Travel to Ireland

Day 5 Connemara (199 Km.)

Connemara, which derives from Conmacne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, from the sea) is a cultural region located in the west of Ireland that comprises a wide peninsula between the Killary Harbour and the Bay of Kilkieran to the west of County Galway or southwest of Connacht. Connemara was traditionally divided into Connemara North and Connemara South. The Twelve Bens Mountains and the Owenglin River, which flows to the sea in Clifden, mark the border between the two sides. Connemara is bounded to the west, south and north by the Atlantic Ocean. The Connemara coast is composed by a large number of peninsulas. The main city of Connemara is Clifden. The area around it is rich in megalithic sets.

(in 43 Km.) Leenaum: We begin the tour of Connemara in Killary Harbour. Before arriving in Leenaum we visit the Aasleagh falls, a waterfall of the Erriff river in which you can see trout and salmon fishermen. Leenaun is located at the junction of the N59 road with the R336 road and is located where the deep U-shaped valley meets the Killary Harbour, the deepest fjord in Ireland. It is quite a tourist town, with some restaurants, pubs and Bed and breakfast to stay in. The Killary Harbour is a fjord 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) long, and in the center more than 42–45 meters (138–148 feet) deep; sea ​​level is higher outside its mouth, as is normal in a fjord.

(in 16 Km.) Kylemore abbey: Kylemore Abbey (Mainistir na Coille Móire) is a convent of Benedictine nuns founded in 1920 on the basis of Kylemore Castle. The Kylemore Abbey was built between 1863 and 1868 as a private home for the family of Mitchell Henry, politician and businessman from Manchester, England. After changing hands two more times, the castle was finally transformed into an abbey when Benedictine nuns fled from Ypres, Belgium during World War I. The most important architectural features of the abbey are the neo-Gothic church (built between 1877 and 1881), a miniature reproduction of Norwich Cathedral, made of local green Connemara marble, and the walled Victorian garden. Tourist visits are limited to the gardens, a few rooms of the abbey, the neo-Gothic church and the family mausoleum. We just photographed it from the parking lot since the heavy rain that accompanied us all morning did not invite us to walk through its gardens.

(in 6 Km.) Connemara National Park: We moved to the visitor center of the national park with the hope that the rain would subsided and be able to do some excursion, but it was still raining heavily. The Connemara National Park (in Gaelic Páirc Naisiúnta Chonamara) is one of the six national parks in the Republic of Ireland. The Connemara National Park was founded and inaugurated in 1980. It covers 2,957 hectares of mountains, peat bogs, heaths, herbs and forests. There are many remains of human civilization inside the park. There is a cemetery of the nineteenth century as well as megalithic tombs four thousand years old. The most popular excursion is the circular route of Diamond Hill, about three hours long, that goes up to the top of this mountain, offering views over Connemara. There are other shorter excursions that ascend part of the hillside.

(in 14 Km.) Sky Road: Our next visit is the almost circular route of the Sky Road, a narrow road that goes around the peninsula adjacent to Clifden. It has an 11-kilometer drive along Clifden Bay and Streamstown Bay rising more than 150 meters above sea level at Slyne Head, with views of the Atlantic, Clifden Castle, coast-guard station and the islands of Inishturk and Turbot. Halfway down the road separates between the lower one, closer to the coast, and the upper one. We, following recommendations from other travelers, chose the superior one because it offers better views, although the presence of the rain clouded the landscape.

(in 11 Km.) Clifden: Clifden is one of the last villages built in Ireland. A man named John D’Arcy founded it in the 19th century in an attempt to attract commerce to the area. By the situation of Clifden next to the river and the Atlantic Ocean, the town grew rapidly until it reached prosperity in fishing. In addition, the geographical location of the town allows it to be a place of tourism through the landscape of water and mountains. We take advantage of its great gastronomic offer to eat in this city.

Our next destination is Roundstone, but instead of going on the tourist R341 we do it on the Bog Road, a narrow and quiet road that passes between peat bogs and small lakes with dark waters.

(in 24 Km.) Roundstone: On the way to Dog's bay we pass through this fishing village, where we stop to take a picture of its picturesque harbor. Roundstone is known as a home for creativity and the arts. For many years some of the most important figures in Irish Art have painted there, including Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Gerard Dillon and Nano Reid. On the outskirts we find two of Ireland's best beaches: Dog’s bay and Gurteen beach. They are white sand beaches and crystal clear waters excellent for windsurfing. We were lucky to arrive at Dog's bay during the only five minutes of the day that we saw the sun shine.

(in 19 Km.) Inagh valley: During the way back to our accomodation we crossed the Inagh valley. Lough Inagh is located on the R344 road in the Inagh Valley. The Twelve Bens range lies to the west of the lake, with Derryclare 677 metres (2,221 ft) and Bencorr 711 metres (2,333 ft) directly overlooking the lake. Lough Inagh is fed from several mountain streams in the area, but most importantly from the Gleninagh River that starts high up in the Gleninagh Valley on the slopes of Benbaun and Bencollaghduff, and the Tooreennacoona River.

(in 65 Km.) Ballintober: We return to the Tranquil Escapes B&B, but first we stop for dinner at The Lough Inn pub just outside Partry. We liked it so much that we went to dinner the three days we were staying at Ballintober.