Route Narrative Notes

Route Narrative
Keith Baud, our route designer for the Emerald Isle Classic, provides competitors with route narrative notes, gathered together during his route survey visits, to add background colour to the places visited during the rally route. These notes, which represent a purely personal view, are reproduced on a day-by-day basis for general interest without any guarantee for their exact historic accuracy.

Day 2 - Athlone to Galway
Not too much Guinness last night I trust?
Today is quite a long day, but an interesting one, moving as it does from the central plain to the mountains of Connemara before finishing on the shores of Galway Bay. It is also a day for film locations....
A short test precedes a long run across country to the little town of Dunmore where you should find the first TC of the day in Glynn's Bar which seems to be run by David! It is hard to imagine anyone hitch-hiking in Europe these days let alone a single young girl, but when Jeremy and I did the second recce that's who we picked up on these lonely roads. Because there was no bus service she was walking to her nearest town, even though it was raining quite heavily at the time. This was something she did two or three times a week as a matter of course. We clocked the distance from where we picked her up to where we dropped her - it was just over 6 miles!
As a confirmed hitch-hiker myself I think it is a great shame that this very social way of getting around has disappeared from our roads, driven away by perceived dangers that are very rare. It is even more a shame that country folk in Ireland still have to resort to this method of transport because the public services are so bad. Still we are always being urged to car share aren't we?
Whilst rolling along these fast roads you may see distinctive large birds with a light grey body, black head, black wing tips and black tails. These are hooded crows, very much a curse of the farmers in these parts who think they take young lambs.
You may also wonder at the stacks of large hay bales bound in black plastic - each painted with a white letter - usually OXOXOXOXOXO. The farmers believe that painting a large white letter on each of the bales scares off the crows. One I saw had decided to paint a more emphatic message that he hoped the birds would understand, his bales spelling out "F**K OFF CROWS!
Continuing west from Dunmore we come to the small town of Neale where the TC will be in the Post Office. WHAT TC? I can hear you exclaim. Well it is the TC that was going to be at Ashford Castle. But between publishing the route and writing theses notes we had a call from the management to say that they could not accommodate us for coffee, but we could still drive through the grounds if we wished.
I had heard that there was a pub in Neale owned by the son of the stand in for John Wayne in the 1953 film "The Quiet Man". Trouble is the person who told me didn't remember the name of the pub or the owner. So Jeremy dropped a line to the local Post Office to elicit the information and got a call back from the Postmaster saying that he would do it! Where else would that happen but in Ireland?
So now you will stop at Neale and not Ashford Castle (www.ashford.ie) - don't worry we will issue you with an amended route and time schedule.
But we are still taking up the offer and sending you through Ashford Castle where you can admire the golf course and the setting of this magnificent building on the shores of Lough Corrib. Once the home of the Guinness family it is now a luxury hotel - American owned. Much of the filming for "The Quiet Man" was done in the grounds and in the nearby village of Cong where you can visit "The Quiet Man" cottage.
These huge Irish lakes are to me very reminiscent of Finland, each dotted with many tiny islands. Lough Corrib (picture map 45) is reputed to have 365, one for every day of the year. Your route west of Cong takes you between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask and into the beautiful Partry Mountains and Lough Nafooey, nestling in its mountain valley. It is a gorgeous drive on a nice day and no doubt the Dutch will get excited at the sight of a waterfall tumbling down the far end of the valley! The best view is from the parking area in grid square 6099.
This area is known as Joyce's Country - not because of any literary connections with James Joyce but for the simple reason it is the most common surname in these parts.
After regaining the R336 it is but a short run to the small port of Leenaun on the shores of Irelands only fiord - Killary Harbour. Those of you who have experienced the Norwegian fiords might think this description a little far fetched but it is indeed a fiord, surrounded by quite high mountains as it winds its way to the wild Atlantic. Leenaun was the setting for the recent Richard Harris film "The Field". No, I haven't seen it either!
Leaving the south shore of Killary Harbour the road climbs onto high moorland and gives you a fine view of the Twelve Pins or Twelve Bens of Connemara across the skyline ahead. Skirting the shores of Kylemore Lough we come to the lunch halt at Kylemore Abbey (www.kylemoreabbey.com), in a beautiful lakeside setting backed by high mountains. The Abbey is not as old as it looks, being built in 1868 by Manchester business magnate Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret. Benedictine nuns bought the house in 1920 having fled from Ypres in Belgium in 1914. The nuns run a girls boarding school here but for a fee you can visit the chapel and gardens. However, I am sure that most of you will be content to have a snack in the café, browse through the gift shop and just relax and admire the view. The abbey also has connections with our Clerk of the Course as hi mother was educated here.
After lunch we continue westwards, out to the very tip of Connemara where the wild Atlantic waves dash themselves against huge round rock formations and magnificent beaches. This is wild country, trees struggle for a foothold against the fierce Atlantic Gales and tiny cottages have their thatched roofs held down by boulders tied to ropes. I did read somewhere that Connemara is the wettest place in the British Isle - it has rain on 300 days a year! I found it very reminiscent of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland - another community where the next stop west is America.
Whilst we were exploring the lanes of this north-west corner of Connemara we kept meeting a battered white VW Golf, with four young lads in it on Latvian number plates. What the four Latvians were doing in this forgotten corner of Ireland in March one can only wonder at. But on reflection I guess it is no different than your course car driver - Tony Payne (www.pyemotors.co.uk) - and I driving around Latvia in a battered white Peugeot 205 diesel one cold October as we did about 7 years ago....
