Maam

An Mám, Maam or Maum in English, is a small Gaeltacht village where the Maam Valley meets Lough Corrib at the edge of the Maumturk Mountains; the valley road leads on to Leenaun on Killary Harbour. Maam Bridge, built in 1823, carries the R336 over the Bealnabrack River, which flows into the lake east of the bridge. The Scottish engineer Alexander Nimmo built an inn at its eastern end in 1820; it later became the Maum Hotel and is now Keane's pub. The 1859 navigation award already lists the Maam shore, and Fáilte Ireland puts the village about 35 miles from Galway city by the lake. We have no current information on berthing, so check the depth and space before you commit. Hen's Castle, a medieval tower house on a half-acre island, guards the approach. Bring waterproofs: the valley gets around 2,500 mm of rain a year.