It was a bank holiday here in Ireland over the weekend and it was also my brother in laws stag (bachelor) party on the Saturday night so and I was still feeling the reprecussions of the hangover on the Monday so I felt I needed a freshen up so the family decided to go visit a scenic area deep in the Comeragh Mountains between the Countys of Tipperary and Waterford called Mahon Falls. Mahon Falls is a waterfall surround by cliffs around 40 minutes drive from where I live and I haven't been there in years so we packed up the car and off we went.
We also wanted to go to a certain store in the village near the waterfall called Rathgormock which is a long streak of a village up the mountain full of farmers. There is actually a store called Comeragh Stores run by Omish people up there and we heard they are famous for a certain ice cream sandwich kind of like the famous Iceberger sandwich so off we went at 10am in the morning in search of ice cream. The owners were American Omish who were very nice and welcoming as we predicted they would be. They sold lovely carrot cake buns and the famous ice creams so we purchased 4 and set off again. They were frozen when we got the ice creams which was great because we could have them at the waterfall a bit later on although one member of family wasn't having any of it and wanted his ice cream nooowwwww or else.
The Magic Road
Anyway after the magic road and having our minds blown we went onto Mahon Falls. So you park up at a carpark and there is a grave road all the way down which is a bit of a trek (especially with a two year old that likes picking up stones along the way). The walk down is amazing looking at the cliffs either side.
The great lake Coumshingaun is at the other side off the falls which I plan to get to soon again as it is amazing if not a wee bit dangerous and not suitable for little children. Heres a short video with two lads with a drone. It's unreal. It's one of the only places in the world that I gasped for breath when I came across the lake. It was 12 and on a school tour. A fog had descended upon us which was quite dangerous and we came upon a lake. The teacher thought we had arrived and I wasn't very impressed. Then the fog lifted and we walked up a small hill and there is was. The real lake and it was massive with cliffs all the way around. It is the biggest Corrie lake in Europe which means that it is the largest lake surround by cliffs. It's pretty deep as well but bloody freezing.
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We reached the falls and my little 7 year old was happy out jumping from rock to rock to make it up to the waterfall.The risk takers went up a long way but it is a bit risky and wouldn't recommend. It is a beautiful attraction however and well worth the visit. There are a couple of coffee shops a couple of miles from the falls that were very busy with cyclists and visitors. This is the new Ireland now. Cycling has really taken off here and now bank holidays are used to cycle to these scenic spots. It's actually really good to see and it's where Ireland is positioning itself for the future in Tourism. Initiatives such as Munster Vales and teh Wild Atlantic Way offer a more adventurous holiday rather than the sun holiday. Wild Atlantic Way is wild and it does what it says on the tin. But when you get in out of the elements and put on an Aran jumper by an open fire then it is sheer bliss.
The fresh Irish mountain air did me the world of good to finally get over my 2 day hangover and the long walk meant that the kids went to bed very easily on the Monday evening. I made a promise to myself that we were going to discover more of Ireland on these particular weekends when you have a couple of extra days off. Ireland is a hidden treasure that is nearly valued more by our foreign tourists than us natives. Gems like Mahon Falls and Coumshingaun are finally being harnessed. This has good consequences and of course bad ones as well. I remember when I was growing up there used to be nobody up at Coumshingaun but now on weekends you would struggle to find a spot in the carpark close to it. A couple of famous influencers visited here and this is what really made these pretty secluded locations very famous. But all around Ireland there are places like this especially in the Kingdom in Kerry which is well known for its beauty. But the places like Tipperary and Waterford as well as Donegal have alot to offer as well and the fruits of tourism are starting to trickle through to more rural spots. Dublin is now not considered the go to holiday destination. It is too metropolitan now. The real Irish hotspots are these locations and Galway and Cork are now good hubs to go to these places. I am just ahppy they are on my doorstep and ready to explore.