You may wonder why we are making you go way out west of Clifden when it would have been much shorter down the main road. Well this is so you can drive the famous "Sky Road" a corniche road around the Kingstown peninsula that gives you the best views of this lonely little town as you approach it from the west.
Clifden may be stuck out on the edge of Ireland but it is a bustling little place and we are sure that you will get a warm welcome in E.J.Kings Bar right in the centre of town. However, its location has also ensured Clifdens' place in the annals of aviation history, for it was just south of here on the 15 June 1919 that John Alcock and Arthur Whitton-Brown landed after making the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in their Vickers Vimy bi-plane.
Well I say "landed", it was more like "crashed", because the intrepid aviators, no doubt tired out after over 16 hours in the air, plonked their plane down on the first bit of dry land to appear under them. The problem was that Derrygimlagh Bog wasn't as dry or flat as it looked from the air! But they survived and so transatlantic air travel was born.
I would not recommend trying to drive to the landing site that is clearly marked at the end of a very rough track in grid square 44/6546. However, we did work a few minutes into the schedule if any aviation fans amongst you want to make the small diversion to the Alcock and Brown Memorial in Grid Square 44/6548. You can see it quite clearly, sticking up like an aircraft tail fin on top of the hill.
The road east from Ballinboy bridge is classic a Connemara blanket bog road. Twisting and turning over innumerable brows it winds its way east past hundreds of small, dark lakes or Lochans. The ever-present Twelve Bens keep you company to the north. At Tombeola Bridge you regain the coast for a very pleasant run alongside many islets and inlets of this wild country.
This part of Connemara is known as the Gaeltacht because Irish is the first language of the local people. Indeed you will notice that the road signs are in Gaelic too. (Don't worry, the Gaelic names are on your maps alongside the "English" ones. When we did the recce we stayed in a little bungalow B+B at Glencoh in grid square 45/9337. Therese Conroy, the widow who kept the place, suggested that we go to the pub at Maam Cross in the middle of the moors to get a meal. What a place! As the only pub for 20 miles radius it had attracted all the local farmers, and their wives and families, for a Sunday night out. They even hold the "Boghoppers Ball" here every year. Jeremy and I got some funny looks but that could have been down to the interbreeding....
But Therese was a lovely lady and we told her that you would all give her a "toot" on you horns when you pass her bungalow. Don't forget now, Jeremy has sent her a "rally arrow" so you'll know when to toot!
The next control at Costelloe is in a fuel station so no doubt you will use the opportunity to fill your tanks. This control is actually slightly "off route". When you get to the "T" junction of the R336/R343 turn right and the fuel station is a few hundred metres up the road on the right. To regain the route just turn around at the fuel station and head south, past the "T" junction and on down the R336.
Costelloe is the HQ for Radio Gaeltachta and TG4, the state Irish speaking radio and TV service. It is also the village where J. Bruce Ismay, Chairman of the White Star Line, retired to after the Titanic sank in 1912. That's a wonderfully useless piece of information.
Another moor road leads you north east towards Oughterard with some fine views over Lough Corrib as you descend from the moorland. This gives you a better idea of the size of the Lough, which at 42,000 acres is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland.
The return road south over the moors to Bearna gives you fine views of the broad expanse of Galway Bay, famed for its oysters. The traditional boat of the bay and surrounding islands is known as the Galway Hooker. If you see tan sails and a black hull on the horizon then it is almost certainly one of these traditional craft that have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, albeit for pleasure rather than their original use as coastal trading craft.
Your hotel in Galway is right on the shores of Galway Bay in the western suburb of Salthill. It is dead easy to get to so there is no need to enter this busy city, with a population of 60,000, the Republics fourth largest I believe.
Those of you who have done events that I have planned routes for in the past will be familiar with my love of finding the unusual or down right obscure! Many remote places we have visited on rallies seem to have invented local festivals in order to boost tourism interest. Who for instance could forget the memorable World Wife Carrying Championships in Ilsalmi Finland, or the Finnish Cattle Calling Championships later in the year. And what about Oulu on the Gulf of Bothnia, tar capital of the world? Here they hold the Tar Rowing Race in July (presumably it is at its most fluid during the summer), the Santa Claus Dance Championships in January, and in autumn 2000 the town even hosted the World Air Guitar Championships. The mind boggles...
Well my research can reveal that Galway also has its own off-beat festival. The All Ireland and World Oyster Opening Championships are held in the City every September! This four-day festival, not surprisingly sponsored by Guinness, attracts the cream of the world's most skilful oyster openers. I could give you a blow by blow account of how to open an oyster but I won't. Instead I quote from the Championship programme. Thursday 26th September: The Irish Oyster Opening Championship - Red Square Bar. "Watch top Irish oyster openers vie for a place in Saturdays World Oyster Opening Championships."
I never realised that the spectacle of grown men trying to prise open comatose crustaceans could make such compelling watching. Mind you, I bet trying to say, "The All Ireland and World Oyster Opening Championships", after ten pints of Guinness is a bit difficult....
Pat Neville, resident of Galway, and a man many of you will know from navigating James O'Mahoney's Volvos, has kindly arranged some traditional Irish entertainment for you at the Galway Bay Hotel tonight. I don't think that oyster opening is on the bill....

Day 3 - Galway to Killarney
There is no getting around it today is a long day, probably the longest of the rally. One of the reasons for this is that today we have to cross the Shannon by ferry. It takes about 30 minutes and the ferry only runs every hour. Therefore we have to build in a big window of time into the middle of the day to accommodate this.
However, I think you will enjoy the day because it takes in some very varied landscapes and places, from the barren limestone karst of the Burren to the wild beauty of the Dingle peninsula. But first we have to get around Galway - hopefully the tulip diagrams will help.
