THE ROAD TO IRELAND
Written by MOTORBIKE EUROPE Road Writers -
Ireland is like one big village, you feel like you already know it, even if you’ve never been there before. The mystical land of myths and legends, Celts and Druids, floating out in the Atlantic on the western edge of Europe, is just waiting for you to explore it on your motorbike, and uncover the layers of history for yourself. The wealth of interesting things to do means you’ll never fit it all into one trip, so don’t bother trying to.
The people are warm and friendly, and they always want to know where you're coming from, and where you're heading to…They’ll ask you about your motorbike, and they really want to hear your road stories. It is, after all, a nation of storytellers, and this is evident in the deep literary heritage you find across the country, from WB Yeates to Oscar Wilde, to James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Patrick Kavanagh.
Maybe because it’s an island, but Ireland has more than its fair share of castles, abbeys, heritage centres, monastic settlements, and prehistoric monuments. For example, Newgrange in Co. Meath, dating back to 3,200 B.C., predating The Pyramids by 400 years, older than Stonehenge by around 1000 years, is the largest passage tomb in the northern hemisphere. The country is littered with ancient circles of standing stones, as if acting as some kind of doorway through time, for those that know how to open them.
Head south over the mountains from Dublin, and you’ll find Glendalough, “The Valley of the Two Lakes”, a monastic settlement from the 5th century A.D. The winding, unspoilt mountain roads are perfect for motorbikes, and you usually have the roads all to yourself, so you and your friends can relax and enjoy the landscape. Check out the famous Johnny Foxes Mountain Pub, for some great seafood, and an even better atmosphere.
North out of Dublin brings you to Carlingford Lough, and eventually Belfast, where the many scars of British occupation are still visible today. Keep riding north, and you’ll come to the Antrim Coast, where you should visit another UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Giant's Causeway. A series of 40,000 interlocking, hexagonal, basalt columns, it’s the result of an ancient volcanic eruption, between 50 to 60 million years ago. A corresponding rock formation emerges on the Scottish side of the Irish Sea, indicating that these two geological phenomena are connected, and, as legend would have it, the mythological Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill built the causeway, to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart, Benandonner. That was before Ryanair.
Stop the bike anywhere in Ireland, and you’ll probably find somewhere to stay for the night, closeby. No matter what part of the country you find yourself in, you can always find a cosy pub by the roadside. Full of good people, with an open fire, and maybe even some rooms to rent, you can park the bike for the night and enjoy a Guinness or two, followed by a local whiskey by the fireside, to end the evening with. After some food.
You’ll probably walk in on some live traditional music, being played effortlessly by locals that look like they’ve been doing it all their lives... and they probably have. As soon as you take your first mouthful of Guinness, you’re a friend of theirs.
