Did you know that the inventor of the submarine was born along the west coast of Ireland, that ships from the Spanish Armada floundered off the Irish Atlantic seaboard and that guns for the 1916 Easter Rising were to be landed at Barna Strand in Co. Kerry but the ship, The Aud, was intercepted by the British Navy? Did you know that there was a plan to smuggle Marie Antoinette from France and away from Madame Guillotine to Dingle, that the Fasnet Rock off the south coast is known as the 'tear drop of Ireland' and that Maureen O'Hara's husband was a flying boat pilot who regularly flew into the flying boat station at Foynes? And did you know that Martello towers were built along the western seaboard during the Napoleonic Wars in case Napoleon tried to invade Great Britain via 'the back door'? This fact-packed little book is full of all sorts of information that will surprise even those who think they know the towns and villages along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Did you know?
Ireland's only sea battle, the Battle of Tory Island, was fought off the Donegacoast in 1798.
The first casualties of the 1916 Easter Risingwere three members of the Irish Volunteers who drowned at Caherciveen.
The oldest known system of cultivated fields is the Céide Field on the Mayo coast.
The inventor of the submarine, Tom Holland, was born in Liscannor, Co. Clare, in 1841.
Known for its spectacular scenery, the Wild Atlantic Way winds its way over 2,600km, through nine counties, from Kinsale in Co. Cork to Muff in Co. Donegal. On its sandy beaches and towering cliffs you will find the history behind ancient burial sites and ruined abbeys, tales of shipwrecks and battles, and stories of saints and patriots.
The Little Book of the Wild Atlantic Way is a miscellany of the history and legends of this famous coastline; a useful reference book and quirky guide whether you are travelling the entire route, or just touching on one part of Ireland's Atlantic coast.
