Ireland Day 6 - Fairy Bridges

Today's journey took us back to Ireland, specifically to Westport, crossing the green border. We were about 150 km away, approximately a 3.5-hour bus ride from our destination. Unfortunately, it started raining on the way, so we couldn't have our planned picnic at the Fairy Bridges during our stop. Nevertheless, we didn't want to miss this scenery and walked to the coast in the rain and wind. And we were not disappointed. With the rough sea and strong wind, the stone arch under which the waves washed through and crashed against the cliffs was even more impressive.

 
The Fairy Bridges are special rock formations in the coastal area of Bundoran. There are a series of natural blowholes or puffing holes through which seawater breaks through and pushes water up when the tides require it. It is believed that the locals believed as early as 1700 that these holes were haunted by fairies, which earned them the name 'The Fairy Bridges'. In the book 'Scenes In Ireland' from 1834, the large Fairy Bridge is described as: '...a single arch span of twenty-four feet with a causeway of half this width, perfectly formed and free from all obstruction. Although it is safely walkable for mere mortals, visitors are advised to avoid its desecrated surface as the fairies are always listening. Sometimes they are seen by those possessing the invaluable gift of second sight.'
We did not heed this advice and of course took a 'Grubbafoddo' on the stone arch. If fairies have eavesdropped on us, hopefully, they have only heard good things;)

 
Quite soaked, we were back on the bus, trying to dry all our pants, socks, and sweaters, which we more or less succeeded at. After another hour's drive through green meadows and an impressive moorland landscape, we arrived in Westport, where we checked into our two accommodations and wandered around the town after a delicious dinner. However, because we were also quite frozen, most of us went to bed fairly quickly.