Cong Still Thrives on the Fame of The Quiet Man:
We knew nothing about Cong but soon find out that this is the village of “The Quiet Man”, a 1952 romantic comedy-drama starring Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne.
Our morning stop at the village of Cong is for a quick cup of coffee and a stretch, but anyone visiting Cong will soon be put in touch with the village’s connection with The Quiet Man.
Although the movie was released nearly sixty years ago, Cong still thrives on the fame of the movie which is notable for its lush photography of the Irish countryside. Many of the scenes from the movie were shot in and around Cong.
One of Cong’s main attractions is the Quiet Man Museum. We don’t have time to visit it. For Quiet Man fans, the entry fee is Euro 6.00.
The gift shop at the museum has postcards and other memorabilia from the movie. From the postcards Tony recognized some of the buildings that were the backdrop for the movie so he took off to take some shots. Pat Cohan’s Bar is a replica of the original pub that was featured in the film. It was built in 2008 and the pub hosts daily re-runs of the film on DVD. (Photos will be put on-line when we return home.)
Around the corner from the museum are the ruins of the abbey and just across from the abbey is the tourist office.
The Molly Bloom cafe was recommended as the place to have a cuppa, but the Hungry Monk looks funkier.
Cong or Cunga in Gaelic means “narrow strip of land” and from the air, the village can be seen on an isthmus between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask.
There is a heritage trail that you can do, starting from the abbey. The tourist shop in front of the abbey has brochures that describe the trail.
Where is Cong?
Cong, Co. Mayo, Ireland
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