Heritage Workshops & Guided Tours
Connecting You To The Land, Sea, Spirit & Archives of Erris
We'll be your guide......Erris means Western promontory in Gaelic. Erris is a Gaeltacht region covering 850 km sq of spectacular mountainous blanket bog, and extensive coast line all steeped in a rich history. Artists like Jack B. Yates, Paul Henry, JM Synge and Riocard Bairead found creative inspiration here. The people of Erris were oppressed but not colonised, they maintained a strong connection to their language, history, culture, customs, traditions and beliefs, new beliefs and traditions were merged with their ancient ways of being.

Lighthouses and Keepers
Escape to the silent mystical world of a lighthouse keeper with Gaol Siar's rare footage capturing working lighthouses. Understand how the keepers survived great storms and isolation. See the wonderful crafts of the keepers. Enjoy our lighthouses trail tour. Leave the day with a new found understanding of these key buildings and their relevance to the people who live on the oceans edge.

Sacred Sites of Erris
Step into the ancient land of saints & scholars as we take a look at the pagan, Celtic and Christian saints of Erris. Connect to the spiritual cures, customs and traditions of our saints. The landscape will come to life as you follow the ancient pilgrim paths and discover the sacred sites of Erris.

Foraging the Seashore
Leave your stress behind and come explore the sea shore with us. Learn about the plants and edible shellfish on the shore. Relax and unwind as you engage with the nature around you as we teach you to harvest responsibly. We will share with you uses, recipes and medicinal benefits of the gifts from the seashore, all delivered with a gentle blend of folklore and tradition .

Ancestry Research
Begin the truly rewarding journey of self discovery by researching your family tree. We will guide you through the process of starting the journey of a life time. Learn about resources, website, software, and archives relevant to Erris ancestry. Research, archive and tell your family's story for posterity.

Shipwrecks and Pirates
Explore the old world of our might Atlantic coast where life depended on piracy and wealth came from ship wrecks. Hear about the hidden treasures that lie in our waters and the great pirates that roamed our lands. Connect to the superstitions and customs of pirates. Understand the role our coast played in the Spanish Armada and the world wars and perhaps discover some of your own hidden treasures in Erris.

Wild Edible Plants
Connect to our ancestors wisdom of the land by learning to forage for wild edible plants, flowers and herbs. Hear about the ancient customs, traditions and recipes used by our ancestors. Discover the benefits of the plants in your lawn. Engage with the nature around you, reminisce with familiar scented plants for an abundance of free nutrition and wellbeing.

Fairy Forts
Step into another world, where you will discover the stories of mythical fairies and their homes the fairy forts. Open your mind to the magical characters that roam our land, learn about their legends, pisreogs, curses and the good luck they bring. Loose yourself on our secret fairy sites of Erris tour.

Lore of Harvesting Turf
Lose your self in the lore of our traditional bogs, discover the treasures hidden in our peat lands, the lore of harvesting turf, the wild plants and animals of our bogs and the customs and traditions of harvesting in the bog. You will leave the day with a sense of awe for the ancient blanket bog lands of Erris.

Fabric of Erris
Take time to honour the women crafters of Erris who produced world class knitwear, lace and patchwork. Understand how these cottage industries positively improved the standard of living of Erris families. Discover the tools and methods of their meticulous work. Connect with the story of Maud Gonne in Erris as she revolutionised our lace industry.

Godstones and Rocks
Join us as we reveal the hidden stories of the stones in our landscape, from Celtic crosses, quern stones, lime kilns, dry stone walls, leachts (stone monuments) and the famous Godstone of Inis Gé. Understand the stories of our ancestors through their stone work that has stood the test of time.

Workshops Cost €35 adult €12 child
Tours Cost €15 adult and €8 child
Group discounts available

Find us:
Béal an Mhuirthead
Barbara at Gaol Siar
Main St, Béal an Mhuirthead
(Belmullet) Co. Mayo
Phone 0872169625
Website: www.gaolsiar.com
Facebook/gaolsiarpage

Connecting you to Land, Sea Spirit & Archives of Erris

Gaol Siar translates into English as 'connecting back to the ancient West'.

We bring together the land, sea, spirit, and archives of Erris, through our heritage workshops and guided tours in both English and as Gaeilge

About Gaol Siar...Gaol Siar is owned by Barbara Heneghan. Barbara was reared in the lighthouse dwellings in Blacksod. Her family have tended lighthouses, fished, farmed, foraged and traded in Erris for 200 years. Barbara has a wealth of local knowledge passed from generations. She is an experienced, historian, artist, chef, story teller, documentary maker and tour guide. Barbara aims to take you to the soul of Erris through her workshops and tours.

Lighthouses ♦ foraging ♦ Sacred Sites ♦ Seashore ♦ Ancestry
Fairy Forts ♦ Nature ♦ Dry Stone Walls ♦ Celtic Heritage