On a recent visit to some of my favourite parts of the Irish countryside – Connemara and the Mayo coastline, we came upon this charming site
Doolough Valley
It is located in Co. Mayo, along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Doo Lough (in Irish meaning “Black Lake’)
Driving through the Valley is a unique experience. It is embedded in a mountainous landscape of unspoilt nature – Mweelrea Mountain and Sheeffry Hills. There are two lakes on the east-side, where the Wild Atlantic Way winds its way through.
A yearly walk is held along this route in memory of the
Doolough dead and to highlight the starvation of the world’s poor, still today.
A stone memorial cross can be found on the northern edge of the valley, dedicated to the victims of the “Doolough Tragedy” marking one of the most tragic periods in Irish history. During the Great Famine in 1849, hundreds of people made their way from Louisburgh to Delphi Lodge. Threatened by starvation, their suffering was ignored and they were turned away. Many died from malnutrition on the return journey to Louisburgh in Doolough Valley.
Mahatma Ghandi
“How can men feel honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings?”
This question of Mahatma Ghandi is engraved in the cross.
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