The tiny village of
Murreagh
, three miles from Ballyferriter, lies at the north end of a fabulous sandy beach; take the road towards
CARRAIG
, half a mile away, and you will come to
Ard na Carriage
(tel 066/915 5295; £33-40/?41.90-50.79), a very comfortable and welcoming
B&B
. There are a number of other places to stay in Carraig itself:
Tigh a Phóist
hostel
, beside the church and a well-stocked shop (IHH; closed Nov-Feb; tel 066/915 5109), offering dorm and private rooms (under £26/?33.01), and nearby
Nic Gearailt
B&B (tel 066/915 5142, £33-40/?41.90-50.79) which offers decent accommodation and a splendid breakfast menu that might include smoked salmon, mackerel and pancakes, evening meals also available. The nearest pubs from Carraig are about two miles away, in Ballydavid or north of the village towards Feohanagh, but there's
music and set dancing
at Teach Siamsa (Wed & Fri) during the summer.
Around the coast from Murreagh lies
BALLYDAVID
(
Baile na nGall
), backed by the mass of Mount Brandon and offering fine walks. A couple of bars stand at Ballydavid pier overlooking the magnificent sweep of the bay:
Begley's
(tel 066/915 5123; £26-33/?33.01-41.90) which offers fairly basic
B&B
, and the cosy
Tigh TP
(tel 066/915 5444) which has a good range of
meals
on offer both in the bar and in the restaurant alongside. Ballydavid also has a post office and a small shop.
Brandon Creek
(signposted
Cuas
), just east of Ballydavid Head, is one of a number of contenders for St Brendan's sixth-century departure point, when he sailed off to discover the Islands of Paradise in the western ocean and, arguably, America.
