Tour de Achill & St. Swithin

It’s like the Tour de France without Lance. ~ Mark McKinnon

This quote describes our “scenic” bike ride perfectly. Today was an intense day. We all work up, had great Irish breakfasts, and got ready for our “scenic” bike ride. We had no idea that we were actually in what we have dubbed the “Tour de Achill.” We all we collected by bus from our B&Bs and taken to a bicycle rental pick-up. We were all given a bike, helmet, and safety vest. Little did we know we were testing out the new Mayo Green Way. The Mayo Green Way is sure to become popular with cross country biking enthusiasts and a shock to people expecting a pleasant bike ride through the countryside. The Mayo Green Way is due to officially open in several weeks.

Over the mountain, past the lake, through the woods, and approximately 20 kilometers later we made it to our lunch destination! It was a difficult journey for many; due in part to bicycle equipment failure. Several people had “popped” chains and I lost my handlebars and guided myself in the last two kilometers by shifting body weight. We are starting to wonder if we are secretly trying out for Survivor Ireland. The scenery was amazingly beautiful and on par it was worth it! At lunch we all shared our “war stories” from the trek. The journey really did help people to bond and much laughter was shared. This afternoon we returned, by coach, back to our B&Bs for needed rest and relaxation.

For dinner, the Achill and Cleveland students went to Féile Bia Na Mara, a seafood festival held every year on Achill Island. The festival was a lot of fun, the food was fantastic, and the students from both countries told stories and conversed with one another. The majority of both groups’ favorite part of the night was the dancing after dinner. The music that was played was from a variety of different genres. For the most part, everybody’s favorite dance was Cillian’s request for “Rock the Boat”. Everybody sat down in unison on the floor and essentially pretended that they were rocking a boat. It was a big hit.

Some of you are probably wondering about the weather. Most of our time in Belfast, the weather was warm and sunny; in no way did it match people’s preconceived notions of Irish weather. For our first day on Achill the trend continued and it was bright and sunny. Yesterday it was more overcast, but there were what the Irish call “bright and sunny spells.” But today is the day it can all change for the worse and according to legend it probably will. Today is St. Swithin’s Day and everyone has been attributing the change in weather to him. You are probably wondering why and I must admit I was curious as well.

So just who is St. Swithin and why does he have such an effect on the weather? From what I have gathered from people on Achill, St. Swithin is a medieval English bishop whose burial wishes were not honored. According to legend, he requested to be buried outside where he could still enjoy the seasons and have people walk over his grave. Some years after his death, his fellow monks disinterred him and moved him into an ornate shrine; probably due to his new status as a saint. When this occurred a terrible storm broke and the curse began: whatever the weather is like on his feast day, the 15^th of July, will continue for forty days and forty nights. It rained today; so if the legend is correct that means our remaining time in Ireland is going to be wet. I guess that is why Ireland is known for having forty shades of green.

Here is an Elizabethan rhyme I came across that succinctly explains the significance of this day:

“St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.”

~ Taken from projectbritain.com