Gillick's World: Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way Re-published August 2015 | Page 25

Naomhog: literally, ‘little holy one’, also known as
a Currach, is a traditional wood frame boat
covered in felt or animal skins, and used for local
as well as sea voyages. Speculation is that this
was the type of boat used in the 5th century when
St. Brendan made his voyage across the Atlantic
to North America.

Louis Mulcahey’s Pottery: One of several
pottery works in the area, Mulcahey still lives on
site. There is a workshop where visitors can “turn
a pot” (I made a rather large sake cup), a studio of
finished works including of impressive Druid
statues, a coffee shop with really tasty food and
friendly staff to answer questions.

Pat Buckley explaining about Naomhogs

St. Brendan’s Creek: St. Brendan, the patron
Saint of the Diocese of Kerry is said to have
prayed and fasted for 40 days on nearby Mount
Brendan along with 14 monks, before departing in
535 A.D. from St Brendan Creek, to spread the
Gospel to North America. Tradition holds that it
took 7 years to reach the West. St. Brendan died
in Galway in 578 A.D. The voyage was re-created
by Tim Severin and 4 colleagues in 1976. It took
them 13 months to arrive in Newfoundland,
proving that St. Brendan could very well have
made the trip in a Naumhog.

Beach, where “Far and Away’ was filmed. The
crashing waves and the wind were the backdrop
for one of the scenes from the 1992 Ron Howard
film starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.

Gallarus Oratory: This ‘room of prayer” was built
in the 7th or 8 th century in the shape of an inverted
boat—the only remaining perfect example in
existence.
The Fahan Bee Hive Huts: Possibly dating to the
12th Century, the five single-family huts (called
Clochan) were interconnected. At one time there
may have been over 400 clochan in the area after
the Norman invaders forced farmers away from
prosperous areas to marginal areas near Dingle.