Travelers Thoughts

Ahhh, the lovely Irish countryside of County Mayo, the breathtaking views of the Atlantic, the beautiful and serene Stella Maris Country House Hotel and Restaurant, and a memorable Ballycastle pub crawl! What could be better — of course, I failed to mention the renowned Stella Maris breakfasts and dinners that they are talking about all over Ireland and elsewhere. Just thinking of it all makes me imagine with an Irish lilt to my thoughts.

So here is what I know personally. In the mid-1800s, the property was used as a Coast Guard station while the British ruled Ireland. Then in 1914, it became a convent for the Sisters of Mercy who taught primary school for the village of Ballycastle and later lace making and music. In 1960s, a new school was built in the village of Ballycastle and the property subsequently was sold the Whelan family who then operated it as a small, family-run hotel for many, many years.

When the branch of the Whelans who had continued to run the hotel decided to sell it, fate intervened. The lovely Frances Kelly, who had lived in Ballycastle as a young girl and had worked at Stella Maris alongside her sisters after it had become a hotel, returned to Ireland for another visit after having pursued her education in culinary arts in the United States. When Frances learned that the property was up for sale, she and her husband, Terrence McSweeney, purchased the property, and began renovations on this unique property to the point that it is today — a beautiful and luxurious environment for a choice clientele who could appreciate the tranquility that West Mayo has to offer.

Today, Stella Maris is a member of Ireland’s Blue Book of Country Houses and Restaurants, as well as Historic Hotels of Europe. It also has been named one of Ireland’s Top 100 Restaurants, with it‘s many home-grown vegetables and herbs and local fishes and lamb, and, of course, Frances overseeing every detail of the modern Irish dinner specialties.

Situated very close (40-minute drive) to both the Enniscrone and the Carne/Belmullet golf courses, two of the finest links in all of Ireland, this meticulously restored structure provides the perfect lodgings for the golf enthusiast. With its 100-foot glassed conservatory, the views of Bunatrahir Bay will comfort and delight you. There is both fresh and salt water fishing, bird watching, hiking and biking all available in this area, as well as strolls to the famous Downpatrick Head. One version of the story of Downpatrick Head is that it is where St. Patrick cut off the head of a giant serpent, dividing the Head from the mainland and driving all snakes from Ireland.

And now I am there, if only in my imagination, and I swear I can almost feel the wind on my face and the sound of the birds and crashing waves. Is it my imagination, but as I look out upon that vast Atlantic, do I almost see the roundish curvature of the earth…?