Once south of the town you start running around the shores of Galway Bay. You might be lucky and see a Hooker or two at the tiny fishing village of Kinvarra, overlooked by the tower of a castle, this is a popular place for racing them.
After tracing the southern shore of Galway Bay we enter Co. Clare and start climbing into the unique limestone landscape of The Burren (picture map 51) via a TC at the Highlands Burren Hotel (www.hylandsburrenhotel.com). To be fair, this lunar landscape is best explored on foot for only then can you appreciate the abundance and variation of flora that grow in the cracks (grikes) of this barren limestone pavement. Alpine saxifrages and gentians rub petals with Mediterranean orchids and maidenhair ferns. An astonishing 1,100 of the 1,300 species of plant in Ireland can be found in the Burren - and 26 of the 33 species of butterfly too!
Considering there is very little water, most of the rivers run underground as in most limestone areas, and virtually no tree cover, the eco-system of the Burren is remarkable, so much so that large area are now protected. Man too, has left his mark upon the landscape, for although the thin soil is hard pressed to support agriculture the fields are littered with ancient tombs and stones.
You may also think that man has made his mark by abandoning chest freezers everywhere. Whilst a bit of an eyesore, this is actually a clever bit of re-cycling by the local farmers who use them as handy vermin and rain proof stores for livestock feed.
The little town of Lisdoonvarna is Ireland's only spa, it's sulphurous and iodine rich springs, allegedly curing any number of ailments. However, these days the town is better known for its annual Matchmaking Festival - yet another of those bizarre festivals designed to get tourists to flock to the town. And flock they do for the Matchmaking Festival is nothing more than a chance for the shy and repressed bachelor farmers to get to meet some local talent. Well it started out as that, but it now seems to have generated into a bit of drunken free for all for lonely singles looking for a one-night stand. Mind you, if the local farmers resemble the dissolute bunch we saw at Maam Cross it is not surprising that men outnumber women 3/1 at the festival!
You reach the coast again at the village of Doolin, its gaily-painted houses home to a number of craft and woolen shops. Doolin is one of the small ports that serve the lonely Aran Islands which you may be able to see a few miles off-shore. Life is hard for the 1500 inhabitants of these barren islands which are exposed to the full force of the Atlantic weather. Farming is done in tiny fields painstakingly created using stone walls to surround meagre soil created from sea sand and seaweed compost. Fishing is done using traditional boats called currachs, which are flimsy but buoyant craft made by stretching tarred canvas over a wooden frame - rowed by three men and carried to the sea upturned on their heads.
The most famous product of Aran of course is the ubiquitous Aran Sweater (not as in Arran, an island in Scotland). The best are hand-knitted from naturally oiled wool, which will keep you both warm and dry. Each family had its own distinctive pattern so that the bodies of fishermen, lost at sea, could be identified by their Aran jumper.
As you climb away from Doolin, you look down on the wild Atlantic to the right whilst ahead lies the forbidding round tower of a castle, looking for all the world like a film set from "Lord of the Rings". We were originally going to establish a Time Control at the visitor centre at the Cliffs of Moher where the limestone of the Burren falls a sheer 200m into the Atlantic. But when we last stopped there they were just erecting lifting barriers and were on the point of making a €3 charge so we did not think you would appreciate having to pay to visit a TC!
Soon the broad expanse of Licannor Bay opens ahead over the brow of a hill - Atlantic waves will probably be marching in to break onto the brad beach at Lehinch. On the left, halfway along the road between Lehinch and Ennistimon, is a poignant memorial in bronze depicting a child knocking on a closed door. This is to commemorate the great famine of 1845, and in particular the inhabitants of the Ennistimon Workhouse where over a 1000 people died - their names unknown. Over 20,000 people died in North Clare alone...
We were really struggling to find an alternative to the aborted control at the Cliffs of Moher until we spotted Biddy Early's Pub and Brewery (www.beb.ie) in the village of Inagh. Perfect!
This is Ireland's first pub/brewery and brews several beers including Black Biddy (like Guinness but much better!) Red Biddy (like a bitter) and Blonde Biddy (lager). I doubt that you will get time to visit the actually brewery, but do buy a few bottles from the pub to take with you - I can thoroughly recommend the Black Biddy. As the local cattle Artificial Insemination man is reputed to have said, "If I drank enough of that stuff I wouldn't be needing the bulls!" Don't forget pick up one of the Biddy Early free "flyers" giving you the history of the brewery - it is a good read and the Irish can tell it so much better than I.
Unfortunately we have now left the mountains behind, at least until later in the day anyway, and your journey across the forest and bog land of Clare to the Shannon ferry at Killimer (www.shannonferries.com) will hardly be scenically exhilarating. Therefore it is best to make as good speed as you can and get to the ferry as early as possible.
The alternative to the ferry is the long haul round via Limerick - a busy place. Anyway we thought that you would appreciate a short cruise.
The ferry only sails every hour on the hour at this time of the year and takes about 50 cars - even less if there are lorries. You might think it would have been better for us to organise a special ferry for you but firstly the owners would not play ball and secondly it is not a very good idea anyway as the first car on the road has to wait an hour or more for the last car on the road to board....
So, it will be a mad scramble for the ferry, get there as early as you can (we will allow you to book in at the TC early) and join the queue. I cannot remember how much it is to cross, about 15 Euros I think, but hopefully we have built in enough time between the TC at the Killimer ferry terminal and the next TC at lunch out at Glin Castle to enable you all to board a ferry and get lunch at Glin. If there are any problems with ferry delay etc; please do not worry too much, our marshal at Killimer will know what has happened and we can try and sort it out later.
