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ARRRR shipmates! Shiver me timbers and welcome aboard this pirate voyage to Inchagoill. Well, ok, the commentary on our Mayo trip didn’t quite start like that – but the expression on seven-year-old James’s face was a picture of excitement and intrigue. We could have easily been in the Pirates of the Corribean.
We set off from Ashford Castle with its air of magic and mystery. Our Corrib Cruises vessel landed echoing to stories of inhabitants dating back to St Patrick. “If you miss the return boat, we’ll pick you up in the morning,” the captain bellowed. We thought he was joking – but you can bring along a tent and pitch up. And there was more swash-buckling fun on at the Pirate Adventure Park at Westport House – learning about the adventures of Grace O’Malley.
Charis, ten, boarded the swinging boat ride but her screams were so piercing nearby shipping might have thought the battlecry of the Pirate Queen herself had been invoked.We also got soaked on the log plume ride and toured the spooky dungeons. There is loads to do here from archery and a 42km cycle ride to Zorbing – where you strap yourself in a huge beach ball and roll down a hill. We stayed at the four-star McWilliam Park Hotel in Claremorris - sitting between Knock and Galway.
The overwhelming impression is of quality from the high-spec rooms with HD TV to the standard of fare in the restaurant and bar. Have a dip in the pool and the Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Parents can drop children off at the Bizzie Bees club while they use the health spa or maybe play golf nearby. We moved on to the Hotel Westport – a short walk from where our young pirates played. Another four-star hotel that oozed luxury. Take your pick of things to do – a top notch restaurant, a musical about Grace O’Malley, a superb pool, gym and beauty salon.
There is also a Panda Club for kids running throughout the day and evening that includes X Factor competitions and cinema trips. Forget expensive foreign holidays that offer little more than sun and sand this mid-term – the children adored our trip to Mayo. It really captured their imagination…and they can’t wait to go back.
GET THERE FROM THE UNITED STATES:
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