Great Irish RoadsA new series by motoring historian Bob Montgomery
Great roads, a great car and good company - what more could an enthusiastic motorist want? Time was when the open road had an attraction for all lucky enough to own a car. The freedom that went with that ownership was never better enjoyed than when "touring", exploring distant corners of this island or simply enjoying the freedom of travelling the uncluttered open road.
That was then, this is 2005 - overcrowded roads, speed limits, taxation that seems more than ever to target the struggling motorist and cities snarled up with traffic because road investment was ignored for years.
So, where's the enjoyment in modern motoring? Perhaps it's waiting to be re-discovered with a little effort and planning. After all, by comparison with other countries, Ireland's roads remain among Europe's least crowded.
So, for this new series, we set out to find the roads that can still bring a smile to the face of readers of MOTORS.
OUR WHEELS:
By general consent of motoring scribes, the Lotus Elise is one of the best-handling cars in the world. What better car to choose to explore the greatest driver's roads in Ireland.
We drove the latest Elise, the 111R, the 1.8 Toyota-powered 190bhp version which forms the basis of the "federalised" Elise now on sale in the US. In contrast to previous Lotus, this is no sparsely-equipped model. It reflects the intention of Lotus to attract buyers who might have considered the Porsche Boxster, the Nissan 350Z, the BMW Z4 or the Honda S2000.
Nevertheless, despite its high specification, the 111R is still all about the ultimate driving experience. First impressions of the Elise, recently launched here, are of small size and snug cabin, which take a certain agility to enter - and more to exit!
This is probably the most practical Elise yet, but how will it stand up to the varied roads which will form the basis of this series? Watch this space . . .
No 1
Leenaun to Clonbur through Joyce Country
There are roads for all seasons but today the weather gods are not playing along. The drive from Clifden to Leenaun along the N59 has been through an all-enveloping mist hiding the mountains and nullifying the dramatic impact of our first glimpse of Killary Harbour.
But then, just as we turn onto our intended route along the R336/R345, the weather begins a partial, slow clearance.
We've turned off the N59 just before entering Leenaun proper, onto the R336 which will take us as far as Clonbur and then back to Galway City.
This is a favourite road which offers 29km (17miles) of fast flowing roads with a generally good, often excellent surface. It's unusual for a road in the West of Ireland in that it has a flowing rhythm which allows brisk motoring without constant changes of surface quality.
We find only one small section of the road to be poor and it's being resurfaced in time for the tourist season. Yet, I'm not sure that this road is discovered by the majority of motoring tourists who travel this region, much their loss.
This is Joyce Country, named after the Welsh family which settled here in the 13th century and became one of the fiercest clans in the West of Ireland. They made their own this Maum valley, now travelled by the R336, between the Maumturk and Party Mountains. Numerous ruined castles dot the landscape as evidence of their habitation in more dangerous times.
The R336 follows the course of the Joyce River after about 4km and continues on through the small village of Kilmeelickin to Maum, where we fork left onto the R345. Benbeg towers behind Kilmeelickin and here is a church with an Evie Hone stained glass window depicting St Brendan.
Nearby the Joyce and Bealanabrack Rivers meet before flowing into the western tip of Lough Corrib, Ireland's second biggest lake. At Cornamona a right turn leads to the scenic Doorus peninsula which juts out into the lake with splendid views on either side.
But we're not here to view the scenery, and the best of this road is about to come. About three quarters of the way along the R336/R345, as it goes towards Clonbur, the road begins to rise providing increasingly dramatic views of the surrounding Maum Valley now opening out into the western tip of Lough Corrib . . . at least it would if the mists would rise a little bit more and allow the weak sun to shine through.
We plan to take photographs here, but the mist obliges with only a partial lift and the light stays poor. Waiting for the weather to improve, we take the opportunity to drive through the mixture of both tight and sweeping bends which rise and fall dramatically against a backdrop of Lough Corrib and Hen Castle, also known as Castlekirk (Caisleán na Circe), which legend associates with the 16th century pirate queen, Grace O'Malley.
I'm tempted to say that this sequence of corners by itself makes the drive along the R336/R345 worthwhile for any keen motorist but that would be unfair. From Leenaun to Clonbur the road is well worth seeking out.
We've already decided that we'll come back again in better weather. Now, does anyone have any influence with the weather gods?