Connemara travel guide
Stretching from Galway Bay in the south to Killary Harbour in the north, bordered by a rocky coastline and consisting mainly of rugged hills, windswept bogs and innumerable lakes, Connemara has always been an isolated place. Oscar Wilde described it as a ‘savage beauty’, and it remains relatively untamed. Its southern coast is home to Ireland’s largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area), while in north and central Connemara there are still more sheep than people; traditionally, people lived by the sea where subsistence farming could be augmented by fishing. The central area has largely escaped unsightly new developments, while existing attractions have been quietly enhanced.
Read more about the Gaeltacht and interest in the Irish language
Places to visit in Connemara
Lough Corrib
Lough Corrib, a loch extending 43km (27 miles) north from Galway, is big enough to be whipped by waves when the wind hurtles down the hillside. It’s generally shallow and well supplied with islands and fish – salmon, trout, pike and perch. Lough Corrib divides County Galway into two contrasting regions: a fertile limestone plain to the east, and Connemara – a range of dramatic mountains and sparkling lakes – to the west, all enclosed by the coastline of rugged cliffs and pristine beaches.
Clifden
The sky seems to change by the minute in the far west – dazzling sun, fleeting clouds and rain alternating so quickly that photographers have to be constantly at the ready. The capital is the well-placed market town of Clifden, a base for exploring the nearby lakes and rivers, as well as fine beaches, bogs and mountains. The town’s Irish name is An Clochan, meaning ‘Stepping Stones’. There are so many areas of water around Clifden that you can’t tell the genuine sea inlets from the coves of the lakes, except for the seaweed, a plant which features in Irish cooking more than you’d expect.
Kylemore Abbey
tel: 095-41146
Kylemore Abbey, the home of Ireland’s Benedictine nuns, is one of the most photographed buildings in the country. This imposing late 19th-century limestone and granite neo-Gothic mansion rears up against a wooded backdrop on the far side of a lake. It was erected by a Liverpool merchant as a gift to his wife, who subsequently died tragically; she is commemorated by a chapel (charge). It is now a girls’ boarding school, run by nuns.
Killary Harbour
Killary Harbour, near Leenane, is Ireland's only fjord and offers superb anchorage protected by mountains on both sides. The floats and rafts are busy farming mussels. Funnily enough, the Irish don’t think all that much of seafood, so a lot of it is exported to France where there are more seafood enthusiasts.
Connemara National Park
Letterfrack
tel: 095-41054
Connemara National Park covers 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) and is rich in wildlife. The Visitor Centre gives a good introduction to the local flora and fauna and has an indoor picnic area: handy in the Connemara weather.
There's a lively arts and live music scene in the medieval port city of Galway...
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