Once you offload on the south side of the river, a short run to Tarbert and along the shore to Glin is all that is left before lunch. Lunch is being supported by James O'Mahoney of TARA OIL (www.taraoil.ie), so give him a big thank you if you see him at Glin Castle. (picture map 64)
The Knights of Glin have been in Glin Castle for 26 generations, the present Knight and his wife Olda coming here in 1975. The family is descended from the old Norman family the Fitzgerald's - Earls of Desmond - whom we shall hear more about later.
The present Glin Castle is really a plain Georgian House with added castellations. It was originally built in the late 17c as a thatched longhouse, this building is now the basis of the long west wing. The newer, main part of Glin was added in the late 18th century. At the time of writing I do not know where you will have lunch, but you will almost certainly see the magnificent entrance Hall with its family portraits lining the walls.
South from Glin a very pleasant run leads you into Co. Kerry and the rolling, forested hills of the Stacks mountains. If the weather is fine there are extensive views to the south across Tralee to the Slieve Mish Mountains on the Dingle peninsula. The roads in these parts make up a famous rallying special stage called "Desmonds Grave". It is a strange name and I often wondered who Desmond was - in March I found out. Hidden amongst the long grass at the side of the road just after the junction in grid square 71/9414 is a small memorial to Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond (one of the Knight of Glins Ancestors) who was beheaded at this very spot on 11th November 1583. This is the very spot where the final rebellion led by the Earl of Desmond against Queen Elizabeth the 1st came to a bloody end. Mystery solved.
The famous town of Tralee - they still have the "Rose of Tralee" beauty contest each year, lies on flat land close to Tralee Bay to which it is connected by a canal. A preserved railway also connects the town with the village at the seaward end of the canal - Blennerville - which also boasts a fine windmill. (picture map 71)
Ahead lies the Dingle Peninsula, one of the most beautiful in Ireland and the most western most piece of land in Europe. (Cabo de Roca in Portugal is the most western most piece of land in mainland Europe). A fast road leads you along the northern side of the peninsula, but be sure not to follow it inland at the village of Camp - stay on the coast road for Connor Pass.
The narrow road over the pass is still used on special stage rallies like the Circuit of Kerry to this day, but it is a main route into the western end of the Dingle peninsula and anyway the views from the parking area at the top are just too good to miss. To the north and east stretches Brandon Bay and the Atlantic Ocean whilst to the south west an extensive panorama opens up over Dingle town, Dingle Bay and right out west past Slea Head to the craggy Blasket Islands. That's the way that you are now going.
Dingle town is a lively, colourful little place, and you will pass through it twice so you may have time for a quick peek. The port bustles with fishing boats which reap a rich harvest from these waters and Dingle is famous world wide for Fungi, the famous dolphin that swam into the harbour some years ago and stayed, much to the delight of locals and tourists alike.
West of Dingle the peninsula becomes even more remote as the road passes through Ventry, with its vast white sand beach and on around Mount Eagle to Slea Head. The Slea Head drive is another classic rally stage but again the views are too good to miss, and the drop into the sea is quite a long way down too!
Look out for the strange beehive shaped buildings to the right called clochans. These early Christian buildings are built entirely of stone, the roof being corbelled in until the two sides touch at the ridge. They are remarkably watertight and a newly constructed one can be seen on the right at Doonbeg Fort. Also watch out for the ford on the Slea Head Drive, it is quite rough and bumpy so take it easy - we do not want any broken cars.
Eventually you will arrive at Slea Head Café, if the parking immediately in front is full there is some just before it on the left (seaward side) of the road. The café is staying open late especially for us but I am sure that you will want a cup of tea and a piece of cake whilst you sit outside on the terrace and admire one of the finest sea views anywhere in the world.
The café also contains quite a good gift shop and also an exhibition concerning David Leans stunningly beautiful film "Ryan's Daughter", which was filmed in this area in 1970. If you have never seen the film then try and get the video, it really captures the scenery and flavour of this wonderful part of Ireland.
The little village of Dunquin just around the headland is where Ryans Daughter was based and the village is also home to the Blaskets Heritage Centre, an imaginative modern building overlooking Blasket Sound and the islands (picture map 70) whose history it records. There will not be time for you to visit but once you have been to the Dingle peninsula you will want to come back....
We return to Dingle town from the north-west and then continue along the southern side of the peninsula to the control in the curiously named South Pole Inn in the village of Anascaul (www.southpoleinn.ie). I could not resist siting a control in such an unusually named place, and as it turned out one with a very interesting history.
The South Pole Inn was built by an Anascaul resident, Tom Crean, in 1914. Crean was an Antarctic explorer and was in Scotts ill fated expedition to the South Pole. He wasn't actually in the small party that made the final ill-fated attempt to the Pole - if he were the pub would not be here would it? But he was in the search party and was the first to find Scotts body. He then joined Shackleton and underwent similar hardships when with Shackleton, he rowed a 22ft open boat across 900 miles of the South Atlantic to South Georgia to seek help for their ice bound vessel Endurance. Perhaps it is not surprising that Tom decided to retire after that escapade, and opened a pub back in Anascaul, where he died in 1938. Although I haven't seen it myself, I understand Tom's exploits are the basis of the latest Guinness TV advert.
All that remains is a fast run from the vast sands of Inch to the little town of Castlemaine - where the famous Irish song "A wild colonial boy" was written - and on to Killarney, one of Ireland's major tourist towns nestling alongside Lough Lean at the foot of the lovely Macgillcuddy's Reeks - Ireland's highest mountains.
