The drive from Donegal to Spiddal was very pleasant. In Westport, County Mayo we had a brief stop but most of the shops were closed – Sunday morning. Thankfully, Matt Malloy’s pub is open so we have a quick pint. The pub is owned by the flutist from the Chieftains and is well known. Leenane is along the route and looks like it’d be a nice place to spend some time (maybe next trip!).
We stopped for a picnic at Klylemore Abbey in Connemara. To avoid a long highway route, we ‘bushwhack’ our way through the rugged and beautiful Connemara back country to our lodging at the bay-side Armor Inn in Spiddal. Spiddal is a Gaeltacht (they speak Gaelic) village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, about 12 miles west of Galway city. Our hostess at the B&B has a massive garden of rare plants, flowers, and trees.
Dinner was at ‘Tigh Giblin’, a restaurant in the heart of the village. Good choice – the food (Connewara lamb for me) was great and we had a lovely table at which to enjoy a few sessions of traditional music.
