Connemara
I was driving a carload of walkers recently through the Lough Inagh Valley in Connemara which just has to be one of most scenic places in all Ireland. On our left we had the brooding Twelve Bens with Lough Inagh in the foreground. One of the group said “thank you for bringing us to this place”. I know what they meant - Connemara just has that effect on you.
It’s said that you’ll know you are in Connemara by the light that constantly changes the mood and the atmosphere of the landscape. A landscape laden with a myriad of salmon/brown trout-filled lakes and sparkling clear rivers, ancient, rounded mountains, and the fascinating lake-peppered Roundstone Bog. And then there are the beaches. Elin, our chef from the Bahamas now resident in County Galway, says that Dog Bay in the south of Connemara is the closest she gets in Ireland to the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters of her home!
Geographically, Connemara is a district made up of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour (Killary is Ireland’s only fjord) and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway. It is commonly used to describe all of County Galway west of Lough Corrib. We’ll be based in the heart of Connemara and exploring Killary Bay, the island of Inis Bofin, Connemara National Park, and the quintessentially-Connemara villages of Clifden, Cleggan, Letterfrack and Roundstone.
Our final night together is spent at a traditional fishing lodge near Roundstone before heading back to the city of Galway where the international Galway Arts Festival will be in full swing.
I suspect that this 10 day immersion in the Mayo and Connemara landscape and character will be just the beginning for you.
