For the love of peat...

At first we had thought that our Ballinsloe B&B smelt of cigar smoke, then realised the house was smelling from the peat fire. There is only one other guest, and the owner tells us how the whole town is so quiet since the motorway was built 3 years ago, making it too easy to whizz pass the centre of Ireland. They still get packed out with visitors in October though, when the largest horse fair in Ireland is held here. She says people come there "even though they can't tell one end of the horse from the other!". We have allowed ourselves short mileage today to see the sights, starting with the village of Shannonbridge, which does what it says, with an ancient 15 arch stone bridge.


It being a Saturday there are fishermen in waders in the wide Shannon waters. Heading north west from here, a hare pops onto the road 20 metres ahead, stops momentarily for a look at us, then shoots back into the field alongside. Next stop is the 6c priory ruins at Clonmacnoise, and from the hills here we have views for miles along the meandering river. There is a private railway for the mini-engine pulling the trucks of peat from the mechanically stripped bog to the nearby processing factory, where they are compressed into the briquettes sold at all garages. I remember us using the very same at home in Belfast in the 1960s. In the local paper we follow the story of how the EU has banned the removal of peat from many areas from the 1st of Jan this year. There are strong protests, as peat is still used by so many homes around here.
Heading south we pass a lone fully-laden touring cyclist and exchange greetings, his accent hinting at Netherlands or Scandinavia.
We are then back at the beautiful old B&B in the centre of Birr , lucky to secure the last room as they are taking overflow guests from another wedding at Doolys Hotel opposite. The main street is full of small businesses, not quite such an embarrassment of pubs and betting shops as our last stop, but more than enough pharmacies, hinting at a tendency to hypochondria. There are terraces of fine Georgian houses, all retaining their sash windows and handsome front doors.
We explore Birr Castle gardens, which are full of wonderful mature trees and an astonishing enormous 72 inch wooden telescope built by the 3rd Earl of Rosse in the 1840s. It was the biggest telescope in the world for 70 years.


Over the river is a suspension bridge, the oldest in Ireland, a small prototype for the Avon bridge. As a bonus we spot a family of Goldcrests in the bushes against the castle wall, a first sighting for Mike of the smallest bird in the UK & Ireland.


After all this we enjoy the roast of the day at Doolys, whilst watching on their TV Leinster playing rugby against Ulster in the exciting Twickenham Heineken Cup Final.


Tour miles to date: 676

Location:Ballinasloe to Birr