You will have two nights in the Killarney Plaza Hotel. We thought that at the end of what has been a long day you would appreciate a group meal tonight whilst tomorrow, once you are more familiar with the town, you will be able to search out your own bar or restaurant.
However, please do not forget the Bord Failte reception in Killarney Motor Museum tomorrow night...

Day 4 - Killarney - Glengarriff - Killarney
In the good old days, Killarney was a traditional watering hole on the Circuit of Ireland Rally. Not surprising really when one considers the maze of roads surrounding the town. Today we shall explore some of the more famous ones (and a few they didn't use!).
A large part of the valley around Killarney is a National Park centred on Muckross House and Abbey, which lie on an 11,000 acre estate to your right as you leave town. The roads and tracks through the surrounding woodlands, parklands and three connecting lakes are really beautiful and the best way to see them is by "jaunting cart". You will see these pony traps for hire right across the road from the hotel - but negotiate a price with the "jarvey" or driver before you leave. These guys definitely have the gift of the "blarney" and will entertain you with tall tales about local places and superstitions.
It is a sad but inevitable fact of life that some of the old ways in Ireland have disappeared in recent years. When I first went to Ireland about 15 years ago the pony and trap, whilst not common, was certainly still be used as every day transport by some country folk. Now you are highly unlikely to see one anywhere other than tourist towns like Killarney.
The road you use to climb into the mountains is the famous Molls Gap road, a classic special stage still used to this day. Indeed the Rally of the Lakes, a round of the Irish rally Championship will have used this the previous week to you.
But you will be proceeding at a more leisurely pace I hope, with plenty of time to admire the ever changing views of Lough and mountain. At the top is a café and gift shop owned by Avoca Weavers (Avoca is a village in the Wicklow mountains and the setting for the popular TV series Ballykissangel). Jeremy and I thought the café, with its panoramic view down the valley would make an ideal Time Control/early coffee stop. We enquired in the café and were told "You'll have to see Eileen downstairs" with the sort of sniff that means the deliverer of the message did not exactly hold Eileen downstairs in high esteem.
Eileen downstairs proved to be most reluctant to have a horde of unruly rally drivers within the sacred portal of her building. She had obviously had a lot of bad experiences with rallies and would not believe it when we told her that you were all upstanding and respectable members of the community and would not dreeeeeam of causing any trouble. She still said NO and we went away thinking we would have to run the control in the car park.
So imagine Jeremy didn't want to be beaten on this so had another go when he returned and was pleasantly surpised to get a phone call saying we could indeed have the control in the café and they would open early to accommodate us - what happens on the day remains to be seen. So you lot, best behaviour please when you visit the Avoca Shop. No donuts in the car park, only in the café, and you will make Eileen downstairs a very happy lady....
Instead of taking the boring old main road down into Kenmare we have decided to take a side road which is much more interesting - the bright ones amongst you will guess why. I actually prefer Kenmare to Killarney. It is much smaller for a start, but its brightly painted shops and bars give it a very happy feel, and its location at the head of Kenmare Bay is lovely. The town is basically a triangular one way system, don't forget to locate O'Connors Bar ready for when you come back for lunch. Going this way it is on the right in a little "square" before you enter the one way system.
Kenmare is the gateway to the Beara peninsula and the famous Ring of Kerry. Of the two I prefer the Beara peninsula, it is more beautiful and has far less tourists. Which is why we are going there now. However, first we have to cross the mountains to the lovely town of Glengarriff, on Bantry Bay. There are two ways we could do this. We could take the main N71 through a series of rock tunnels through the Caha Mountains, the popular way. Or we could take the little used and even less well-known track over the quaintly called Priests Leap.
Which do you think I chose?
The Priests Leap road is a little cracker, surfaced throughout, but narrow and bumpy it is a classic Irish mountain road. It is far too dangerous to use competitively of course but as a drive it offers a tough little challenge with superb views to reward the effort. Do be careful on the descent after the PC at the top, there are some serious blind brows over which it is impossible to determine which way the road goes. I would not want to be in a car with a long bonnet - it might be best if the navigator got out and walked in front!
But we have allowed you plenty of time to reach Glengarriff and the Eccles Hotel (www.eccleshotel.com), location of the next TC and Test. Glengarriff is beautifully situated overlooking an island-studded harbour at the head of Bantry Bay. The only blot on the horizon, literally, being the oil terminal on Whiddy Island opposite Bantry itself.
The mild climate of this coast means that many sub tropical plants survive that would normally be found much further south in Spain and Portugal. Most spectacular and common amongst these is the Arbutus or Strawberry tree - you may see some on your circular tour of the lush Glengarriff valley.
The R572 along the southern shore of the Beara peninsula is a wide fast road, recently improved to serve the port of Castletown or Castlebeare which is the second largest fishing port in Ireland. Originally, fishing was done by using locally built wooden boats - elm on oak frames - about 25ft long rowed by between 6-10 men. These worked in pairs with a seine net. Now the seas are sucked dry by the huge European boats based here.
The road also serves Leahill Quarry, on the left before Adrigole, but fortunately most of the stone is shipped out by sea from the deep-water port at the quarry.
Despite all this industry, the waters of Bantry Bay to your left are some of the cleanest in the world, some species of coral even survive here. One of the claims for Bantry Bay is that it is the second largest natural harbour in the world. I have heard this claim for many places that I have been over the years - always the second largest. What I want to know is, where is the largest? Upon reaching Adrigole you turn north to climb over the central spine of the Beara peninsula. For sure there are a lot more interesting roads right down to the tip of the peninsula at Cods head. But if we took you down there it would make a very long day of it. So we turn north, over another classic rallying road - the Tim Healy Pass.
