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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Beauty and the beast - standing room only
BY PAUL CLAFFEY
ONE of the most famous landmarks in the county and indeed the country has to be Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s Holy Mountain, which towers over Clew Bay and keeps a watchful eye over our offshore islands.
Much has been written, sung and recorded about the mountain, but I want to bring to your attention a beautiful publication which has just been released by O’Brien press. Written by Harry Hughes, the book is called Croagh Patrick – A Place of Pilgrimage A Place of Beauty. It’s evident that Harry, who by the way hails from Westport, has a great love and respect for Croagh Patrick.
The book is only 80 pages long, but it’s absolutely packed with fact, myth, folklore and handed down stories about Croagh Patrick itself and the people who have been instrumental in creating a world-wide reputation for all that it stands for.
The book is also peppered with fantastic black and white and colour photographs, which depict the mountains and its pilgrims over the last 150 years. It’s beautifully written and laid out and it makes a most interesting read, especially for those who have more than a passing interest in Croagh Patrick as a place of pilgrimage and a place of beauty.
THERE has been much talk about the new rail service from Galway to Limerick and it really is great to see at least that stretch of rail open again after a 40 year hiatus. What’s even more encouraging is that the passenger numbers have been very strong, which bodes well for the remainder of the line to be open from Galway to Claremorris and onto Sligo.
However, as recently as last week, there was a lot of frustration and annoyance yet again about the fact that people had to stand on the train on more than one occasion from Westport to Dublin.
This, despite the fact that there are now four daily services to and from the capital and that Iarnroid Eireann have in the last 18 months introduced brand new locomotives and rolling stock at a cost of millions.
Ninety-nine per cent of the travelling public are delighted about the fact that the trains are brand new, ultra modern and, provided you get a seat, a delight to travel in. However, what frustrates and annoys them is to see a train completely full after maybe the first two stops on its long journey to Dublin.
The obvious question has to be asked: “How come there are not enough carriages available to do the job?” The answer may not be simple. In these recessionary times, like every other company, I’m sure that Iarnroid Eireann is stretched to the limit trying to provide rolling stock for every train in the country.
As well as that, I’m sure it’s very hard to predict how many people want to use the train for any particular service, even though people are now encouraged to pre-book their seats. I don’t know what the answer is, I hope that those responsible are taking a serious look at rectifying the problems, because when they work and when there are enough carriages on them, trains are a fantastic way of getting to and from your destination.
They are safe, environmentally friendly and most importantly they allow you to relax without the hassle of traffic jams and clogged up towns. Now that there are four services daily from the west to the capital city, I hope that we hear less about the problems and more about the benefits of travelling by train.
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