The city of Bantry has been blessed by the gods both Celtic and Christian. Encircled by mountains and bordered by the sea it has some of the most breathtaking scenery in Ireland. The vegetation is lush with palms and tropical flowers. The Gulf Stream literally beats a path to its front door. The mountain sides abound in cascading streams, hillside pastures, lakes and woodlands where megalithic monuments and monastic ruins are strewn like pebbles on the ground. The town is one of the most colourful in the country and was once traversed by Venetian style waterways. Stroll along the promenade through the centre of town past brightly decorated houses and shop or walk along the seafront and rest at one of the many view point. Dine at one of the many restaurants and sample the local produce or just relax in one of the Pubs or outdoor Cafes. This place exudes friendliness and charm.
Now that you are rested and refreshed the south coast awaits. The Mizen Peninsular stretches its way to the most south westerly point in Ireland. Along the way you pass through a landscape of outstanding scenic beauty. The journey begins at Ballydehob where there has been settlement since before the Bronze Age. Megaliths abound nearby and copper and gold were mined at nearby Mount Gabriel over 4000 years ago. The town is a patchwork of colourful gables, housing antique shop, craft galleries and bookshop along with many excellent bars, restaurants and cafes. In recent times it has become a centre of the Arts with many artists, sculptors, writers and craftspeople living in the vicinity.
Along the way you pass through isolated country villages and sleepy sea side ports like Schull, the departure for the local islands and Goleen with its secret harbour, Heron Cove. A narrow winding street in the middle of town leads to a tranquil retreat where the images of blue and white boats are reflected like a shimmering mirror in the stillness of the evening ebb tide. Eight kilometres further on is the penultimate destination of our trip, Mizen Head. From the visitor's centre car park, perched atop a precipice that drops into the Atlantic you take a path that lead to “the ninety nine steps” that wind down the cliff face to the award winning Maritime Museum housed in the Mizen Head Signal Station. On the way down you'll pass static displays that capture the spirit of its maritime history; code flags, a huge propeller of an ill-fated ship and the earliest signal antennae. This was after all where Marconi came to trial the first radio transmissions to America. The biggest surprise waits at the bottom of the pathway for the headland is actually an island sundered from the mainland by a deep abyss that conjures up visions from the dim recesses of ones mind, especially in the late afternoon when the shadowy gap is dark and brooding with the thunderous roar of crashing waves. But fear not there are no monsters to challenge you passing across the narrow arched bridge, which is encased in protective barriers. Just keep moving and don't look down. The Museum is an experience not to be missed. It includes historic as well as environmental exhibits along with displays on lighthouse construction, sea life, underwater wrecks, the fastnet race, keeper's kitchen and bedroom, map and archive room and audiovisual displays. The Mizen Light was once know as the “Light at the End of the World”
Our final destination is Crookhaven, which lies midway between Goleen and Mizen Head. This sheltered harbour gets it name from its narrow U-shape. It holds a special place in Ireland's national psyche for it was once the last port of call for ships heading for America. It was major port for Trans-Atlantic shipping where it was said one could walk across the harbour on the decks of boats. The present day Crookhaven with less than thirty permanent residents is a far cry from the halcyon days of the late 19th century when the population was around 700.
A lilting Irish melody from 0'Sullivans Bar on the quayside drifts on the warm evening breeze; a poignant reminder of the past. This was the last vision of the Erin Shore that most of those who were forced through circumstance to abandon Ireland for a new and uncertain life in America would ever see. The last time they would gaze upon those colourful streets, bustling ports, wooded hills, verdant glens, cool clear mountain stream and stone lined fields. A deeply religious people banished from their earthly paradise. They sailed away beyond the deep waters of Crookhaven, past the brooding heights of Mizen Head guided by the solitary sentinel of Fastnet Rock; a jagged spire wrought by wind and wave just beyond sight of land. It is forever know as the “Teardrop of Ireland”, the last sight of home. Like elves with bittersweet memories of Middle Earth as they sailed into the west forever.
Ireland has reinvented itself, which is not surprising given that it gave birth to civilisation in Europe. Irish was the first written European language at a time when Britain and the rest of the Continent had descended into darkness. Ireland remained a solitary beacon of civilisation and eventually sparked the revival that led to the Europe we see today; a fact that those of us with an Anglo-centric upbringing have remained oblivious to. Ireland has once again become an economic “Wunderkind” of Europe. It is comforting to know that it has not come at the expense of all that is green and good in the world.
