My Uncle Brud , whom you see to the left there, took me to Bothar na Mías for the first time, and in our efforts to go cross country from there to the chapel he left a large portion of his scalp in a hazel thicket.The legend of Bothar na Mías seems to have many different versions, but Colman Glynn of Gort wrote to assure me that I had it wrong, and this is his version. Colman Mac Duach (St. Colman)was given a site of his choice by his kinsman King Gúaire. As he walked through the woods from King Gúaire`s castle (Dun Guaire, in Kinvara Co Galway) his girdle fell to the ground. Taking this as a sign from God he decided to build his monastery there. This place, which has a Round Tower which inclines from the perpendicular, is now known as Kilmacduagh. Having built his monastery he decided to give thanks to God by fasting in the Burren for Lent. Taking a young boy with him to serve Mass he spent the duration of Lent in a hut in the Burren. He chose the location well. It has a high cliff, Cinn Aille, a spring well, a cave, and a thicket of hazel and oak trees.Their diet while there consisted of bread and water once a day. On Easter Sunday the boy started to complain tha he was getting pretty fed up with this diet and St.Colman, taking pity on him, prayed that they might find some proper food. It being Easter Sunday, King Gúaire was having a banquet at Dun Guaire with all of his friends. A royal feast was about to start, but first Gúaire prayed that if there was anybody that needed the food more than he it should be taken from the table. With that, the plates of food rose from the table and flew out the window of the castle.This was a bit much, so the King and his soldiers took off on horseback after the food.The plates flew to where St Colman and the boy were praying. When the King arrived with his soldiers he was furious and ordered his soldiers to put both St. Colman and the boy in prison. But the saint, who was probably well and truly ready for some decent food by then, prayed to God that the King and his soldiers be stuck to their horses and the horses stuck to the ground while St Colman and the boy ate their meal. The impressions that you see are those of the horses' hooves and the plates. Bothar na Mias means "The road of the dishes" Or as my very modern niece Emer informed me,"Those weren't plates, that's erosion". See left for Emer and Brian O' Reilly. Mass is still said in the open air at St Colman's Chapel once a year and many people attend. We saw the first Gentian of the year there last Easter, and it also a good place to see Grass of Parnassus, in the boggy area to the left of the gate. Directions to Bothar na Mias
From Carron take the road past the U.C.G. research station and the Burren Perfumery.You go through a pretty isolated area with very few houses. After five miles keep an eye out for an iron gate on your left, it has some sort of official sign on it and a stile. If you come to a T junction at the road to Cappamore you have gone half a mile too far too far. Stay to the right of the stone wall on your left after you go through the stile beside the gate, the walking is easier on that side. Keep looking over the wall, and after about half a mile you will see Bothar na Mias on the other side. If you want to visit St Colman's Chapel and the Well, go through the gap in the wall soon after the stile and follow the path across a couple of fields. There is a white wooden cross at the Chapel that you can see from a few places, but don't try cutting across country to it, you will lose your skin and clothes on the hazel trees.
