Kylemore Abbey
At Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden, there is so much for all the family to enjoy.
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Visit the restored rooms of the Abbey and learn about its history of tragedy, romance, education, innovation, and spirituality. Explore the 6 acre Victorian Walled Garden with its delightfully restored garden buildings. Discover woodland and lakeshore walks that will take you on a beautiful journey through our 1,000-acre estate. The beautiful Gothic Church is a short walk from the Abbey, nestled nearby is the Mausoleum where Mitchell and Margaret Henry are buried side by side.
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Children will enjoy making a wish at the Giants Ironing stone. With great options for dining and shopping, we have all you need for the perfect Connemara day out.
Dogs Bay
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While Ireland may not be the first destination that springs to mind when you’re looking to head to the beach but don’t be hasty to dismiss it. Dog’s Bay beach, located only a few kilometres north of the village of Roundstone, is one of the most beautiful and untouched beaches in Ireland.
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The soft white sand and strikingly blue water will make you feel as if you are in the tropics and it’s only when the chilly temperatures hit you will you remember that you’re actually in Ireland.
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There is a car park close to the beach, so the amount of walking to get to the beach is minimal. It is, however, remote enough that you very well might get it all to yourself. A visit to Dog’s Bay beach is undoubtedly one of the best things do in Connemara.
Ballynahinch Castle
The kitchens of Ballynahinch Castle have been delighting both visitors and local diners for years.
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The Owenmore Restaurant offers elegant yet unpretentious dining in a stunning location. Dinner in the Owenmore Restaurant is one of the highlights of any trip to Ballynahinch Castle. Changing the menus with the seasons ensures that regular visitors to Ballynahinch can enjoy a varied and interesting selection of dishes. The Fisherman's Pub with open log fires, wholesome local produce and friendly personal service is the ideal place to meet the Connemara locals over a pint or enjoy the catch of the day for dinner.
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There are also a number of walking trails around the castle to explore the countryside around the castle.
Connemara Golf Course
Galway's only True Links...Connemara Championship Golf Links, is nestled between the scenic splendour of the 12 Bens mountain range and the rugged Atlantic Ocean.
This beautiful isolated links course, founded in 1973 and designed by Eddie Hackett lies to the West of Clifden along the Wild Atlantic Ways signature discovery point of Derrigimla Bog and Mannin Bay Blueway. From the testing dog leg opening hole through to the breathtaking back 9, the course is a test for all levels. In 2000 an additional 9 holes were unveiled to add a further dimension to the exhilarating Connemara golfing experience.
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When playing Connemara you are always mesmerised by the landscape around you, whether it's Slyne Head Lighthouse, the 12 Bens Mountains, the Atlantic Ocean or Grainne O'Malleys Castle, there is something special on every hole. The club offers fantastic facilities with a modern clubhouse bar, coffee shop and restaurant, a proshop, practice range and putting green
Inishbofin Island
Inis Bo Finne (Island of the White Cow) lies seven miles off Galway’s coast. The island is 5.7km by 4km.
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Inishbofin has three official looped walks of varying difficulties, each offering spectacular views of the island’s wild Atlantic scenery.
Several safe award winning sandy beaches strewn with shells and with crystal clear water make swimming, snorkelling and diving a joy. Two of the beaches on Inishbofin have been awarded the ‘Green Coast Award’ prized for their exceptional water quality and their natural, unspoilt environment.
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Inishbofin is a special area of conservation and a special area of protection. Inishbofin has become an important centre for traditional Irish music and song with its own Ceilí band. Inishbofin plays host to many visiting musicians and artists.
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As you sail around the tower and signal light into the harbour you will notice Cromwell’s 16th Century Barracks. It was used as a prison for catholic priests from all over the country after the English Statute of 1585 declared them guilty of high treason
Derrigimlagh Bog
Derrigimlagh Bog is one of the Signature Discovery Points of the Wild Atlantic Way. It is uniquely beautiful area of blanket peat bog and lakes important not only for it’s rich and diverse willdlife and plantlife but also as the scene of two significant events in international travel and communications history.
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Over 100 years ago an Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi established the world’s first permanent transatlantic radio station at Derrigimlagh. It was from here in October 1907 the first commercial transatlantic message was transmitted to Glace Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. The station was an impressive collection of buildings employing several hundred people who helped transmit news across the ocean from 1907 to 1922. It was destroyed by fire during the Irish War of Independence but the foundations of the buildings and workers’ houses can still be seen.
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Amazingly this same remote and isolated location was also the site of the crash landing of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown in 1919 on the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic. They took off from Newfoundland 16 hours earlier on the morning of the 15th June 1919. The spot is marked by a white memorial shaped like an aeroplane wing.
There is a new walkway through the bog marked by interactive information points telling the fascinating history of this area. Viewing through the binocular style information points one can see the existing landscape overlaid with images of the view as it was in the early 20th century.