As my last full day in the Land of Guinness, I emerged from the van quite late. I'm going to stay at the Ardmore Motorhome Parking Field another night. It was restful hearing the breeze and background sea. The village centre is in staggering distance. Moreover it's affordable at €15 a night offering basic grey elsan and water amenity. What more does one need?
So the claim to fame of Ardmore (which roughly translates as high rock, yet not that much height), is St Declan who arrived here as a Christian missionary around the fourth century. The legend is that he was sent here by Rome and after sailing from Wales, he forgot a bell. Somehow his followers sent the bell after him floating on a rock and where the rock landed that is where he set up his monastery. The rock remains perched on the Ardmore beach, and geologically is different to other rocks on the beach. As some wit scrawled on an information board, baloney! Whatever there are plenty who make pilgrimage to the area, especially on the annual Pattern Day (possibly a derivative of patron) in July. There remains a small well in the ruins of the church.
A cliff walk takes you past the church area and around to a WWII lookout post and older Napoleonic tower. The cliffs in this area have claimed a number of wrecks including the Samson crane barge in 1987. An enterprising local, as it was being washed ashore clambered down the cliffs and camped onto it over a Christmas and New Year to claim salvage, to the amusement of news media and all for a few bits of brass. At least the walk means I get to see more cliffs.
Briefly in the 1200s there was a Cathedral (it wasn't that big). It's now a ruin but surrounded by a graveyard that is still in use. The graveyard also accommodates a tall tower. Despite a top window there is no access. The tower age and purpose isn't clear, but like others it was probably a marker when the country was more heavily forested.
Ardmore itself is a small village and like many high streets has seen better days with a lot of premises closed. It's dependent on tourism and it's sandy beach serving the caravan park and B&Bs. There are references to maritime connections and wrecks including a rear deck gun salvaged by divers from an armed liner torpedoed by a U boat in 1917.
So now off to get my final fix of Guinness. Monday sees a lot of stuff closed but I expect to end up in Keevers Village Pub, which inside looks like it hasn't changed since the 1970s.
So the claim to fame of Ardmore (which roughly translates as high rock, yet not that much height), is St Declan who arrived here as a Christian missionary around the fourth century. The legend is that he was sent here by Rome and after sailing from Wales, he forgot a bell. Somehow his followers sent the bell after him floating on a rock and where the rock landed that is where he set up his monastery. The rock remains perched on the Ardmore beach, and geologically is different to other rocks on the beach. As some wit scrawled on an information board, baloney! Whatever there are plenty who make pilgrimage to the area, especially on the annual Pattern Day (possibly a derivative of patron) in July. There remains a small well in the ruins of the church.
A cliff walk takes you past the church area and around to a WWII lookout post and older Napoleonic tower. The cliffs in this area have claimed a number of wrecks including the Samson crane barge in 1987. An enterprising local, as it was being washed ashore clambered down the cliffs and camped onto it over a Christmas and New Year to claim salvage, to the amusement of news media and all for a few bits of brass. At least the walk means I get to see more cliffs.
Briefly in the 1200s there was a Cathedral (it wasn't that big). It's now a ruin but surrounded by a graveyard that is still in use. The graveyard also accommodates a tall tower. Despite a top window there is no access. The tower age and purpose isn't clear, but like others it was probably a marker when the country was more heavily forested.
Ardmore itself is a small village and like many high streets has seen better days with a lot of premises closed. It's dependent on tourism and it's sandy beach serving the caravan park and B&Bs. There are references to maritime connections and wrecks including a rear deck gun salvaged by divers from an armed liner torpedoed by a U boat in 1917.
So now off to get my final fix of Guinness. Monday sees a lot of stuff closed but I expect to end up in Keevers Village Pub, which inside looks like it hasn't changed since the 1970s.
