Islands of Ireland: Sights set on fame and fortune — from Lough Arrow to Chile

And where there is an Inishmore there is usually an Inishbeg, On that smaller island there are the ruins of two buildings but otherwise the only signs of a human footprint are a well and a landing place. Griffiths Valuation states that in the 19th Century the one house was occupied by an Owen Flynn. In fact, the island is still known as Flynn’s Island.

On the shores of the 12km sq lough, and all of 300metres distant from Inishbeg, is the townland of Ballinary. This tiny place is well known in historical circles in Chile as the birthplace of the self-styled Ambrosio O’Higgins — born Ambrose O’Higgins — who emigrated to Chile via Spain in 1756. His son Bernardo went on to become the first leader of independent Chile after its secession from the Spanish Empire in 1810.

This day 202 years ago - 12 February 1818 - Chilean independence was declared, having been approved by Bernardo O'Higgins, the Supreme Director of the country.

O'Higgins was the son of Ambrosio O'Higgins, a former tenant farmer from Co Sligo who had become the viceroy of Peru. pic.twitter.com/NxNBR5E6Fh

— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 12, 2020

A monument now marks the spot of the family’s home but no trace remains of the structure itself. That has been erased from history as the directors of the 2016 biopic ‘Further Beyond’ shed light on the fascinating story of the Baron of Ballinary.

When Cromwell’s New Model Army ravaged the country in the mid-17th century the family was dispossessed of their lands but managed to find work on another estate. By the time Ambrose had reached his 30s, opportunities were few and far between so he decided to quit his home on the shores of Lough Arrow and seek fame and fortune overseas.

The film-makers Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor ask: “Isn’t it reasonable to assume that stories of Lough Arrow and Ballynary were told and retold to the young, impressionable Ambrose? After all, his family lived in this part of Ireland for generations and were the proud custodians of this land.”

The waters of Lough Arrow are captured between three ranges of mountains and lower hills; the Bricklieve Mountains to the west, the Curlews to the south, and the Braulieves to the east. The film imagines what was going through Ambrose’s mind as he leaves: “The light is fading. Ambrose dressed in rags, looks back on Lough Arrow. He doesn’t know it yet, but this is the last time he will see this landscape.” The film lingers on Lough Arrow: the vivid blue of the sky, the two main islands of Inishmore and Inishbeg drawing the eye, captivating it.

It is impossible to believe that the young Ambrose, a person suffused with the desire to explore his surroundings, near and far, did not set foot on Inishbeg, and for that matter the other islands on the lough. The island is just 300 metres from the shore. The film focuses on the islands suggesting perhaps Ambrosio did, in fact, venture there.

Having established a position with the Butler Trading company in Cadiz, Spain, Ambrose subsequently decided on a move to South America. As he worked in business for a time he found himself in Argentina where he managed to open up a trading route across the Andes to Chile.

The film-makers wonder what drove on Ambrose at a particularly difficult episode in the Andes: “I can imagine when Ambrose is stranded in the blizzard in the Andes awaiting death, the first place he would think back on is this lake [Arrow]. Its shape. The incline leading down to its edge. The view across it. the colour it reflects in the light.”

Ambrose proceeded to work his way up through civil and then military ranks. By 1777 he was a colonel in the Chilean army and soon afterwards, governor. A long way from the shores of Lough Arrow.

How to get there: Kayak from a small pier opposite Inishmore.

Other: Further Beyond, Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (on mubi.com)