West Ireland travel guide
Here in the far west, the huge sky seems to change by the minute, alternating between dazzling sun, fleeting clouds and bursts of rain.
The western city of Galway has a compact city centre with numerous quaint shops, trendy boutiques and stylish cafés and pubs. The city has developed a unique personality, combining a strong Irish identity with exuberant cosmopolitan influences, epitomised by the broad cultural mix presented annually in the Galway Arts Festival.
Connemara is a land of lakes, bogs and mountains, but almost empty of people. Its farming and fishing communities traditionally clustered around the coast, while its interior was inhabited chiefly by sheep farmers.
Out in the Atlantic, the Aran Islands are home to an Irish-speaking community that keeps the customs of a much older Ireland, but has also adapted to the demands of modern tourism. The approach to County Mayo is dominated by Croaghpatrick, St Patrick’s holy mountain, while Westport is a pleasant county town backing on to the island-studded Clew Bay.
Places to visit in west Ireland
Galway City
This coastal medieval city was known as the 'City of Tribes' because of the influence of 14 wealthy Anglo-Norman merchant families who ruled it as an independent city-state. Read more...
Connemara
This hinterland is full of lakes, bogs and mountains, but almost empty of people. Read more...
Aran Islands
During a holiday in Connemara, a side trip to the Aran Islands is regarded as de rigueur. Aran Island Ferries operates daily services from Ros a’ Mhil (Rossaveal) on the Connemara coast, with a bus link to Galway City. An air taxi service to the three islands is run by Aer Arann Islands from Connemara Regional Airport, a 45-minute drive west of Galway city. The plane journey takes less than 10 minutes; the ferry journey to Inisheer (the furthest island) is one hour. The three Aran Islands – Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer – contain many pre-Christian and early-Christian remains. Visitors should carry waterproof clothes and wear shoes suitable for uneven terrain.
Most noteworthy is Dún Aengus stone fort on Inishmore, one of Europe’s finest prehistoric monuments. Perched on the edge of a vertical 200ft (60-metre) cliff, it consists of four semi-circular defensive walls. The experts have failed to date Dún Aengus with any accuracy: some say 4,000 BC and others 1,000 BC. But, apart from its historic interest, the view from its ramparts is one of the most striking imaginable. On a clear day the sweep of coastline from Kerry and Clare to the south, as well as the length of Galway to the western extremity of Connemara is visible.
Knock
The village of Knock is thronged year-round with shops selling souvenirs and religious artifacts. One of Ireland’s most popular pilgrimage places, after several people in 1879 reportedly saw the Blessed Virgin silhouetted on the gable of the local church, it is visited by over 1 million people each year. Many of those coming by air fly directly to the nearby Ireland West Airport Knock. From small beginnings in 1986, it has expanded considerably, bringing in visitors not only from Britain and Europe but, with the introduction of scheduled transatlantic services from New York and Boston in 2007, many tourists from the USA.
Want to buy an Aran sweater? Read our guide to shopping in Ireland
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