More Arklow related music trivia, as well as being referenced in one of my favourite Van Morrison songs, I've just discovered the town is the birthplace of Roisin Murphy one of my favourite female singers. Admittedly her uniquely theatrical approach to Trip-hop was honed in the clubs of Manchester and Sheffield as she lived in England from the age of 12, nevertheless everything about her is unmistakably Irish. So given my previous post ended by going off at a tangent about Father Michael Murphy's statue in the middle of the town, here's the very great Roisin Murphy singing 'Statues', the title track from Moloko's final album.
OK, moving on both figuratively and actually - just like in the UK, compared to mainland Europe Ireland is not particularly well set up to accommodate motorhomes. Campsites are expensive and dedicated motorhome stops few and far between. It will develop as there seems to be a burgeoning business in motorhome rental. This should drive up demand for places to stay. At the moment it can be tricky, especially as many campsites insist you pre-book but seem reluctant to answer the phone!
Luckily, having just stayed at Moneylands Farm, a motorhome aire just south of Arklow, we found another on the southeast coast, situated near Hook Head, about halfway between Wexford and Waterford. It is called Norman View as it overlooks Bannow Bay, the place where Anglo-Norman invaders landed in the 12th century, beginning a centuries long struggle between the native Gaelic aristocrats and the English monarchy.
The Hook promontory feels remote, getting here involved my first experience of driving on rural 'L' roads, most are single track, often with no verge. They are doable if you take it slowly, the locals do and are used to squeezing into gateways to let larger vehicles through. The motorhome area can accommodate up to 50 vans, the cliff-top location is spectacular but exposed.
It was time to unload the bikes. We took a short trip down to the small fish quay at Fethard.
The main village is about half a mile inland. It has an attractive main street, not all Irish villages do, many are quite workaday. Fethard's claim to fame is it has the third oldest bar in Ireland, but maybe many others make similar claims!
What is true is the fact that the lighthouse at the end of the promontory is the second oldest continuously working lighthouse in the world. It was constructed in 1172.
Gill has a bit of a thing about lighthouses. This makes her a pharologist apparently. The lighthouse itself is very impressive, the walls in the lowest section are almost four metres thick. Equally impressive is Hook point itself, named I surmise because of the way it bends around the entrance to the deep ria that links Waterford to the sea. It is claimed that the saying 'by hook or by crook' originated from here from a phrase used by local mariners .
The lighthouse stands on a low grassy outcrop, surrounded by slabs of limestone shelving gently down to the sea. An iconic lighthouse with geology, definitely a place for Gill.
Dolphins, porpoises and occasionally humpback and minke whales have been spotted offshore, but not today sadly.
We have been in Ireland for five days now. So far it has been interesting, as anywhere unfamiliar always is, but not especially memorable. However, we will remember the Hook lighthouse I think, it is a unique monument in a spectacular location.
Now we have visited the second oldest working lighthouse it becomes imperative to visit number one. It's Roman and situated in A Corunna. We are due a return trip to Galicia and the monument trumps its Irish rival not only in terms of age but also in the quality and availablity of local sea food; moreover given the choice, can there be anyone other than a diehard Irish nationalist who would prefer a glass of Guinness to a chilled Albarino Rias Baixas?
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