Fully refreshed after a good sleep, Donna and I and Rich and Barb came down from our rooms to a hearty,
excellent breakfast, although not exactly a “full Irish,” which typically
includes beans, blood pudding, fried eggs, bangers and bacon). Our plan for the
morning was to visit the bridge from which John Wayne’s character in The Quiet
Man first spots his love interest, played by Maureen O’Hara. Rich has seen John
Ford’s 1952 movie scores of times, and finding the bridge, which we knew was in
the vicinity of Galway, was on his bucket list.
We told the proprietor, Marie, of our intention and asked if she
had suggestions on where to find it. She gave us explicit (for Ireland)
directions, assured us it was easily visible from the road and was well
“sign-posted.” Excellent!
Except it wasn’t.
We drove along the N59 as directed, never seeing the bridge nor
a sign for it. We drove well past where we were told it would be until we came
to a giftshop and pub. Rich went in and was told we had gone too far, it was
back about four miles on the right, can’t miss it.
Except we did.
We drove about six miles to be sure we had gone far enough and
stopped in a quaint town called Maam Cross. We went into a small
market and asked the shopmaid if she knew where it was. She wasn’t sure but
thought it was about a mile past the stone quarry on the left, but not visible
from the road, but assured us, as had Marie, that it was well “sign-posted.”
With grim determination (this had now transformed from a search
to a quest to a crusade) we passed a very elderly lady in a walker on the
sidewalk who was making her way into the market as we bundled ourselves back
into the car for yet another pass. As we fired up the Skoda and were about to
start off, the shopkeep came running out of the store to inform us that the old
woman had attested that the turnoff for the elusive bridge was just after a
sign marking a children’s school.
Except there was no such sign, or any other sign, marking said
bridge, a school, or any other thing. No signs.
Dutifully we drove on, past the stone quarry as we hunted our
quarry, looking for signs, from God or anyone else who could point us the way. We
made yet another stop, at a motel with a re-created cottage resembling the one
from the movie (the original had long since succumbed to time and the
elements), and they were of little help.
At long last, a couple miles past the stone factory, eagle-eyed
Barb spotted a turnoff that appeared to lead to a stone bridge as we drove
past. We managed to turn around and rumbled down a narrow gravelly road to our destination,
complete with plaques indicating the bridge’s authenticity and providing
information about the movie.
We must have looked to anyone watching like idiots as we ping-ponged
back and forth along the road that morning, but no matter. We had seized our
prize and the victory was sweet. While the cottage no longer exists, the
bridge, like so much of Ireland, stands as a reminder of the value of our
forebears and what they left behind.
Next: More Galway, the Burren
and the Poulnabrone Dolmen.
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