Monday 16 August 2021

Ashford Castle Saturday 14th

Plans scuttered !!

Looking out of the bedroom room there was a mist so heavy that the islands in the lake weren’t visible!!  

The forecast was for rain! No golf, no falconry and no cruise on Lough Corrib!  There are numerous recreational pursuits available at  the Castle



Luckily, on arrival yesterday evening, we had walked much of the estate. 

The rain lifted around noon, so we set off for the Guinness Tower. 



The walk took us through a densely forested area, past the Equestrian Centre and finally arrived at the Tower - 164 steps later, I reached the top of the tower, disappointed to find merely  a view of  the tree tops, though the literature promised a view over the estate.  The Tower was built by Sir Benjamin Guinness and stands 29 metres in height. We had just returned to the Castle when the rain tumbled down again. 

On arrival in Cong, the nearby village, dedicated to The Quiet Man filmed in 1951, starring John Wayne, Maureen O’ Hara and Mickey Rooney and directed by John Ford. We had noted 













that there was a museum, so we drove to the village to visit it. 

There is a shop full of the film’s paraphernalia. The museum is a replica of the cottage in the film - the original dilapidated - few in the 1950s probably saw its tourist potential. 






Quite a sanctimonious article!!!



Dick Farrelly the composer of the film’s theme tune. 

Tomorrow, Mayo will play Dublin in the GAA football semi final. It is 70 years since Mayo won the title, denied victory multiple times by Dublin but Mayo is prepared 



Tommy Conroy, from nearby Neale, is a member of the Mayo team. 

We returned to the Castle to prepare for dinner. The dining room is beautiful and the glass that covers the ceiling and partially the walls is antique and reflects a portion of the tables



An aperitif and then we adjourned to the dining room for dinner. The sommelier arrived with an extensive wine list on an I-pad with bottles costing into the €1,000s   

We ordered our meal but it is a long time coming - even the amuse bouche!! The meal was delicious - starter, fish course, main course then game. All delicious but the desserts were outstanding and a work of art! 



And 



Coffee and petit fours followed. 

As the meal was delayed, we retired immediately. Covid restrictions demanded that the facilities close at 23:30 


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