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County Galway

Driving out into Connemara

Oscar Wilde described Connemara as -a savage beauty-. And if he were alive today, he would still mean it as a compliment.

The county, which includes the National Park of Connemara, is one of those magical places that lures tourists back again and again.

One of Ireland's top destinations, the county is split into two contrasting regions by Lough Corrib.

To the west of the lake lies Connemara with its rugged coastline, deserted white-sand beaches, and bogs dominated by the superb mountain range of twelve peaks, the Twelve Pins.

In all weathers, whether drizzle, low cloud, or a rare day of unbroken sunshine, Connemara is a spectacle of colours, texture and light with the drama of the sky often competing with the land for attention.

The landscape, though, bears testimony to the poverty of the region in the 19th century with hundreds of ruined dry-stone cottages still peering out of the rushes or rocky waste-land, a poignant reminder of darker times.

Dry stone walls, errant sheep and mountain boulders and the occasional field with cut turf are features of most drives in the National Park which starts at Letterfrack.

The unmissable Killary Harbour at Leenane was the backdrop to the movie of John B Keane's 1965 novel The Field and should be the start-off point for one of the best drives in Ireland - across the mountains to Mayo.

The west and south of the county are an angler’s paradise - Lough Corrib is a popular local and overseas attraction.

The county has been immortalised in traditional songs such as Galway Bay and is home to numerous Gaeltacht - Irish speaking - areas, ranging from the Aran Islands to Indreabhan near Galway city, Ros Muc and Carna.

This vibrant university city is not just the gateway to Connemara, it is a destination in its own right, renowned for shopping, music and avant-garde culture including theatre groups such as Macnas, famed for their giant puppetry used on Patrick's Day parades all over the world.

A compact city at the mouth of Galway Bay, Galway radiates from Eyre Square encompassing a deep sea harbour, the gushing river Corrib, the university area, the cathedral and Salthill, renowned for its promenade and its ageing leisure park.

The city attracts a mixture of tourists, ranging from culture-vultures to out-of-towners during the arts festival or film festival, to shoppers from all over Connaught drawn to the narrow streets and alley-ways with innumerable boutiques, music shops, book shops, restaurants and pubs.

Galway Race week in August is one of the busiest weeks in the calendar, so if you’re going check the dates of this year’s festival - it’s difficult to get accommodation during race week.