With a few hairpins, this is as close as you will get in Ireland to an Alpine pass. Again we are running it as an ordinary road section so that you can take the climb at your own pace (I doubt there will be much traffic so you can "enjoy" yourself if you take my meaning), and enjoy the fabulous views over Glanmore Lake (picture map 84) and across the Kenmare River to Macgillcuddys Reeks on the skyline.
At the bottom of the hill, on the left, is a lonely wayside pub - the Old Shibeen - site of he next time control. The next section back to Kenmare, depending on which route you are doing, takes you along the shores of Kilmakillogue Harbour, a simply gorgeous drive. Look out for Teddy O'Sullivans tiny quayside pub at Bunaw. What better place to enjoy a drink and a smoked salmon sandwich. I rang Frank Fennell one evening whilst he was doing the PR recce and he said, "We are just enjoying a quick drink overlooking Kilmakillogue Harbour". I said to him "I bet you are at Teddy O'Sullivans". "Jesus, how did you know that?" came the reply.
We have allowed you time at Kenmare to find your own lunch in one of the many bars and restaurants in this pretty little town. For the touring route this is the end of your competitive day - we thought you would appreciate a free afternoon to do your own thing in such a beautiful area. There are many things to do:
You could stay on in Kenmare for a bit of retail therapy and then drive back to Killarney via Molls Gap.
You could drive up to Molls Gap for lunch, enjoy the view and buy your wife or girlfriend a nice jacket or scarf in the Avoca Shop and say hello to Eileen!
You could drive back to Killarney and take a jaunting car ride through the grounds of Muckross Abbey or a boat trip on the lakes
You could go to the beautiful pass known as the Gap of Dunloe and take a jaunting car ride there. NOTE: do not try to drive there direct from Molls Gap - approach it from the north end via Killarney and Kates Cottage. The jarveys regard the Gap of Dunloe as their domain during the day and take great exception to cars trying to drive along the road! Which is why we are not using it on the rally.
Some of you may want to make the long drive around the Iveagh Peninsula known as the "Ring of Kerry". My advice is don't. The scenery is not as special as it is made out to be - certainly not as nice as where you have been this morning, the roads are full of tourist coaches and it is a long and tiring drive.
If I were you I would drive back to Killarney via Molls Gap, hire a jarvey and his jaunting cart, and take a break from driving - there is still a long way to go to Dublin!
Those on the sporting route still have an afternoon's motor sport ahead with another run over Molls Gap and then a long haul up from the coast road into the mountains via the glaciated valley of the Ballaghbeama Gap another classic Circuit of Ireland stage.
The lonely Climbers Inn at Glencar on the western side of the main mountain range sees the start of the final section back to Killarney around the shores of Lough Caragh. This road had been much improved over the years and I did plan to use some more minor ones in the area as well. But they were much too rough for most of your cars. Mind you the section of road between Owngarry Bridge and Meanus isn't exactly smooth!
Hopefully you will arrive back in Killarney in time to get yourself spruced up for the special reception the Tourist Board have organised in the Killarney Motor Museum which is only about 200m walk from the hotel. After that the night is yours to enjoy the delights of Killarney.

Day 5 - Killarney to Dungarvan
This time we leave Killarney to the south-east on a main road run to Kilgarvan, and the Time Control in a wonderful little privately owned motor museum that I found quite by accident.
The Mitchell family have been building the collection for over 20 years now, buying and restoring cars that have been unearthed in barn and bog throughout island. The most they ever paid was £1000 - and that was for the Rolls Royce! It really is a lovely eclectic mix of cars and memorabilia housed in a collection of ramshackle sheds next to the family bungalow. The Classic Rally Association has kindly paid for your entrance fee and tea and coffee so do try to get there as early as you can to enjoy this interesting little collection.
Access to the museum is a little limited - we shall put arrows out. Basically you fork right up a stony driveway, hairpin right at some sheds, drive past the family bungalow, sharp left in front of the "museum" and the small car park is on the right. Early numbers should park as high as possible because after you visit, the Mitchell's have made special arrangements with a neighbour that you will take a track from the top of the car parks and return to the public road about 200m north of the way that you went in - effectively making it a one way system. So please park with consideration for other competitors.
After Kilgarvan the road starts a long climb into the Shehy mountains, passing through a rock tunnel at one point. Once over the top you drop down into the beautiful Borlin Valley, from where this classic special stage gets its name. At Kealkill - ruined castle- you join the R584 for the run north over the Pass of Keimaneigh to the next TC at Gougane Barra (www.gouganebarra.com). This boulder strewn defile through the mountains was scene of a bloody battle, but I cannot tell you much about it 'cos Jeremy would not stop at the memorial so I could read it!
Gougane Barra is a lovely spot, a lovely little lake set in a glacial hollow in the mountains. St Finbarr set up an Oratory on the small island in the 6c, the present building (picture map 85) isn't it!. Gougane Barra Hotel are opening especially for you so it is tea and biscuits time again I am afraid...
Some interesting roads lead north-east from Gougane Barra through the Derrysnaggart mountains to join the N22 at Ballyvourney. Again, these are classic rally roads, only used the week before on the Rally of the Lakes so do not be surprised to see skid marks everywhere! You might also see signs on the roadside saying "bowling in progress". This sport is peculiar to Co Cork and involves two contestants bowling heavy steel balls down the road. This bowling match goes on for miles and the contestant who completes the course in the least number of throws is the winner. It is actually illegal to play it on the public roads but that does not seem to deter the locals who turn out in their hundreds to watch, with big money being placed as bets on the outcome of the match. If you are unfortunate to come across one of these matches it is advisable to get well off the road, as nothing, not even an expensive classic car, will divert them from their bowling.
