this circle down through
the ages!!!!).
This circle can be found in the field behind circle number 1 (to the right) or right
behind circle number 3.



Overview
The four stone circles to be found at Glebe in Cong Co Mayo are all very different.
This site is a must see as the 4 circles are so close to each other.
Had this site been looked after down through the years, it would be nothing short of stunning.
On leaving these sites after my visit I felt "Ireland has missed a great opportunity"
All of the circles can be found in adjoining fields, with circles one and three probably easier to get to from the main road.
(note:-circle number 1 mapped).

Dolmen of the Four Maols

This site is known locally as the Dolmen of the Four Maols.
The tomb is not actually a dolmen but a Kist.
The site is located on the outskirts of Ballina town above the railway station. It looks like at some stage one of the side-stones has been removed from the tomb (first image) and left lying a few feet away.
This tomb is well worth a visit but prepare yourself for the OPW sign at the front of the tomb and various masts, fences and phone lines (all shown in their full glory here).

Srahwee Wedge Tomb

This great looking tomb would be in a very striking location but for a bungalow which has been built about thirty meters behind the tomb.

The single roof stone (the sites standout feature) covers almost all of the main chamber which is over four meters long.

Despite that the tomb now forms part of the Clew bay trail it was very over grown on the day of my visit and having seen pictures of Srahwee from before this would seem to be the normal.

Aghagower Round Tower and Church

The founder of the first monastery here was St. Senach who was created Bishop of Aghagower by St. Patrick. The Round Tower, (which is preserved up to the fourth floor) was built between 973 and 1013. According to legend, the capstone was struck by lightning, and landed half a mile away on the hill of Tavenish. A local woman is said to have carried the heavy cap stone in her apron to the church where it still remains today.The present ground-floor entrance is modern, the nearby church was built in the 15th century, but with fragments of an earlier church.

                               

Rockfleet Castle

Rockfleet Castle also known as Carrickahowley Castle, stands in a small inlet on the northern shores of Clew Bay in County Mayo.
The Castle is renowned for its links with Grace O`Malley, a pirate sea Queen who inhabited the castle in the latter part of the 16th Century.
The castle is four floors high with a small rectangular corner turret rising above the parapet.
The principal apartment was in the top floor where there is a fireplace.
The building was restored by the diplomat Sir Owen O'Malley, a direct descendant of Grace O'Malley.
The castle is signposted (as Carrickahowley) just off the N59 between Newport and Mulranny.