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“Travel with Stephanie Abrams” is broadcasting live from Connemara in Inagh Valley at the Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel. Stephanie says that it is a restful retreat from the insanity and craziness of 21st century living. The combination of lochs and long grassy stretches give an incredible sense of peace. Late May is a spectacular time to visit Ireland and this trip has also afforded Stephanie an opportunity to visit places she has never been before in the country.
Click here to see pictures from Stephanie’s May 2009 trip to Ireland in the Sabrams.com photo gallery.
The owner of the Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel, Maire O’Connor, was approached by a business man in the area in the late 1980’s. The beautiful country house on the property (originally a gate house on a local estate) was transformed into a 4 Star hotel. It is centrally located in the valley with walking, hiking, and cycling trails all close by. The area also has had a recent revitalization of its fish stocks and has several links golf courses.
Many come to the area for the purpose of fishing. There are two lakes and two stretches of river that flow to the sea by the Lough Inagh Hotel. People mainly fish for Atlantic Salmon, sea trout and the indigenous Brown Trout of the lakes and rivers. Connemara has received a lot of rain this spring which has helped raise the water levels allowing for a clear passage for the fish to swim in from the sea. Colin Folan, Fishery Manager at the Lough Inagh personally caught a 8.5 pound salmon last week. The area has a bylaw which prohibits the use of bait so all the fishing in fly-fishing. Forty percent of guests of the hotel practice catch and release.
The fishing season begins in February and finishes in September. No fishing is allowed while the fish are spawning. Licenses are required to fish in waters that have salmon and sea trout. Guests can obtain a one day license to do so.
For more information visit http://www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie/
Connemara pub owner Gerry Coyne is the descendent of a famous Mayor of Boston, James Michael Curley. Curley is better known as the Rascal King because he had a reputation for supporting the working class. Spencer Tracey portrayed the infamous politician in the 1958 film The Last Hurrah.
Online Exclusive
Listen to Gerry Coyne, Owner/Publican of Patty Coyne’s Pub interviewed by Stephanie Abrams, commercial free.
Recording Date: 05/31/2009 - 6:31 minute segment.
Paul Fallon, Race Director of Irish Running Tours started his company just 18 months ago. He had moved back from Boston after living in the U.S. for four years and entertained many guests from America. Fallon brought many of his American friends to places in Ireland that were great for running. These friends spread their knowledge of the locations to other friends. Fallon realized that more and more people are packing their sneakers when they travel and looking for places to run in vacation destinations.
Ireland is roughly the size of the state of Maine but there is a lot packed into the island. Connemara is primarily known for its fishing and hiking but there are many fantastic running routes as well. Fallon takes guests to other parts of the country such as beaches in Clare and cobblestone streets in Galway. He says that the country is “so diverse you can’t go wrong”. There are 10 to 12 tours offered year round. If guests provide Fallon an advance request he will also create routes for them. He asks guests to fill out a questionnaire before starting a tour to indicate if other members of their family don’t run and need to have options for other activities.
For more information visit http://www.irishrunningtours.com/
The Lough Inagh Lodge was converted to a hotel in 1989. It is a fantastic location that is great for touring and overlooking the Twelve Bens, a small mountain range of Connemara. The property provides cozy and intimate rooms. Stephanie recently wrote a blog on how there was so much to do around the area and also the experience of coming home at night to a spectacular view.
For more information visit http://www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie/
Fun Facts:
The Open Championship is always played on a links course which is a quality that distinguishes it from the three major golf championships held in the US.
The term publican referred to a public contractor in ancient Rome and later to a tax collector during the time of the New Testament. Publican became synonymous with tavern keeper during the time of the Renaissance.
Both “The Last Hurrah” and “The Quiet Man” were directed by John Ford.
June 3, 2009 Dublin Ireland’s sunrise is at 5:02am. The sunset is at 9:41pm.
Guests Include:
Dominic O’Morain, General Manager, Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel.
www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie
Colin Folan, Fishery Manager, Lough Inagh Derryclare Fishery and Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel.
www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie
Gerry Coyne, Owner/Publican, Patty Coyne’s Pub.
Recording Date: 05/31/2009 - 6:31 minute segment.
Paul Fallon, Managing Director, Irish Running Tours.
www.irishrunningtours.com
Maire O’Connor, Owner, Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel.
www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie
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During previous trips to Ireland Stephanie had passed the Loch Inagh Lodge Hotel while driving through Connemara. She is pleased to finally be a guest of the hotel. The area not only overlooks mountains and water but is surrounded by trees planted by the forestry commission. The Connemara landscape is stunning and it has had human inhabitants living in its hills for over 6,000 years.
