#glengarriff

This little resort, tucked away in a beautiful glen on Bantry Bay, is quite simply a jewel. The Gulf Stream, which keeps the weather in this part of Ireland surprisingly mild, has been especially kind to Glengarriff, allowing subtropical vegetation to flourish here as almost nowhere else in northern Europe. Here you can hole up for a couple of days in one of the several comfortable hotels and guesthouses scattered about the village, and indulge yourself with unhurried walks around the bay – to Lady Bantry’s Lookout and the Eagle's Nest beyond, for instance – or just laze in the mild, warm sunshine on the beach at Biddy's Cove. One must for every visitor is a trip to the remarkable gardens at Ilnacullin, or Garinish Island, which were constructed about 50 years ago by John Annan Bryce. When you see the exotic vegetation growing in fabulous luxuriance here – fuchsias up to 25 feet high, for example, and plants and shrubs from as far away as the Himalayas, Amazonia, and Asia – you'll never believe that every speck of dirt on this once-barren island had to be imported from the mainland. There are Japanese and alpine gardens, an Italian garden clustered around a rectangular lilly pool massed with flowers, and a Greek temple, all framing magnificent views of the bay; a lookout tower stands at the summit of the island. Among the island's eminent visitors was George Bernard Shaw, who wrote part of Saint Joan here.

Farther afield, but easily reached from Glengarriff, is the Beara Peninsula, as beautiful as the famous Ring of Kerry nearby, but much quieter. A circular signposted tour takes you around the mountainous, 30-mile-long peninsula and through the stunning Healy Pass. Near Castletownbere is the ruined Dunboy Castle – the last stronghold of the Irish rebellion of 1602 – and there are excellent beaches near here and farther down the peninsula at Ballydonegan. All in all, a perfect way to spend a couple of days.

Details: Glengarriff (pop. 250) is 68 miles west of Cork and can be reached by bus from there. Garinish Island, reached by ferry from the town, is open from March 1 to October 31 from 9:45 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday and from 12:45 to 6 on Sunday. 

William Bryson, The Palace Under the Alps, p147-148 

The final, and one of my favourite, stops of our South Western Ireland trip was the beautiful Garnish Island- reached by a short ferry trip from the village of Glengarriff, overlooking the waters of Bantry Bay and set against the back drop of the Caha Mountains. Garnish island extends to 37 acres and is renowned for its gardens which flourish in the mild humid micro climate of Glengarriff…

Today, I remembered Mum, as it was this day last year she left us. I remembered the week before, as she readied us for her leaving and I remembered the previous two years and the toll they took on her.

Then, as I thought of her I remembered her fighting spirit. Her never giving up. Her compassionate and caring nature. Her laughter and wicked sense of humour.

In the past week I’ve felt far removed…