This is lonely country where the farmers must struggle to make a living, but savour it for these are the last mountains you will see for a while as we take the N22 eastwards into Co. Cork and through the pretty town of Macroom with its fine castle and along the valley of the River Lee to the Lunch Halt at Blarney.
Now everyone has heard of Blarney surely? No visit to Ireland would be complete without kissing the Blarney Stone....
We have arranged parking in Blarney in the large car park adjacent to Blarney Castle (www.blarneycastle.ie) entrance. Once there, and checked in, you are free to wander off into the village or visit the large gift shops and restaurants in Blarney Woollen Mills, there is a pedestrian entrance just across the road opposite the exit to the car park.
However, if you wish, you can pay your money to enter the castle grounds and queue up to Kiss the Blarney Stone which is reputed to endow you with the eloquence of the Irish. However, kissing the stone does require a certain acrobatic ability because first of all you have to climb 120 steps to the top of the castle tower. Then you have to lie down on the floor and lean backwards over a sheer drop to be able to kiss the stone set in the castle wall (someone is on hand to hold your legs which is very considerate of them). Still want to do it?
The castle and estate (picture map 80) of Blarney now belongs to Charles St John Colthurst who has kindly allowed us access to the estate roads for test after lunch - so some of you at least had better recompense him by paying to kiss the stone.
You cannot believe how touch and go it was that we got this test at all. At one point Charles was in fear of losing his testicles if not his life! It is a long and very funny story which I will not go into here for fear of embarrassing him, but it involves his sister, a getaway car, and an old copy of the Irish Times. Ask Mickey Gabbett, he was nearly wetting himself with laughter at the time....
After Blarney the landscape changes considerably. Hills give way to the rolling, fertile farmland of Co. Cork. We are moving into the lands of the great estates, established centuries ago by Anglo-Norman settlers. We are also moving into "tinker" country, these itinerant travellers probably descended from dispossessed peasants in the 18c. They are not gypsies, but have become quite a social problem in Ireland as many live in illegal roadside camps. Indeed I changed the route in the Glenville area when I spotted a large roadside camp that was still there 6 months later. The local landowners have even resorted to fitting car park style height barriers to their gates to prevent the tinkers moving onto the land with their trailers and caravans.
You may wonder why I am taking you on a circle to the east of Lismore instead of taking the N72 straight to this historic town. Well that is because I want you to approach the town from the north. That way you will get the best view of the impressive Lismore Castle, standing on a bluff above the River Blackwater at the entrance to the town.
Lismore Castle is one of Irelands most evocative castles (see picture on map 81). It was built by Prince John in 1185 but was extensively rebuilt in the 19C for the 6th Duke of Devonshire. At one time it was leased to Sir Walter Raleigh who sold it to Richard Boyle, father of the famous scientist who formulated "Boyles Law". In 1753 it passed to the Cavendish family - Dukes of Devonshire - whose Irish seat it remains to this day. For many years it was the home of Fred Astaire's sister, Adele, who married a Cavendish.
You will not have time to visit the castle, but you do have time for a cup of tea and a bun in the Lismore Hotel (www.lismorehotel.com), site of the next TC. It is best to park in the free public car park on the left just before the memorial in the middle of town. This car park is right behind the hotel so all you have to do is to walk around the corner to check in.
After Lismore we continue east, across the fertile valley of the Blackwater to two special tests. The first at Tourin House - home of the Jameson sisters - is a typical Irish farmyard test. After that we have a super drive south along the banks of the Blackwater estuary and over the River Bride to Moore Hill - lovely home to Johnny Perceval-Maxwell and his family who are looking forward greatly to you thrashing up their front drive. I wonder if they know what they have let themselves in for! Do please keep off the grass as if you don't you'll be subject to some big penalties and some lessons in green keeping! On the way to Moore Hill look out for Dromona House on its promontory high above the Blackwater, and the beautiful country church near Snugborough - it looks very English.
A final section through the lanes brings you to Youghal Bridge over the estuary. Although you will not be going through it, Youghal is a pretty place that served as the film set for the classic 1956 film Moby Dick. Once over the estuary it is a fast road all the way to Dungarvan and your overnight halt at the Clonea Strand Hotel just outside of town.
Some of you may not have yet realised it but the Sporting Route competitors have an extra 3 hour night section in the lanes tonight. This has been put in on the suggestion of Michael Jackson and Mickey Gabbett who would like to give you the taste of what a traditional Irish "Night Nav." is all about. You will get the route to plot well in advance but navigation will have to be very accurate - watch those directions of approach!. Timing will be to the minute with no regularity sections but there will be penalties for being late at controls. It should be a good night and you should be back in the bar before midnight....

Day 6 - Dungarvan to Dublin
This is it, the final days run home to Dublin. We leave Clonea Strand to the north with the Comeragh Mountains looming ahead of you. I originally planned the route to pass over and up the west side of these mountains but if we were to get you back to Dublin at a reasonable time then I had to shorten the days run a bit, so the Comeragh Mountains went by the board. There is always the next time...
The little town of Carrick on Suir straddles both the river of the same name as well as the border between Co. Waterford and Co. Tipperary. Legend has it that Anne Boleyn, one of Henry 8th six wives and mother of Queen Elizabeth 1st was born in Carrick, but legend it probably is. Therefore perhaps the most famous resident of Carrick is Sean Kelly, the racing cyclist who was rated No 1 in the world in the 1980's.