Leading Irish archeologist Michael Gibbons joins “Travel with Stephanie Abrams” to discuss the area and a recent archeological find. A local woman was gardening when she discovered a 5,000 year old stone axe. It has a polished, finer blade that is thought to have been used for more delicate work like wood carving. All artifacts are owned by the state. The owner will receive a small reward and the axe will most likely end up in a museum in Galway. It is rare to find artifacts in the area because there is little tillage.
The mountains of Connemara are crowned with Neolithic tombs, its valley side contains ancient field systems and the bogs contain preserved houses, walls and lots. Hunter/gatherer clans came to the area 7,000 years ago and settled it as farmers. The area has come to symbolize the old Gaelic, non-anglicized Ireland to many. Connemara means “the dogs sons of the sea” and is an ancient Celtic name. Maam Cross is the meeting point of several roads that pass through Connemara. It is the site of a local pilgrimage on the last Sunday of July.
Michael Gibbons lives in nearby Clifden, a town where everyone knows everyone else. He has worked for the Museum of London as well as the Department of Antiquities in Jerusalem. He also was involved in a sacred mountain mapping project in Ireland and a national survey program using aerial photography. He now works as an independent archeologist.
Martin Walsh returns to “Travel with Stephanie Abrams” to discuss the Connemara Heritage Centre and Dan O’Hara House. The O’Hara House was the homestead of Dan O’Hara, a pre-famine farmer. The Heritage Centre depicts the country in the 1840’s when the potato crop failed. Many people were evicted from their properties and immigrated to the US and Canada. It took between 9 and 14 weeks to sail across the Atlantic and the ships were overcrowded with little food and fresh water. Sligo was a principal port of emigration and it became known as the embarkation point for “Coffin Ships”. Not only were the ships overcrowded but many of the poor had to walk over a hundred miles to get to the port and were already weak.
The center has a 20 minute audio visual film that details Irish history from prehistoric times to the revolution. Guests can then browse the history room and its display. They are then taken on a drawn carriage to a viewpoint 700 feet high overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. During the carriage ride they are told how the bog formed over 5,000 years ago. Guests then arrive at farmer Dan O’Hara’s cottage to hear his story and are invited to join in a group sing-along.
Online Exclusive
Listen to Martin Walsh, Founder, Connemara Heritage Centre and Dan O’Hara House interviewed by Stephanie Abrams, commercial free.
www.connemaraheritage.com
Recording Date: 05/31/2009 - 2:52 minute segment.
For more information visit http://www.connemaraheritage.com/
Roundstone Music and Crafts is shop in Roundstone, West Connemara, near Clifden. Proprietor Malachy Kearns makes genuine goatskin bodhrans and sells other traditional Irish instruments and crafts. The bodhran is a frame drum traditionally 18 inches around. It is a distinct percussion instrument that is unique to Ireland. A stick (traditionally made from bone) is held in one hand and the second hand holds the drum underneath the goat skin. The drum goes back over three hundred years to the time of the planters. Irish culture wasn’t encouraged under British rule and the instrument served as hidden source of rebellion used to celebrate traditional Irish heritage.
For more information http://www.bodhran.com/
Stephanie says that at the Lough Inagh Lode Hotel “the bad news is your mobile phone won’t work here but the good news is your mobile phone won’t work here”. The hotel has 13 guestrooms which are all double on-suites. Many have views of Loch Inagh. There is space for hikers to store their gear and welcoming lounges for weary guests. Nearby are a restored gothic church and a Victorian walled garden. The hotel’s backdrop faces a National park as well as the Diamond Mountains. Other attractions are within minutes of the hotel.
For more information http://www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie/
Fun Facts:
The Irish language ranks 66th out of the 322 languages spoken in the United States today. Of the over 25,000 speakers, New York State has the most and Massachusetts the highest percentage.
Guests Include:
Michael Gibbons, Archaeologist, Clifden, Co. Galway, Ireland.
walkwest@eircom.net
Martin Walsh, Founder, Connemara Heritage Centre and Dan O’Hara House.
www.connemaraheritage.com
www.connemaraheritage.com
Recording Date: 05/31/2009 - 2:52 minute segment.
Malachy Kearns, Founder and Owner, Malachy Bodhran.
www.bodhran.com
Maire O’Connor, Owner, Lough Inagh Lodge Hotel.
www.loughinaghlodgehotel.ie
