Roundstone
27 September 2018
Departing from Cnoc Suain, we could head north through Moycullen and take N59 out into Connemara, but we really like going south through Spiddal and along the coast. Fast roads can be nice to get somewhere quick, but sometimes you just want to feel the slower pace of the rural roads, especially in a place like Connemara.
We took the R336 road past that old thatched pub, the turn for Carraroe and Coral Beach, and that little café we stopped yesterday, then we looped around on N59 and down the road toward Roundstone. A scenic route for sure.
Roundsone is a cute little seaside fishing village in Connemara that sits on an inlet and faces a few scraggly peninsulas. It’s a small village, with a main row of colorful buildings and a harbor, and not too much else... but it is a nice stop to make. The town is famous for a music shop, one we stopped in on our honeymoon where I bought a handmade bódhran drum and an employee helped us get tickets to see Christy Moore in Sligo. We were definitely going to head back there. But first... lunch!
With Roundstone being a fishing village, of course that meant there had to be some good seafood nearby! Right on the main street is O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar, which sounded exactly like what we were looking for! There has been an active pub in this spot since 1840, and it is often considered to be Connemara’s first pub. It has been O’Dowd’s since 1906, and the atmosphere inside is very much an old-pub feel. We sat in the front at a low table near the bar, where we had some amazing seafood chowder and a seaweed hummus made with local Carrageen, paired with a Galway Hooker stout that seriously redeemed Irish craft beer from my complaint last night. After a very satisfying lunch, we shared a couple fresh Irish coffees that really hit the spot. No crème de menthe here, just coffee, whiskey, and fresh thick cream... as it should be!
While we were sitting in O’Dowd’s we met a guy visiting the area who had been through here the other day and was now in Galway with some down time, and so he took a bus back up here just to have another meal in O’Dowd’s as he liked it so much. Ringing endorsement if I ever heard one!
We left O’Dowd’s thoroughly satisfied and strolled up the street toward Roundstone Musical Instruments. This is a famous music shop owned by renowned bódhran builder Malachy Kearns.
The bódhran (pronounced like BOW-rahn) is a traditional Irish frame drum often seen in session music. It is played by holding up with one hand and usually pressing the skin from behind to control the pitch, while the other hand hits it with a little drum stick which they call a beater or a tipper. A skilled player can generate many diverse tones from the drum, and can vary the pitch and resonance to make for a dynamic accompaniment to the other musicians. Like bagpipe players or bass players in rock music, the bódhran player is often the one who bears the brunt of the music jokes. Still, when played correctly and with some skill, the bódhran can really thicken out a traditional tune.
Roundstone Musical Instruments focuses their attention on the bódhran specifically – you won’t find a bunch of guitars hanging on their walls – which is expected considering the owner is a well renowned bódhran maker. The shop is full of his original, handmade pieces, which you can often see him making back in his workshop (which he was doing while we were there). There are other mass-produced ones on sale there also, easily distinguished by the price and quality, but many of these are hand painted and make for great souvenirs. The rest of the shop is filled with typical Irish shop items. When we were here last, I bought one of the handmade bódhrans that was on sale due to some cosmetic imperfections which is fine by me, really. Part of the reason for stopping in today was to get some advice as the sound has gone a bit trebly over the years, and it seems I need to treat it more with a moisturizing cream and I needed some sound advice. I’ll admit that I’ve slacked off on playing lately, but just walking through the shop and seeing all the drums had me yearning to pick it up again!
We looked out over the harbor and enjoyed the sight of the boats going about their way. Our next stop was Clifden and you know what that meant... crazy Irish road time! As we left Roundstone, we just had to cruise down our favorite wild roller-coaster ride of a road! With the thrill out of the way, we slowly worked our way back to points we found along the road, appreciating the stunning beauty of the area. Deep yellows and browns blend into intense oranges, reds, and golds for a breathtaking landscape. When you drive through an area like this, you almost struggle with the fact that you can’t stop everywhere, there just isn’t the time or space! But you really want to. For every amazing picture, there are so many more you have to pass up. You could easily lose yourself enough to spend a full day on just one road, that’s the beauty of this place…
