There is a major difference between driving in Dublin and Driving in Mayo
And no it’s not about less traffic. Of course there is less traffic in Mayo than in Dublin. I don’t miss the time it used to take me to pull out of my drive onto Monkstown Road during rush hour.
Traffic has a different definition in Westport and I reckon after a time it will all become relative. We’ll see if after a couple of months living here will I start to get irritated, if I actually have to stop at a yield sign because of oncoming cars instead of driving straight round the corner. You get so used to getting from A to B quickly with so few cars in your way it becomes almost an annoyance if you have to give way.
Which leads me to my point of the major difference between driving in Monkstown and driving from Murrisk to Westport. The SPEED. Boy do they drive fast. I’m not talking about boy racers with spoilers and suspicious For Sale signs on their blacked out back windows. This sweeping comment includes everyone. Men, women, little old ladies, in fact everyone with a Mayo reg car. I have a different meaning for MO reg cars, in my book it doesn’t stand for Mayo at all, more like Manic Operators.
The road from Westport to Murrisk winds around beautiful inlets of Clew Bay and in most parts is speed limited at 100k. A Dublin driver wouldn’t think of driving faster than 60k safely on them. For the really dangerous bends they drop the limit down to 80k. Bends that professional rally drivers would get a kick of driving round at 80k but not me. Before life in the west I considered myself a fast driver and liked to put the boot down within limits, but even I know it’s crazy.
So where are they all going in such a hurry? Why do MO reg drivers overtake you on dark unlit roads on continuous white lined corners? Is it because they know there just isn’t going to be a car coming the other way or are they all on a death wish? I stress again I am not talking about boy racers, just normal every day MO drivers.
Visitors to Mayo don’t be shocked as soon as you pass the Roscommon border if you start hearing a strange buzzing in your ear. It’s not tinnitus, it’s just the locals whizzing home for their tea.
This is good stuff. Keep it up!
So when are you going to get yourself an extremely large truck to drive around in? That’ll surprise anyone when you scream around a blind bend at 140, chewing a Yorkie and lsitening to Country and Western FM radio at full volume.
Don’t forget the go-faster stripes, add in some bald tyres and a broken wing-mirror or two – sorted!
Anyway, keep up the blog – it’s now on my required reading list.
G’Luck
M
working on it – have an ad in the Mayo news this week for truck