The West again? And why not? From Tim and Mairead Robinson's folding landscapes company in Roundstone (and they prefer the non-capital latter form) comes a lovely, thoughtful and accomplished map guide. Sli as Iarthair or the Western Way in Connemara. Just 16 pages, with beautiful maps and lively commentary. It leads you along the recently opened Connemara section of the Western Way, from Oughterard via An Mam to Leenaun. In a handy plastic envelope. It also gives a most useful list of B and Bs and other accommodation. Wherever possible, the Irish versions of names, as researched by Tim Robinson, are used as in An Mam for Maam, and Leenaun for Leenane but they do not claim to have been entirely consistent.
Starting from Oughterard, the first and second sections bring you along the western side of Lough Corrib, which, you are reminded, was once used regularly for transport to Galway. An engaging name on your way is the townland of Doirin na gCos Fuar, the small wood of the cold feet. The story is that a herdsman was killed and eaten by a bull in the wood, and all that was found were his boots with the feet still in them.
Not far away, by the shore, are the ruins of a crusher and a jetty. Sulphur ore from a mine nearby was crushed and loaded into boats for Galway. Not so far on there is still a heap of pyrites that was never shipped to Galway. Miners worked in a copper mine north of Leic Amhreidh in the 1860s. Diverge slightly farther on from the path to Keane's Bar in An Mam. It was built in the 1830s by the Scots engineer Alexander Nimmo, who built many roads and created Roundstone. "It is hard to go far in Connemara without finding traces of his work."
There are six maps in this guide, of an unusual clarity and handsomeness. The Way is so clearly marked with dots that it is impossible to go astray. There are notes on flora and fauna. The two natural or nearly natural patches of wood are mentioned. There is a fine list of fauna. Birds: skylarks, meadow pipits, plovers, snipe and grouse perhaps, several hawk species. Dippers, of course, and duck; foxes, badgers, otters, hares and rabbits. Sheep; you needn't say it. Joss Lynam wrote the text, Justin May did the drawings and Tim Robinson the design. Pounds 6. Splendid. No, these legs will not necessarily cover the journey, which is put at three days average. Text, maps and smell suffice.