Connemara Tours

About Connemara

Connemara occupies the western third of County Galway, a triangle of land between Galway Bay to the south, the Atlantic to the west, and Killary Harbour — Ireland's only fjord — to the north. It is a landscape defined by extremes: the Twelve Bens mountain range reaches 729 metres at Benbaun, while the surrounding blanket bog stretches unbroken to the horizon in every direction. Between them, a network of lakes, rivers, and stone walls creates a patchwork that has changed little in centuries. The N59 from Galway runs through the heart of Connemara, passing through Oughterard — the traditional gateway — and on to Clifden, roughly 80 kilometres and 75 minutes west. Clifden is Connemara's unofficial capital, a small hillside town of colourful shopfronts overlooking Ardbear Bay. From here, the Sky Road is a 16-kilometre loop along the coast with views across island-studded Clifden Bay that justify the drive alone. South of Clifden, the coastal villages of Roundstone, Ballyconneely, and the twin beaches of Dog's Bay and Gurteen Bay add a completely different character — white sand against the bog. Kylemore Abbey sits on the shore of Pollacappul Lough, 20 kilometres east of Clifden on the N59. Built in the 1860s as a private residence, it became a Benedictine monastery in 1920 and today is one of the most visited attractions in the west of Ireland. The adjacent Connemara National Park at Letterfrack — just 5 kilometres from the Abbey — offers Diamond Hill, a 442-metre peak with a well-maintained trail that climbs to panoramic views of the Twelve Bens, the coastline, and the Abbey itself. The full walk takes 2 to 3 hours. Connemara remains one of the largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) areas in the country. In villages like Spiddal, Carraroe, and Carna along the southern coast, Irish is the first language of daily life. This cultural layer adds a dimension that no other region in the west matches.