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Heading on from Bangor along the R313 through bleak uninhabited bogland you'll come to BELMULLET ( Beal an Mhuirthead , "mouth of the Mullet"), a functional little village, its streets perpetually mired from the mud of the bogs. Like most Irish towns, it's a planned settlement, founded as late as 1825 by the local landlord, William Carter, to "create a home market for produce that did not previously exist nearer than thirty miles by land". Its success was such that it eclipsed the older landlord village of Binghamstown ( An Geata Mor ), on the peninsula, which was deserted by the late nineteenth century. The attraction of the place lies not so much in its physical charms as in a kind of unpretentious unhurriedness - life goes on, shops stay open until late, and the sun arches slowly toward the horizon over the wide western sea. There is a small tourist office on the left side of the main street as you enter the town (tel 097/81500). You can stay in the Western Strands Hotel (tel 097/81096; GBP40-55/50.79-69.84), which has basic rooms, and there are also numerous B&Bs: for good value try Mill House in American St (tel 097/81181; GBP26-33/33.01-41.90), or Drom Caoin (tel 097/81195, dromcaoin@esatlink.com ; GBP33-40/41.90-50.79), which caters well for vegetarians and offers fine views of Blacksod Bay. There are plenty of bars and fast-food joints, so take your pick; the liveliest bar is probably the one at the Western Strands , where you'll also get a good cheap dinner . Leneghan's , next to the hotel, has comhaltas - traditional music - sessions on the third Friday of the month; so does the Anchor Bar , which serves local seafood. A flat slab of land that seems tacked on to the mainland almost as an afterthought, Belmullet Peninsula is sparsely populated, but the houses are scattered in the characteristically Irish way (town-dwelling, as well as Ireland's town-planning, was largely an Anglo-Irish invention). Along with this pattern of habitation, you'll also see field-systems not much different from the Stone Age ones uncovered at Ceide . The seaward side of the peninsula is raked by Atlantic winds to the extent that almost no vegetation can survive. The landward side, overlooking Blacksod Bay, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is much more sheltered and has some good beaches , notably at Elly Bay halfway down. To the east and north the land rises; although the cliffs are not hugely spectacular, there's some rewarding walking. The peninsula is one of the locations where the legendary Children of Lir were condemned to spend their last three hundred years; they are buried, according to legend, on Inishglora, a tiny island off the west coast. The peninsula is rich in historical remains, too: there are promontory forts at Doonamo, Doonaneanir and Portnafrankach. The one at Doonamo, on an impressive clifftop site, encloses three clochans and a circular fort. Under the waters of Blacksod Bay lies La Rata , the largest of three Spanish Armada galleons that sank in 1588. In calm weather, Matthew and Josephine Geraghty run boat trips out to the islands of Inis Ge (Inishkea North and South) for GBP12/15.24 return (tel 097/85741) from Belmullet; Millicent Sweeney at Blacksod also arranges them (tel 097/85662, or evenings tel 097/85774). You can organize riding at the Durham Riding Centre near Blacksod (tel 097/85811).
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