Every road trip has a soundtrack and every holiday has its theme song. So how about changing things around and planning your trip around a song? On Van Morrison's 1989 album 'Avalon Sunset' he describes a road trip to Coney Island in Co Down, and here Deirdre Mullins follows his steps.
'Coney Island' by Van Morrison
Coming down from Downpatrick
Stopping off at St John's Point
Out all day birdwatching
And the craic was good
Stopped off at Strangford Lough
Early in the morning
Drove through Shrigley taking pictures
And on to Killyleagh
Stopped off for Sunday papers at the
Lecale district, just before Coney Island
On and on, over the hill to Ardglass
In the jamjar, autumn sunshine, magnificent
And all shining through
Stop off at Ardglass for a couple of jars of
Mussels and some potted herrings in case
We get famished before dinner
On and on, over the hill and the craic is good
Heading towards Coney Island
I look at the side of your face as the sunlight comes
Streaming through the window in the autumn sunshine
And all the time going to Coney Island I'm thinking,
Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time
If you were to follow the route Van Morrison lays out in 'Coney Island', you would add at least 50km on to your journey as he zigzags all over the place. The following is a more logical way to visit all the areas mentioned in the song. This can be done quite comfortably in a day's drive or you could spread it out over a weekend.
The best place to base yourself for this trip is in Downpatrick, which is 38kms from Belfast and 146kms from Dublin. All the places mentioned in the song are within a 20km radius of Downpatrick. Apart from Downpatrick being the site of Saint Patrick's grave, it is a lively town with some good pubs - most notably Mullan's bar which has live blues and folk bands on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Its proprietor, Speedy Mullan, is said to have jammed with Van in the past and he claims to have driven Van around the route of the song.
From Downpatrick follow the A25 to Strangford which is where Van stopped off "early in the morning". Strangford is a very pretty fishing village on Strangford Lough. A ferry travels regularly from there to Portaferry and the Ards peninsula. Strangford is perched on the side of a hill and there is a great walk which brings you up the hill through a forest and along the banks of the Lough. There are great views of Strangford Lough from the top of the hill.
On the A2 road out of Strangford the scenic coast road takes you to Ardglass. Ardglass has a great harbour and is where Van "stopped off at Ardglass for a couple of jars of mussels and some potted herrings in case we get famished before dinner". The old grocery store equipped with a fish bar is no longer there. And, much to my disappointment, in its place was a Spar convenience store. The only fish to be found here was of the tinned and frozen kind.
From Ardglass follow the A2 to Coney Island. Coney Island is where Van is travelling to in the song - "over the hill and the craic was good, heading towards Coney Island". Coney Island is not an island but a row of houses facing a beach in-between rocky outcrops. It is a nice spot for a stroll on the beach but not much more.
Listen: Deirdre Mullins discusses using songs for mapping trips on 'The Dave Fanning Show'
Stay on the A2 to Killough and then take a bumpy boreen to St John's point. Van mentions here at the start of the song - "Coming down from Downpatrick, Stopping off at St John's Point, Out all day birdwatching and the craic was good." St John's Point is a bit of land jutting out into to the sea with a lighthouse on it. The lighthouse is still in use and is on private land. What makes the detour worthwhile is the view that you get from here of the Mourne Mountains.
From St John's Point head back to Downpatrick so that you can visit the final two places mentioned in the song. Follow the A22 to Killyleagh, which is another pretty seaside village and home to Killyleagh Castle, again privately owned but you can arrange tours by calling in advance. Local trivia tells us the Killyleagh was home to Sir Hans Sloane who became famous for adding coco to milk and giving the world drinking chocolate.
A mile northwest of Killyleagh is the village of Shrigley where Van "drove through Shrigley taking pictures". Shrigley is a small non-descript town which consists of a housing estate, a factory and a pretty clock tower. Apart from the clock tower, there didn't seem to be anything else worth taking pictures of in Shrigley.
Taking photos in Shrigley is one of a few half truths that Van mentions in the song. He zigzags all over the place, which could suggest that he never drove the route at all, and he eats potted herring in the autumn when the song is set - but herring is only served in the area when it is in season in May and June. Some might say that this diminishes the romance of the song.
Regardless of whether Van wrote the song from memory or simply a map of Co Down, it's a very enjoyable day's drive with its stunning views and pretty towns to visit along the way. Following a song on a journey not only gives you a soundtrack for your trip but a purpose to your driving.
Deirdre Mullins
