NORTHERN STAR
The little-known Portugal beach resort with strong Irish ties, ancient relic, fine golf courses, and top music festival
St Brigid is revered and admired in the Cascais-Lisbon area
I WENT to Cascais in northern Portugal for golf and jazz - but ended up discovering an amazing link between this seaside destination and Ireland.
The Irish have always had a love affair with Portugal, but what is not as well known is that it's reciprocated, especially in the Cascais-Lisbon area where our very own St Brigid is revered and admired.
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The beautiful beach resort of Cascais is a place where a walking tour reveals the strong influence, alliance, and affiliations this Portuguese treasure has in common with us Irish.
Amazingly Cascais, which has been home to so many of Europe’s royalty, especially during the World Wars, is not as well known to the Irish as other destinations.
And believe me, that is a crying shame because the area offers so much - beautiful sea and sand, nature reserves, historical buildings and sights, challenging golf courses, top class accommodation along with food and wine and wonderful friendly people. Better still, it’s less than an hour from Lisbon.
The greatest example of the passion for Portugal and Cascais that awakens the soul of so many Irish people is Jorge O’Neill, who called himself the Count of Tyrone.
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His family fled Ireland in the 18th century to escape Protestant persecution, and Jorge Torlades O’Neill, who was born in February 1849, became the official head of the Clanaboy O'Neill dynasty.
He was connected to politics, finance, and the tobacco industry, and was a personal friend of King Carlos I of Portugal.
'Rely solely in heaven' was the watchword of this family of Irish Catholics that emigrated to Portugal in 1740.
And today, through the family’s Irish influence as a result of donations or acquisitions, the Cascais City Hall now owns three buildings commissioned by Jorge O’Neill at the turn of the century which were built as private or family residences.
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They are important architectural works and are open to the general public as museums and leisure areas.
So follow me on a walking tour of Cascais, and don’t worry, we will stop off for coffee or a glass of excellent Portuguese wine along the way.
The spectacular Praia da Falesia beach in Algarve, Portugal
Our first stop is at The Santa Maria House and museum, designed by Portuguese architect Raul Lino and built in 1902 on the orders of Jorge O’Neill, situated on Cascais Bay.
The decorative richness of this house can be appreciated in its 17th century tile panels and the magnificent oil-painted wooden ceiling, re-used after the dismantling of an old chapel.
Currently the space hosts conferences and temporary exhibitions on a regular basis.
My favourite is the current Library-Museum Condes de Castro Guimarães, which dates from the early 20th century again built on the initiative of Jorge.
On a site overlooking the sea, surrounded by a beautiful garden, and with the Tower of S. Sebastian dominating this is an outstanding example of romantic architecture.
Shamrock shame
And I have to say, I was just taken aback by the Clover Room.
But to me, the three-leaved plant adorning the walls and ceilings in this adorable room were most definitely shamrocks and the brochure description of the “clovers” as the symbol of Ireland is way off the mark. Possibly it’s time for a name change.
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Again the O’Neill Irish influence is very evident in the Turret/Gun Room where the Museum's collection of armoury is located. Again, the ceiling is the eye-catcher as it is richly decorated with Irish coats of arms of O’Neill’s ancestors.
Our Museum tour continues in Monte Estoril - between Estoril and Cascais, in the Casa Verdes Faria, the Portuguese Music Museum with St Patrick’s tower.
Summer resident architecture
This excellent example of the so-called “summer residence architecture” that characterised this region’s building heritage in the late 19th and early 20th century, was the result of a commission by O’Neill in 1918.
The building includes a chapel, with a neo-Gothic vaulted arched ceiling, and a full-scale statue of St Patrick is placed on the altar.
The property, when assigned to the municipal council in 1974, was transformed into a public garden and house-museum.
There are many more museums in Cascais and you can buy a museum pass which is about €10 and can be used over a 24-hour period.
Irish pub stop
So now for that pitstop on our walk through Cascais, let's have that glass of wine or coffee in O’Neill’s Irish Pub. When I visit places I am not a great fan of Irish pubs, but this one is exceptional with its terrace, located in front of Cascais Bay, offering spectacular views to the sea.
We can end our tour with afternoon tea at the popular cake shop Garrett, located near Estoril’s train station.
Now why would I pick here. For a good reason as it’s not just the wonderful cakes, the shop is full of history.
This was a meeting place for numerous international spies that populated Cascais during the Second World War, including James Bond writer Ian Fleming, who at that time was serving with the British Secret Services.
As I earlier revealed, the Portuguese love St Brigid and just six miles outside Lisbon in the village of Lumiar, in the parish Church you will find a chapel dedicated to her.
Here her skull, which was brought there by three Irish knights in the 13th century, is revered and cherished. The knights remained with the skull and when they died they were interred in tombs in the wall of the chapel.
Church pilgrimage
Many Irish pilgrims going to Fatima take time to visit the church to see the relic.
Apart from the Irish connection, Cascais has much to offer the visitor.
There are wonderful golf courses here which are not as jaded as the ones in the Algarve and many offer magnificent views and signature holes.
I stayed in the perfect hotel for golfers - Onyria Quinta Da Marinha which has a challenging 18-hole golf course. The other courses I played were the Penha Longa Resort course and the lovely Oitavos Dunes course where the sea views are stunning.
There is a Cascais Digital Golf Passport to buy which allows golfers to book three, four or five-round packages. The golfing tradition in the area dates back to 1929 with the opening of the first course Estoril and now another six have been added.
Golf booking
Book your golf passport via www.bookings.visitcascais.com.
As I mentioned, I was also in Cascais for jazz and believe it or not we had another Irish experience as our concert featured Van Morrison. Throughout the summer the Cool Jazz Festival brings the best of jazz to the area during July.
This year is very special as Cool Jazz is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a super line-up including Air, Dino D’Santiago, Diana Krall, Marina Sean, Fat Freddy’s Drops and Jamie Cullum. These are just the confirmed acts so expect a great listing of artistes leading up to July. You can check all festival timetables at cooljazz.pt.
I had a wonderful experience on the sea with a sightseeing tour in an all electric solar panel boat, one of the first in Portugal.
It’s quiet and sleek and we saw so many sights including the beautiful residences occupied by Europe's royalty, beautiful beaches, lighthouses, forts and dramatic cliffs including the famous Boca de Inferno, without having to push our way through crowds.
Our skipper Riu was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Cascais pointing out the sights and chatting to fishermen in traditional boats we met along the way, who were more than happy to show off their catch.
The fishing tradition is strong here - as this was a fishing village over six centuries ago, something that is reflected in the historic part of the city with tiny streets, cobblestones and colourful homes. And with all that fishing you are guaranteed the freshest of fish and seafood in the many fabulous restaurants in Cascais.
GETTING THERE
I travelled with TAP which has direct flights to Lisbon from Dublin.
Fares start around €80 and they operate up to three daily flights from Dublin Airport.
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