Connemara is the district in western Galway extending between Lough Corrib and the much-indented coast of Ireland, to the north of Galway Bay. The people in this region are steeped in tradition and in large parts of Connemara Irish is still spoken. Road signs are in Irish script.
Scenery of superb grandeur - ranges of hills and bare isolated peaks, valleys enclosing the black waters of many loughs, a coastline of alternating rocky cliffs and sandy bays: all this makes Connemara one of Ireland's supreme attractions, appealing to tourists, to sportsmen and to holidaymakers who seek quiet and relaxation.
In Letterfrack is the Visitor Center and the main entrance to Connemara National Park. The park is open throughout the year, the Visitor Center in summer (opening hours given). The center documents the flora, fauna and history of the 49,400 ac/2,000 ha area which can be explored on foot along fairly short waymarked paths, or on a day tour.
Address: Connemara National Park, Letterfrack , Ireland
Hours:
April 1 to May 31: 10am-5:30pm
June 1 to June 30: 10am-6:30pm
July 1 to August 31: 9:30am-6:30pm
September 1 to October 17: 10am-5:30pm
Tips: Last admission 45 minutes before closing.
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
At Leenane, on the River Erriff, which flows down through Mayo county into Killary Harbor, is the lovely Ashleag Waterfall.
From Leenane there is a direct route south to Maam Cross on the R336. The road follows the course of the river which here borders the charming Joyce's Country.
The coast road (here the R341) continues round Ballyconneely Bay to Ballyconneely, 2.5mi/4km south of which, on the sea, is an 18-hole golf course. It then continues north to Clifden.
From Clifden take the N59, which runs east to Ballynahinch Lough. Near its southern shore stands Ballynahinch Castle Hotel, an 18th C. mansion built by the Martin family, who during the Great Famine of 1845-49 sold much of their property to help the poor. On a wooded islet in the lough can be seen a ruined castle.
From Screeb the R340 follows the shores of Kilkieran Bay to Carna, with fishing for sea trout in the bay and for brown trout in the neighboring loughs.
Connemara heritage centre offers insight into the history and heritage of Connemara. Visitors can vist the prehistoric age from 2000 to 5000 BC and the home of Dan O'Hara - a pre-famine farm.
At the east end of Lough Kylemore a side road branches off the N59 and runs south in wide curves through the glacial depression between the Twelve Bens to the west and the Maamturk Mountains to the east, along the shores of Lough Inagh and Derryclare Lough, to rejoin the N59 at Recess, a very popular resort.
Boats to the island of Inishbofin can be taken from Cleggan village (for departure times inquire in Clifden). The island was occupied by monks in the seventh century. On it can be seen ancient promontory forts, stone houses and the remains of a barracks built by Cromwell's forces (1652-57), who made this a kind of concentration camp for priests and monks. But the island is also well worth visiting for the sake of its beautiful sandy beaches and rugged cliffs and the scope it offers for sailing and sea fishing.
After Kylemore Abbey, the road passes Kylemore Lough and Lough Fee and winds its way down to Killary Harbor, a 16km/10mi-long fjord-like inlet the shores of which have a gloomy aspect when in shadow but are charming when the sun shines on them. There was formerly a British naval base here.
The N59 runs east from Letterfrack up the valley of the River Dawros to the Kylemore loughs, nestling amid hills. This area is at its most beautiful when the rhododendrons and fuschias are in bloom. To the left, above the first lough, stands the palatial Kylemore Abbey, built in the 19th C. as a country house by a wealthy merchant and now occupied by Benedictine nuns. Part of the abbey is used as a girls'school; other rooms are open to visitors in summer and fall (opening times given). There is a restaurant and craft center.
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Good Friday - Christian
After passing the Vale of Delphi, the road continues along the south side of the fjord to Leenane, a good center for fishermen and climbers. The Leenane Cultural Center (opening times given) is devoted to the documentation of wool production and fabrication, an important branch of industry in this area. The center owns land on which are kept several breeds of sheep.
Address: Leenane Cultural Center, Clifden-Westport Road, Leenane , Ireland
The N59 goes via Moyard to Letterfrack, a settlement founded by Quakers in the 19th C. The mild climate here allows tall fuschia hedges to flourish. The loughs and inlets offer good fishing and bathing.
From Letterfrack a side road on the left leads to Tully Cross and Renvyle. At the end of the Renvyle Peninsula, which has lovely coastal scenery - sandy beaches alternating with cliffs - are the remains of a 14th C. castle and a church, and a dolmen.
The N59 runs east from Letterfrack up the valley of the River Dawros to the Kylemore loughs, nestling amid hills. This area is at its most beautiful when the rhododendrons and fuschias are in bloom.
From Cashel take the road west and then south to Roundstone, a settlement established in the early 19th C. for Scottish fishermen. It is now a holiday resort much favored by artists and nature lovers, with beautiful shell beaches.
At Streamstown, a few miles north of Clifden, light-colored marble is worked; the quarries can be visited. A side road goes off on the left to the fishing village of Cleggan (lobster catching), from which a boat can be taken to Inishbofin.
The contrasts in the scenery of Connemara - whether in the nature of the landscape or in the play of light and color - can best be appreciated in a series of separate trips.
From Clifden the N59 runs northward skirting the coast, passing little white cottages scattered about amid stony fields, drystone walls and rocky coves.
The southern coasts of Connemara can be seen by following a coastal route under various road numbers.
Over the water to the north of Killary Harbor there is a glimpse, between the Mweelrea Mountains and Bengorm (2,297ft/700m), of the Vale of Delphi, a beautiful rocky valley of classical aspect which owes its name to a young Marquess of Sligo, who, returning from the Grand Tour, called his fishing lodge Delphi.
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Twelve Bens
Kylemore Abbey
Killary Harbor
Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey
Kylemore Abbey
Killary Harbor
