It starts to rain when we leave Oughterard, a sure sign we’re entering Connemara. It’s a road I know fairly well, but in the pitch black, with sheets of water running off the windscreen, I miss the turning for Leenane at Maam Cross.

After another half an hour, during which the relative navigational skills of the genders are discussed at great length, we find the entrance to Delphi Lodge.

A hundred yards up the driveway, we first glimpse the stunning ivy-clad Georgian hunting lodge originally built by the Marquis of Sligo.

Depositing our bags and a few litres of water in the hall of the lodge, we’re welcomed by Mike. He and his party are from the North and are the only other guests staying at the lodge. Mike has been coming across the border to Delphi for over two decades and is still enchanted by the place……

Evoke.ie 13/02/2014 Read the article ‘OH MY! I seem to have landed at Downton Abbey…Tim Fanning makes new friends in majestic Connemara

Delphi is a popular destination for fly fishermen
Delphi is a popular destination for fly fishermen