County Galway Off The Beaten Path

 
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Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in County Galway

1.

In the City   Galway

In the City, Galway

 12 Reviews  A rather strange thing has happened near the Spanish arch in Galway. A very smart and well made plaque has appeared on a wall proclaiming the founding of the GDR - the Galway Democratic Republic. I... 

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2.

Inland   Galway

Inland, Galway

 14 Reviews  The beautiful village of Leenane, snugly situated at the head of Killary Harbour, is often aptly described as the 'Gateway to Connemara'. The roads from Maam, Clifden, and Westport meet at this point.... 

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3.

On the Coast   Galway

On the Coast, Galway

 14 Reviews  Cleggan is a small fishing village nestling at the head of Cleggan Bay, on Connemara's Atlantic Coast. This village is the departure point for ferry services to the islands of Inishbofin and... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

ARAN ISLANDS.....

by eden_teuling

These Island are situated some 45 km. from the shore of Co. Galway and form part of the same limestone formations as the BURREN in Co. Clare (see my THE BURREN PAGE!!)The islands are quite flat although the shores have high cliffs.You won't find there many trees, bushes, plants or grass: it is indeed very poorly and the few people who live there always have to fight the fierce Atlantic storms and work very hard to get some produce from their little fields... No wonder the number of inhabitants is diminishing.....life is so difficult and hard there!Those who live there still speak GAELIC and often weat traditional clothes and use their CURRACHS (little frames covered with animal skin) nowadays provided with a motor to make things a bit easier and more safe!One day of cisiting the Island is something but it is of course so much better to stay there in one of the small hotels to get the...

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Dunsandle station

by sourbugger

You won't find Dunsandle station on any rail map of Ireland as it shut years ago when the system was rationalised. The old Loughrea to Attymon branchline must have been a marginal concern at the best of times. Somewhat ironically millions is now being spent on a motorway 'branch' that will do the same job. The new motorway passes within a whisker of the Dunsandle railway station. The family who live there (privately) have paid to relay a stretch of railway line and buy a carriage, shunting engine and a couple of wagons that has lingered on in Tuam when that section shut as well.Although it is a private concern, I turned up unannouced the other day as I by chance was driving by. I met the owner who was more than happy to have a quick chat. I would suggest that if you are a serious railway buff then you contact him via the website well ahead of time out of courtesy.

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A great driving road

by sourbugger

I want this tip to remain off the beaten path - so I can enjoy it when I want to. And when I finally get my old sports car fixed I can enjoy it all the more.A road exists in Connemara that has everything - fantastic views, mountains, forests - the lot. It has virtually no traffic, and only a few suicical sheep on the lose.My advice is take the unclassified road (although it is clearly marked on maps) from opposite Rossaveel up to Oughterard. There is a great place to stop off half way - the art gallery (see other tip)

White Sand Beach!

by EPoodle

It's beautiful esspecially during the tide...How to get there?It is in a small village Ballyconneely. If you are arriving from Clifden, in the centre (after some pub), you will see on your right hand side a road and a sign "Angling beach".Take that road. Drive (a mile I would say). Just keep driving. You will pass a castle on your left hand side and after a while you will see The Beach on the left.Enjoy!

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Village of Recess in Connemara

by Sagespot

The tiny village of Recess in Connemara was a wonderful little suprise during our driving tour of the region. Located on the N59 in between Maam Cross and Clifden, Recess is an area of bogland, forest and lakes which is dominated by the quartzite peaks of the Twelve Bens. Connemara green marble quarries are to be found on the lower slopes of the mountains.Athough not open during the off season, there appeared to be several large craft and tourist shops located in the little "mall" on the side of N59. It looked to have some promising shopping possibilities during the height of tourism season.It frankly sits right smack in the center of the Connemara region. We stopped here as we saw a strange statue of "the Thinker" on the side of the road. I'm unsure as to what is the purpose of this statue, it was raining really hard so it was difficult to see outside the car. The tiny community backs a...

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"The Quiet Man-bridge" - north of Galway

by globetrott

"The Quiet Man-bridge" is another sight for all fans of that old movie and you may find it north of the city of Galway.Normally all of these sights , where the movie was made, have brown signposts at all the major roads and there is even a map that shows all of these places around Galway - you may get this map in Cong !My mother is a fan of that movie and I also saw it quite often, when I was a child, and as soon as I came to Galway, I had to search of all of these places of course.

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Cong Abbey

by globetrott

Cong Abbey was also used for the movie "The quiet man" .Already at the 6th century there was a monastery in Cong, but it had been destroyed and the Cong Abbey you may see today dates back to the 12th century, founded by Turlough O'Connor, King of Connaught and High King of Ireland.You may enter Cong Abbey freely and without restrictions during the day and may see there a very few fine ornaments and plenty of great arches.Cong Abbey was also the home for the Cross of Cong - a 75cm high procession-cross, made of gold and precious jewels. It is shown today in the National museum in Dublin.

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Take each road across Connemara

by globetrott

Have a look on your map and you will see that there are only a very few streets going through CONNEMARA - take all of them, and you will see great landscapes from different angels everywhere.This place, shown on my picture is next to Maam Cross and the "Quiet Man" - cottage and it is one of these places, that is shown at almost each guidebook about the area around Galway.Take Take N59 and about 2km past Maam Cross you will see a big parking and this island with Leckavrea Mountain in the background.

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The " Quiet Man Cottage " near Maam Cross

by globetrott

In the late 1950s the famous movie "The Quiet man" (in german it was called "Der Sieger") was filmed at various places all over county Galway.This is the tiny hut, where John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara had their cottage in the film. It is one of the attractions at a petrol-station maybe 2 km west of Maam Cross, on your way to Clifden.You may not enter the building, but take a picture from outside, and of course you will also find all sorts of souvenirs there !

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Delphy Valley - close to Lough Doo

by globetrott

Delphy Valley is the name of a side-valley , when you drive from Leenane to Westport and leave the main road N59 already a few km north of Leenane at a small village called Aasleagh. The road will take you first to Delphy valley, then to Lough Doo, Louisburgh and finally to Croagh Patrick and Westport. This side-road is another highlight in County Galway, but you will soon realize, that almost no tourists go this way and when-ever I drove that road, I never met more than 3 or 4 cars the whole day.

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Unique Places in County Galway

Top 3 Hotels in County Galway

Park House  Galway

 2 Reviews and 655 Opinions  I selected the Park House Hotel because it is very convenient to both the bus and train stations in... 

 Hotels in Galway

Mainistir House Hostel  Inishmore

 66 Opinions

 Hotels in Inishmore

Clifden Station House Hotel  Clifden

 258 Opinions

 Hotels in Clifden

199 Hotels in County Galway
 
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Reviews and photos of County Galway attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for County Galway sightseeing.

Experience County Galway
Off The Beaten Path: Cities in County Galway
  1. Galway Off The Beaten Path
  2. Inishmore Off The Beaten Path
  3. Aran Island Off The Beaten Path
  4. Athenry Off The Beaten Path
  5. Monivea Off The Beaten Path
  6. Gort Off The Beaten Path
  7. Kilronan Off The Beaten Path
  8. Tuam Off The Beaten Path
  9. Portumna Off The Beaten Path

More Cities in County Galway

 

Questions and Answers

abi4 profile photo

Q:  Hi, We're going to be visiting Ireland at the end of August, staying in Clifden. We'd like to make a day trip to Carrigaholt... 

leics profile photo

A: The AA routeplanner is a very reliable site for working out routes and drivetimes: http://www2.aaireland.ie/routes_beta/ More so than sites such as... 

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