Is Feidir Gael-Linn: Why a trip to the Waterford Gaeltacht is a great holiday

Operated by Éimhín Ní Conchubhair and her brother, Cian, Sólás na Mara is a wellness centre with a Celtic Sea twist.

Sat, 22 Jul, 2023 - 02:00

I’m only a few jigs and reels on Raidió na Gaeltachta away from home … but it feels like I’m in another world.

Just a half an hour ago I was working up a sweat at my local Crossfit Youghal gym but now I’m reclined in the gooey goodness of a seaweed bath in West Waterford’s Gaeltacht na Rinne where I’ve come to the most fittingly named wellness centre in the land, Sólás na Mara — the solace of the sea.

Operated by Éimhín Ní Conchubhair and her brother, Cian, Sólás na Mara is a wellness centre with a Celtic Sea twist.

“Well we’re located on a working fishing pier here on Helvick Head for starters,” Éimhín begins.

“The building we’re in is the former fishing auction house which was run by the local fishing operative. Cian, who is also a physiotherapist, saw the opportunity to set up a business here so along with his practice we created Sólás na Mara as an ionad téarnamh or wellness centre.”

I booked my session online which granted me my own private seaweed bath for one hour as well as a private cedar wood steam box and an overhead shower for the perfect post-bath cool down.

For €35, it’s a great value wellness treatment and draws an eclectic crowd according to Éimhín.

Just that day they’d welcomed a New Zealander in a camper van and a couple from Bunmahon across the Copper Coast who had never visited An Rinn before.

“We offer double suite baths for couples and I find it’s often the husbands who are most surprised by the experience here,” Éimhín says.

“I think they expect it to be like a spa here so they are really taken by the whole wellness aspect and the benefits of local, natural seaweed. I think it’s that element of the unexpected which impresses visitors the most.”

The fact that An Rinn is so close (just 10km) to Dungarvan has created a kind of cultural symbiosis between the two regions.

“Dungarvan is actually a baile seirbhíse [a town designated to provide services to a Gaeltacht area] and the town’s language plan, Dún Gárbhán le Gaeilge means there’s a very vibrant and active Irish language scene in the town,” Éimhín explains.

“You’ll also find a very popular ciorcal comhrá where people join together every week in spots like Merry’s pub Gaeilge a cleachtadh,” she adds.

People love coming to An Rinn to put their Gaeilge to use too according to Éimhín and, beyond Sólás na Mara, the village has other attractions drawing visitors.

“There has been great work done to promote the area, be it from Dungarvan Tourism, the Greenway, Visit Waterford, and Fáilte Ireland and we’re seeing more and more interest in the area. We have our little Rud Deas truck for coffee and seaside treats, there’s Criostal na Rinne where you can see master craftsman and Irish speaker Eamonn Terry at work and visitors can also visit the gallery of Joan Clancy [wife of the late musician Tom Clancy] which has some really beautiful art.”

There is also plenty to fill the craic and ceol quota.

“We have some fantastic pubs in the area like Mooneys tigh tábhairne where you can enjoy a tasty breakfast and great value food all day or Murray’s, Tigh Mhuirithe, which I think must rank as the beer garden with the best view in Ireland… they do great stone baked pizzas. And of course, for great traditional music or an Irish coffee, it’s hard to beat The Marine,” she tells me.

An Rinn is also served by the local link service so even those planning a staycation to Dungarvan can stitch in a night out in the Gaeltacht.

“I think a lot of people often think that we are so distant across the bay,” Éimhín explains “but I often say that we’re possibly Ireland’s most accessible Gaeltacht and a great destination for those looking for somewhere beautiful but a little bit difriúil”.

Time to buail an bóthar!