Ramble
Quest - "The Quiet Man" (Cong)
It's funny how some places latch on to films made at their location for tourism purposes. I've described some of the Scottish films of the Highland region which are promoted there. I also tried to give a sense of the impact the "Lord of the Rings" movies was having in New Zealand, and I'm sure this has greatly increased since the last movie came out. In earlier journals I've related how spots in India and Thailand plug pathetic James Bond movies. Later, in Valencia, "El Cid" gets mentioned more than it deserves.
However, I don't believe I've ever been to an area that associated itself more closely to a movie filmed there than Cong, and to a lesser extent Connemara, do with John Ford's "The Quiet Man". In Connemara you will surely be taken to "The Quiet Man bridge" or one of "The Quiet Man cottages", even though one of the later burned down a few years back and all are replicas anyway. And in Cong, well, every few meters seems to have some connection to the film. It's understandable though, because despite stereotypical characters, bizarrely written love scenes, and some spots of bad acting by the Duke, "The Quiet Man" is a great film. And its incredible appeal lies partly in its sentimental nostalgia for an idyllic rural Ireland that never fully existed, yet tantalizingly marvelous glimpses of yet remain. You can walk around the Cong area today and feel the wonder of John Wayne's Sean Thornton as he first walks into the green technicolor splendor of the Irish countryside.
The symbiosis is no coincidence either. Cong is still sleepy quiet and emulates the "Quiet Man" look as much as it can because it helps its tourism. John Ford was no doubt attracted to the beauty of Cong because Ashford Castle is there and he could film on its picture perfect grounds. Ashford Castle was originally a 13th century Norman structure, which was turned into a French chateau in the 1700's. The Guinness family lived there in the 19th century and it was subsequently turned into a ritzy hotel. One of those chateau owners had a keen interest in horticulture and brought in many exotic species. Today you can see all kinds of beautiful plants in the Cong woods, all emanating from the Castle.
The stunning castle grounds are along the shores of large Lough Carrib, and walks along the wooded shoreline paths are a highlight. Nearby Lough Mask is higher than Carrib, so the limestone area between them is peppered with caves. I crawl into most of them. All are very wet and often have an underground streams. Pigeon Hole and Ballynaglancy are two of the best. At one point the area's residents had the misguided idea of trying to build a canal between the two lakes. The water just wound up seeping back into the limestone, leaving the remains of the partially built canal mostly dry and great for hiking.
Paths following the river from Ashford out to behind Cong Abbey and beyond are all gorgeous, as are plenty of side tracks over to a fanciful tower built during the Guinness age, and to nearby fields and meadows (all used in the film of course!). The surrounding countryside has plenty of prehistoric cairns and stone circles to add atmosphere to the long, rural views.
I loved this place! So much so, that when I was offered an easy, low-level, subsistence job here, I actually thought about lingering for awhile. If it was earlier in my trip and I didn't already have my sights on Spain, I probably would have.