Omey Island

Today I was able to do a very unique ride out to Omey Island with Siobhan of Cleggan Riding Centre. Omey Island is a tidal island located in the Connemara region of Ireland. It is about as far West as you can travel. The island is only accessible via a sand bridge during parts of the day.

It was almost eerie to ride across the sand bridge out to the island. A low fog hung close to the sand, as a small herd of cattle made a break away from the island towards the mainland. I guess they saw that the tide was low and they had only a short window to escape Omey Island.

There is only one man living on the island now and many abandoned houses. Like many parts of Western Ireland, Omey Island felt the harsh effects of the potato famine.

We rode to a holy well, whose water is said to cure a variety of ailments. The mythical island is rich in monastic history. St. Feichin, who is known for spreading Christianity throughout much of this part of Ireland had a monastery on the island. There is an old church, which has been partially excavated, which is nearly 1500 years old.

This part of Ireland is definitely not on the typical tourist itinerary, and it is a great place to explore on horseback.

Willie Leahy and Connemara Ponies at Dartfield Horse Museum

Last time I was in Ireland, I was able to interview Willie Leahy at the Dartfield Horse Museum. Leahy is literally known all over the world as an adept horseman and breeder of Connemara Ponies. When I told several other riders from the United States about my plans to meet up with Willie once again, I heard many of their stories of riding with the great Willie Leahy.

So, when I Western winds of Connemara blew our plans for a beach ride away (the winds were gusting so hard that we couldn’t ride, let alone film), our group headed inland towards the Dartfield Horse Museum to interview Willie among his ponies.


Located just outside of Galway, the Dartfield Horse Museum is a good side trip for horse enthusiasts. The museum highlights the history of horse in Ireland and has exhibits on horse anatomy and culture. Nearby is the Aille Cross Equestrian Centre, where riders can take off on an adventure along the Connemara Trail on Ireland's wild west coast.

After having some tea inside, we ventured outside to see a trainer doing some jumping on a green, but promising pony, before driving onward into the fields with Willie. I don’t know how many Connemara Ponies Willie owns, but there are a lot- definitely hundreds.

At the site where we wanted to interview Leahy on camera, we hoped to have his Connemara’s stand in the background. Anyone who knows horses, knows that this could prove difficult, especially in a large open area, like our spot of choice. We were amazed when Willie asked a group of about thirty horses to stay and they actually stood, some even lying down, for about twenty minutes in the same spot.

The Connemara Pony is an endearing, versatile breed, and as Willie told me stories of his ponies on the Connemara Trail, I looked back at the horses and then at Willie. His passion for Connemara, his ponies and the trails was contagious, and I only hoped that I’d get to ride with him soon.

Northern Ireland Flat Tire

Right now, I am looking at my journal, where I have written down all of the emergency numbers for AA Roadwatch, Ireland’s version of AAA, and our rental car agency. We got two flat tires in Northern Ireland. The roads need some work up here. We are proof of that.

We were lucky to get to a nearby gas station a couple of minutes before it closed. With two flats, we were thankfully able to patch one tire and put on our spare, so we are able to continue our journey. It’s all just part of the adventures that traveling can bring.

Surfs Up in Donegal & New TV Times

Surfing in the North Atlantic is not for the faint of heart, especially if you decide to take a lesson while a storm is rolling in. Thankfully, Tom, my instructor was awesome. Growing up in a beach town, I actually did surf a little when I was a kid. You know how many things that you do in life are said to come back to you easily? Just like riding a bike, so the saying goes. Surfing was not one of them for me.

I got up a bunch of times, but only for a couple of seconds at a time. The water was cold, but not as bad as I imagined it would be. The wet suit was vital.

We surfed on Rossnow- lough Beach near Bundoran, which is a hot European surf spot. Would I do it again? Most definitely, but I think that I would wait for a sunny day.

The state of Georgia can tune into Equitrekking tonight at 7:30PM! Also this weekend, San Franciscso, Milwaukee, Kentucky, Austin, and parts of Virginia can watch Equitrekking on their local Public Television station. Next week Marquette, MI, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Evansville, IN, Boston and more can watch Equitrekking. Keep checking Equitrekking's TV Listings and check your local Public Television listings for dates and times.

Smugglers Road, Donegal

Today, we ventured to Smugglers Road, led by Sue, a guide with Donegal Equestrian Holidays. Smugglers Road is not too far from where we went beach riding, but the scenery is entirely different. No giant cliffs and breaking waves… instead we were passing through vast areas of bogs with mountains in the distance.

Sue told our group about how the road got its name, as we passed a large boggy plain, backed by mountains. Sue said that during The Troubles, the road where we were riding was actually used to smuggle arms and other goods into Northern Ireland. In earlier times, food was transported along the road.

We got to a spot where we were able to do some trotting and cantering, as we headed past an abandoned home, one of the many left over from the potato famine. As Sue told me about its history, the road felt so quiet and empty. Very different from carefree and dramatic beaches of Donegal.

Donegal Beach Ride

The beaches of North- western Ireland, in County Donegal, are great for horseback riding and surfing. I'm doing both up in the beach town of Bundoran through Donegal Equestrian Holidays.

If you want to do some galloping and cantering along wide Irish beaches, backed by high cliffs and tall dunes, Donegal is a great place to venture.

I rode Jade, a 15-year-old Irish Cob, for my beach ride. Jade liked to run and was pretty strong, but levelheaded- great for beach riding.

Our small group took off through the high dunes onto the beach. We had a couple of locals with us, as well as a Australian tourist, who was looking to beach ride while in the area.

There were a number of surfers in the water, as we galloped down to the sea, but other than that, the beaches were deserted. The sun popped in and out of the clouds, but we were lucky because it didn't rain. Ah, another great day riding in Ireland!

Ireland Video Postcard

Check out our video postcard from Ireland on our homepage at Equitrekking.com

We'll have more video postcards to come.

Tomorrow night, Minneapolis residents can tune into Equitrekking at 10:30PM! Check out the latest listings. Kentucky Public Television stations are broadcasting Equitrekking on Sundays at 4:30PM in June and July. This weekend Austin, Boston, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and some Virginia residents can tune in. We'll be on in Milwaukee starting June 17th and Georgia on Friday nights at 7:30PM starting June 15th. Please tune in! More station listings to come.

Carlingford and Proleek Dolman

We just ate a really great dinner at Fitz- patrick's, a true locals pub that Niall Connelly recommen- ded, outside of Carlingford. I had Guinness steak topped with a pastry shell with salad and potatoes gratin. Mmmm

Today we ventured into the town of Carlingford, which has a large number of medieval buildings, including a town Mint and King John's Castle. You can look across the lake to see Northern Ireland.

After exploring the town, we used our somewhat trusty GPS to navigate over to the seaside towns in Northern Ireland. Of course, we soon discovered why the ladies at the rental car counter were laughing when I asked if the GPS was accurate, when instead of leading us into town, we were led on a wild ride along a one land country road, taking in beautiful countryside, but ending our journey at what was probably the only trailer in the area. The old man who lived there looked at us as though he hadn’t seen anyone on this road in years. Well, we do try to get off the beaten path with Equitrekking. I guess we succeeded.

Later, we visited an ancient burial tomb, the Proleek Dolmen or portal tomb, right outside of Carlingford. No one knows how the ancients placed the top stone, which may weigh between 30 and 46 tons, on top of the stone formation. It is quite a mystery and quite amazing. Locals say that if you throw a stone and it stays in place on top, your wish comes true. I tried a few throws, but was unable to land a wish. Next time...