Ireland, May 23 2022

The 1952 movie “The Quiet Man” directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara has its followers, and we are among them.  Watching the video is a St. Patrick’s Day tradition in our house and one best practiced with a Guinness in hand.  Over time it’s critics have claimed the movie is misogynistic (which it no doubt is but more by today’s standards) and further that it portrays an idealistic and fantasy view of Ireland.  On the first point I will beg forgiveness and make my excuses, but as for the latter point, I say “Yeah ok, so what”.

St. Patricks Cathedral

If I want to watch the hard realism of Irish history I’ll watch Belfast, which I have, but just once.  On the subject of Ireland, fantasy is way more fun and besides maybe the magical vision of Ireland portrayed in the movie isn’t all that far off.  Our short trip was focused on finding out.

It was our first journey to Ireland and since most of our friends and family had already been there, we heard a lot about how wonderful a vacation it is and how dismal the weather can be.  With our hopes high, we planned to get our feet wet by first seeing Dublin and then driving west to visit the Galway area.

Dublin was very nice, and it falls into the category of cities you must see at least once, and maybe just once.  The Temple Bar area was like Key West without the sunshine and wasn’t my cup of tea.  The highlight of our short stay in the city was a well chosen hotel (The Hyatt Centric Liberties) which had a great staff, and was centrally located near St. Patricks cathedral.  Best of all, the pub two doors down was a gem.  The Capstan Bar, some 400 years old was crowded, but unlike the watering holes in the Temple Bar district, the clientele were all locals.  Most of whom, including the bartenders were happy to see us Yanks and make us feel welcome.  This was the kind of place where people stop off for a pint after work, meet friends, buy each other beers and carry on non stop until the overdue realization that they need to get home.  As a side benefit, we also got some great advise on what to see in Galway.

Ashford Castle

Leaving Dublin I’ll admit the driving was a little scary, left hand driving, left handed shifter; it took some getting used to.  My biggest problem was getting too close to the curb side of the road and I was glad that I got acclimated in the city before I had to deal with the narrow roads around Galway.  Once out on the expressway, the drive was easy and scenic.  We chose a BnB near the town of Cong, which happens to be the town the movie centered around.  In the movie the name was changed to the much prettier sounding Inisfree, and all the filming took place either there or a short drive away.  Cong sits by itself on a pristine stream, in the shadow of the beautiful and exclusive Ashford Castle.  I wanted to stay at the castle after I’d read about it, but it was booked up well in advance.  We walked near by and wanted a closer look but you can’t even visit the castle as it’s approaches are guarded by a well dressed and friendly security team.

The stone bridge entry to Ashford Castle

The very center of Cong (Inisfree)

Ireland isn’t exactly a culinary destination, but the first place we had dinner, Lydon’s Bar in Cong, was terrific.  I tried to vary my menu choices over the course of the trip but my beverage was a constant, draft Guinness and it never disappointed.

There is a small tourist business setup in town around the filming of the movie, incredibly all these years latter it still is a favorite and draws people from all over.  The town has changed from the small country village chosen by Hollywood scouts, but not as much as you’d expect.  In 1952 the town’s residents welcomed the event and many were extras in the movie. 

We were able to see most of the settings for the major scenes in the film and the town has never stopped taking great pride in that piece of its history. We took a short guided tour that originated at an exact replica of the cottage home central to the story (White O’Morn in the movie) and it was extremely well done.  Our guide was hilarious and told stories about the towns folk who appeared in the movie and have now passed on.  He told us about John Wayne hanging out the local pub during the filming and how a few years back he served as the guide for Maureen O’Hara when she made hr last visit.  The area around Cong and surrounding the castle is a serene well maintained park.  Walking from the ruins of the old abbey toward the castle and back the other side of the river is really scenic and picturesque

Herself at the open hearth of White O’Morn cottage

The bridge leaving the Abbey ruins and entering the park

The monk’s fishing hut sitting mid stream

The church where Sean Thornton met Mary Kate

The good Reverend’s house

Along the way you pass a small stone fishing shack built out into the stream where the monks left baited lines tied to a bell.  Back to the movie, there is the house of the Reverend Playfair, the church where Sean and Mary Kate first meet, the famous Pat Cohen pub, and much more.  All carefully preserved and looking as you might have hoped to find them.  

The stream featured often in the movie, and filled with Salmon and Trout

Having exhausted the film nostalgia portion of the trip we then set out on a long car ride through Connemara national park on the recommendation of our BnB host. Along the way passing by a few more settings from the movie, the famous stone bridge seen at the opening, and the train station featured toward the end.  Then we made another winding cruise south the next day to the Cliffs of Moher.  From there a visit to Galway’s pub district and a stay at the Glenlo Abbey Resort near town.  Galway would have been heaven to me when I was in my twenties, great music and pubs, now days I’m not as likely to make a night of it.

The stone bridge from the opening scenes, just as it was in the film.

View from the stone bridge

The station, now abandoned, from the closing scenes

The Glenlo Abbey resort was beautiful.  It is a Hilton property so we were lucky to get an upgrade to the presidential suite that looked out over the course.  The old buildings and grounds were delightful for a long walk and later a well made cocktail.  Dinner was also a treat as they have two of the original Orient Express dining cars on a siding next to the hotel.  We took advantage of that for a great dinner our last night there.

Cliffs of Moher

The only downside of the entire experience was the absolute mess at Dublin airport coming home, where we set a personal record for the longest wait in the a security line at two and a half hours.  It was followed by a delayed flight due to the disconnect between luggage and delayed passengers.

All in all it was a great trip, and for the record, John Ford’s Ireland in 1952 isn’t all that far off.  If you’re a fan of the movie, it’s definitely worth spending a night or two in Cong.  If you’ve yet to see it, I hope you give it a try, you just might find yourself watching it every March.