Overview
Doolough is a valley you drive through slowly, and not only because the road demands it. The R335 – the Doo Lough Pass – runs between Mweelrea, Connacht’s highest mountain at 814 m, and the Sheeffry Hills, past the long dark water of Doo Lough, whose name simply means ‘black lake’. It is one of the emptiest, most striking stretches of road in the west of Ireland, and most people who pass through say afterwards that it stayed with them. Part of that is the scenery. Part of it is what happened here.
If you do one thing, stop at the plain stone cross beside the road and read it. It marks the Doolough Tragedy of 1849, and it is the reason this valley is more than a pretty drive.
The Doolough Tragedy
On Friday 30 March 1849, at the height of the Great Famine, two officials of the Westport Poor Law Union came to Louisburgh to inspect people receiving outdoor relief. The inspection never took place. The officials instead travelled on to Delphi Lodge, a hunting lodge about 19 km to the south, and word went out that anyone who wanted to keep their relief should present themselves there at 7am the next morning.
Several hundred starving, weakened people walked through the night in foul weather to reach the lodge. When they arrived they were turned away as ineligible and sent back the way they had come. At least seven died on the road; contemporary accounts put the toll higher, some at twenty, some at many more, though no reliable figure exists. The plain cross by the lake is engraved ‘Doolough Tragedy 1849’ and carries a line attributed to Gandhi: ‘How can men feel honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings?’ Each year a Famine Walk organised by Afri retraces the twelve miles, drawing people from around the world.
Driving the pass
The pass connects Louisburgh in Mayo with Leenane in Galway, and either direction works – locals slightly favour starting from Leenane for the way the valley opens out. The memorial sits opposite Glenullin Lough, a little before Doo Lough itself if you come from the north.
The road is single-track in places, with steep sections and few passing points, so take it gently and watch for cyclists, who are drawn to the gradients and the views. After rain the lakes turn to mirrors and the light is at its best; this is one of the most photographed roads in Mayo, and deservedly. There are no shops, cafés or fuel anywhere in the valley – stock up in Louisburgh or Leenane before you set off.
A note on the other Doolough
Worth clearing up, because it trips visitors: the Doolough Beach famous for the horse and greyhound racing at the Geesala Festival each August is a different place. That Doolough is a coastal townland out in Erris, near Belmullet, with a three-mile strand – a long drive north of this valley. There is no Atlantic beach in the Doo Lough pass, so don’t come here expecting one.
Visiting
Parking is the main thing to know. There is only a small gravel layby at the memorial, the signage is poor, and it is easy to sail past it – it sits on a slight incline at the north end, which at least gives you the view while you stop. The valley is open and free at all times; there are no facilities, no lifeguard on any nearby water, and no public transport, so a car (or a strong pair of legs and good gear) is essential.
Spring through early autumn gives the kindest weather and the clearest mountain views, but the valley is at its most atmospheric under low cloud, which is most days. Pair it with Aasleagh Falls and Killary Harbour just to the south, or with Louisburgh and Silver Strand to the north, and give yourself time to stop properly at the cross rather than slowing for a photo and driving on.