11/08/2026
We are absolutely delighted to feature our great great friend Martin Conneely and his son Jack in today's 'I'd Rather be in Oughterard' post.
Martin (who is wearing one of our Oughterard, Connemara T-shirts) was recently on holiday in Iceland. This fantastic photo of Martin and Jack was taken in front of one of Iceland's 130 majestic volcanic mountain sites! 🌋🇮🇸
Indeed, this magnificent country also aptly dubbed 'The Land of Fire and Ice' is unlike any other place on Earth, with view points of contrasting beauty such as glaciers and active volcanoes! Iceland and Ireland both have strong cultural ties that even predate the arrival of the Norse to Iceland. The Irish monks known to the Íslendingar/Icelanders as 'Papars' were the first ever Christians to arrive in Iceland around 800 AD, braving the harsh seas in their small currachs to get there. Just like the brave, wise, ancient scholar Papars, Martin is an absolute treasure trove of knowledge and trivia and we just know that he is following in the ancient Irish tradition of exceptionally intelligent people travelling over to the black, sandy, basalt shores of Iceland to converse and convey their ideas and wisdom. We are just certain that Martin and Jack's knowledge will be very much appreciated by our island neighbours to the north.
Martin, who now lives in Dublin with his wife Evelyn and his son Jack, worked for many decades in Dublin as a successful civil servant. But it all began for our great friend in Oughterard: Martin is a very proud Oughterard man, being a member of the famous Conneely clan of Waterfield. In fact, Martin has the great distinction of being one of the founding members of the world-famous Galway Arts Festival/Galway International Arts Festival way back in the mid-seventies. It is such a great honour for Oughterard to have one of our own as a founder of the Galway Arts Festival!
Although Martin and Jack are smiling ear-to-ear in this brilliant photo, it is clear that they are missing a certain something; that 'certain something' being Oughterard. Oughterard: where it is very likely the very wise Papars in the 9th century was inspired by the monks of Inchagoill island on Lough Corrib. Oughterard: where the sight of those ancient currachs the likes of which the Papars travelled to Iceland on can still be seen in use today! A place where history and tradition are preserved amidst the natural beauty of its environs, such as Lough Corrib, the lake isles and the surrounding mountains.
Thanks, Martin and Jack. We cannot wait to see you again for one of our enjoyable and insightful chats! 😊
Many thanks to Martin's sister, our great friend (and a former schoolmate of mine in the same year as me in St. Paul's Secondary School in Oughterard) Ann for sending us this fantastic photo of Martin and Jack!
