We sought out for big waves in Northwest Ireland, but instead we got nice mild weather and a calm ocean.  The Atlantic Ocean’s waves are very unpredictable, so our time in Ireland was spent waiting…and waiting…and waiting for waves.  Unfortunately they never came, but we made the best of our three-week trip.

 County Sligo
View from our bedroom window

View from our bedroom window

We were fortunate to rent Herdsman’s Housewhich overlooked the Atlantic Ocean and acres of farmland located in Ballymulderry, County Sligo, about a 3 hour drive northwest of Dublin.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by its very friendly owners Desmond and Mary, who were extremely attentive throughout our stay and even gave us a lovely wedding anniversary gift.  It was great to meet them & their children and have tea in their home.  We’ll never forget their amazing hospitality.  One of my favorite things about living in the country was the abundance of organic vegetables that were grown and sold to us by our friendly German neighbor Toby.   I got to experiment in the kitchen with lots of new vegetables, as well as shellfish: lobster, mussels, cockles (similar to clams) and oysters!

During our stay we visited several neighboring towns: Sligo (including Strandhill & Rosses Point beaches), Mullaghmore, Bundoran, Easky, Ballyshannon, and Donegal.  Feel free to zoom in or click on the map below to see where we wandered around in this beautiful country.


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Benbulben

Benbulben

Driving around our neighborhood, which is often labeled “W.B. Yeats Country” (after the famous Irish poet), granted us breathtaking views of the 320 million year old Benbulben rock formation, known to be a “mythical” landmark in County Sligo.  On clear days, we couldn’t help but stare and this amazing mountain set in the Irish countryside.

During Betsy and Eric’s visit, we drove to Sligo town and did some local site seeing.  We visited Sligo Abbey, which was a Dominican Friary built in the mid-13th Century and Carrowmore Megalithic Tombs, which are nearly 7,000 years old!  We also drove out to Parke’s Castle and Lough Gill, which was a gorgeous lake that often inspired W.B. Yeats.

County Donegal
Slieve League Cliffs

Slieve League Cliffs

One of our favorite day trips was to Donegal town and the Slieve League Cliffs, located 30 miles west of Donegal.  These cliffs are some of the highest in Europe, measuring nearly 2,000 feet  above sea level.  The ocean views took our breath away!  We also loved the large number of sheep wondering along the cliffs. While in Donegal town, we wandered around Donegal Castle and Carrick, a neighboring village.

While out for lunch at a local restaurant, we came across a tasty local Blonde beer from the Donegal Brewing Company.  We discovered that the local pub that housed this beer was only about 30 minutes away from our house in Ballyshannon in County Donegal.  When we got there, the bar tender informed us that the town was celebrating their annual Carnival Festival and recommended that we stay to watch their night parade.  So we decided to hang around the town and we were so glad we did!  The 5 minute parade featured locals on stilts, incense burning thuribles and medieval costumes and masks.

No waves, no wind

Unfortunately Mike’s luck was not great when it came to finding surf along the Irish coastline.  There was a touch of swell when we first arrived, and just before we left, but otherwise the typically consistent northwest coast was flat as a pancake.  We did end up finding a few waves here and there, but for the most part it ended up being more driving than surfing.  The Peak in Bundoran was the most consistent spot; this is a popular reef break right in the middle of Bundoran town.  The view of the wave from the restaurants and pubs in town make for a crowded line-up; everyone knows when it’s working.  Mike did end up braving the wave-hungry crowds a couple times and managed to find a few waves.

The last surf spot we hit on our Irish adventure was Easky, a big left-hand wave breaking along a rocky reef near an abandoned castle tower.  According to the surfers we talked to in the parking lot, we “should have been there yesterday”, because the conditions had turned on-shore and sloppy when we arrived.  That didn’t stop Mike from getting a few waves, as it was his last opportunity to surf before leaving the country.