It is a busy little town and once over the river bridge you have to turn left into a one way system which leads you west to the N24 where you can turn north and then east (The signposts will say Waterford). Alternatively you can chance the Gabbett shortcut. Again just after the bridge turn left into the one way system but immediately start looking on the right for an archway between the buildings and shops on the right. Turn right through the arch - careful it is easy to miss - right again at the end of the lane, and you are on the N24 heading east out of town. Your choice, but don't blame me if you get lost!
They have straightened the road towards Piltown and by-passed the town. Therefore you have to find the correct exit from the new road to get into town. Don't get nervous and take the first obvious one - it isn't signed Piltown - continue on to the next. This will take you onto the "old" road and into the village where you will find the TC in Falvey's Fuel Station on the right. I hope they are still in business because they have suffered greatly since the by-pass opened.
If you haven't guessed by now, the next section via a network of lanes north east of Piltown is a regularity. Many of the junctions have grass "triangles" at them so it is important that you drive the correct route. Therefore take the "cut" (shortest route) at each of these junctions with the exception of the one stated in the route book. On these roads you will also pass the monument to the Marquis of Waterford who fell from his horse on the 25th March 1863. But don't stop, you will not have time!
We now head north across increasingly flat farmland into Co Kilkenny and the estate at Ballaghtobin of Joint Clerk of the Course Mickey Gabbett. The Gabbett's have lived here for over 400 years - most of them are buried in the front garden, complete with it's own church. Mickey's wife Catherine runs a superb B+B at this fine house (www.ballaghtobin.com). If you ever come back to Ireland I would urge you to stay here, you won't regret it. Americans use it a lot. It is Catherine who has actually given us permission to use the estate but we could not persuade her to come out marshalling for some reason......
After "Gabbetts Lash" (one competitor rang to say they could not find it on map 67 - fair point!) we continue through the village of Kells. The priory at Kells is NOT the one where the famous Book of Kells comes from, but it is renowned for the series of great watermills that line the valley of Kings River, the first is on the right just after you turn on the narrow road to Kellsborough.
The next test at Kellsborough we named "Hughies Place" simple because when doing the recce, Mickey G kept saying "now we are going to Hughies Place! Hughie is in fact Hugh Hutchinson, a lovely man who keeps a tidy farm in which this test will take place. It is a little bumpy in places so we thought the tourers might like to miss this one.
This will also give the tourers more time to enjoy the coffee break scheduled at Waltons Grove which is better known to golfers as Mount Juliet (www.mountjuliet.com). This is one of the best golf courses in Ireland and the main house is an exclusive hotel whilst you can also rent some nice lodges and apartments. The owners are allowing us to drive through its carefully manicured grounds and have a coffee break in the clubhouse so you are very honoured. Please drive carefully and respect the golfers and horse riders that you may encounter. Classic Rally Association have pre paid for tea / coffee and scones.
Continuing across country you come to the little town of Graiguenmanagh, where an ancient stone bridge crosses the River Barrow, a navigable river that connects the Grand Canal with the sea at Waterford Harbour. It is a pleasant spot, and the road continues up the valley of the Barrow to Borris, turns right under a fine stone disused railway viaduct and heads towards the foot hills of the Blackstairs Mountains and the looming bulk of Mount Leinster.
As you turn north towards the mountain at Killdemond look out for the poignant little memorial on the right at the junction. "John Murphy, hanged near this spot on 3rd July 1798 aged 26 years for forging pike heads" Seems a little harsh now doesn't it?
The road over Mount Leinster (picture map 68) affords some fabulous views to the north over a patchwork of green fields stretching into the hazy distance. I liked it so much I decided the sporting route should see it twice! Onwards through the little towns of Bunclody and Carnew, the R747 will speed you through some pleasant scenery on the way to lunch in Aughrim. Unfortunately you will have to buy your own today.
After Aughrim, and lunch at Lawless's Hotel (www.lawlesshotel.com) the scenery gets hillier as you approach the southern foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, the last range of mountains before Dublin. The little town of Rathdrum claims to be the birthplace of Charles Stuart Parnell - the Blackbird of Avondale, whoever he was! (He was of course a famous 19c Irish Politician who campaigned for Land Reform). Avondale however is a lovely wooded valley stretching north to Laragh. Here you are right in the heart of the mountains and soon the road starts a relentless climb to the high moorland around Sally Gap, another famous Circuit stage. As you head up the valley, the Dutch will no doubt get excited with the sight of Glenmachass Waterfall tumbling down the head of the valley.
Once past the waterfall the road twists and turns over high open moorland with great vistas in all directions. This is part of a military road built by the British through the mountains. After the Sally Gap crossroads the road starts the final descent towards the outskirts of Dublin but we are turning east down the beautiful Glencree to Enniskerry. As well as being a beautiful valley and a desirable place to live close to Dublin, Glencree houses at its eastern end one of the best houses in Ireland - Powerscourt. You will not see it, but what you will see ahead as you descend the valley are the twin cones of Great and Little Sugar Loaf which hide our final destination - Killruddery House (www.killruddery.com)
Killruddery is famous for its rare 17c gardens. Ponds, parterres and hedges are laid out with mathematical precision in front of a house that dates from 1650. We are indebted to the Earl of Meath and his brother David Brabazon for allowing us such a magnificent finish as Killruddery and we hope that you will take time to see for yourself the wonderful gardens and house. Again Classic Rally Association has pre-paid your admission and for a cup of tea and biscuit.
That's it. We hope that you have enjoyed the 1st Emerald Isle Classic as much as we have organising it for you. All that remains is a straightforward run on the N11 north into Dublin and the Gala Prizegiving at the Burlington Hotel.

Hopefully we will see you again on the 2nd Emerald Isle Classic!