Connemara, Ireland

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The 12 Bens are the group of small hills that you will see from almost anywhere in the Connemara.
To Connacht (the old name for Connemara) or to hell used to be a sentence at the end of many trials and in fact to be banned to Connacht might have been worse then to go to prison (=hell). The soil was totally unfertile, too many rocks and a salty ground so fishermen collected the sea-tweed and dried it in the sun in order to improve the soil, and at some places you still may see heaps of sea-tweed waiting to be carried away.
In former times all inhabitants of the Connemara were poor, while today more and more people build a 2nd home there and some parts are already a bit over-run by them. get to Connemara BEFORE all of the magic landscape has disappeared between modern buildings.

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Cong Abbey is an interesting monastery in the northern part of Connemara. Its origins are dating back to the 6th century, but is was destroyed and rebuilt again in the 12th century by Turlough O'Connor, King of Connaught and High King of Ireland.
You can enter Cong Abbey freely and without restrictions during the day and will see there some 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 in the National museum in Dublin.
Most ofthe tourists are coming to Cong because of the movie "The Quiet Man" and the area around the abbey was also used as a background-scenery for it.

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"The Quiet Man" was a well-known movie made in the late 1950s at various places in the Connemara, mainly in Cong around Asford castle, but also here, close to the small village of Maam Cross, where you can still see the original cottage, where John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara had their home in the movie. In german that movie was called "Der Sieger" and it is about a former boxing-champion who had killed accidentally a man in the ring and is now trying to start a new life in Ireland, the land of his childhood...
On my main picture you will see the tiny hut, 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 ! For the best "Quiet Man" souvenirs and infos you better go to Cong !

Roundstone is one of my favorite villages in the Connemara, because from there you will have a great scenery of mountains, lakes and bays. I have been in Roundstone several times and it became quite full of tourists recently, also because of a movie that was made there :
The Matchmaker - that movie was filmed in Roundstone in 1997

Matchmaking is still quite usual in Ireland and there are traditional festivals, where people of all ages meet in order to find a partner.

I would not plan a trip to Ireland and not include at least two to three days in Connemara. My first trip I wisked through this area.....and regreted it, always wanting to go back and finish the great gift it was. Other parts of Ireland, except Achill Island did not please me as much. I thought I would find it in the rest of my travels but I didn't.

Go to the West and Southwest of Ireland and savor every moment. It is the best.....it is truly taking a step back in time.... so refreshing and simple.

In my photo on this page we took a by-way road from Rossaveel to Oughterard. It was barren in some places and lush in others, this silly donkey was in the road, and when we stopped he greeted us with the best "Welcome we ever had" and "Number one of a Thousand". This was our first day....and this moment will never be forgotten.

Go............to Connemara, you will be happy you did.

The national park is 2000 hectare wide and home for wildlife on the slope of the Twelve Beans. There are three routes available for walking enthusiast. Red route is the farest (7 kilometer and the path brings you to the top of the mountain). The path is available and just follow the sign. Although in shiny summer day, bring jacket is advisable, since the Irish weather can change in seconds.
For more complete walking guide, you can buy “Walking in Connemara” guidebook, available in the souvenir shops.

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If I ever go to Ireland again, I am sure I will spend more time in Connemara. This region in the west of Ireland, bounded on three sides by the Atlantic, offers a visitor a full range of breathtaking sights, experiences and activities. Even a short drive across Connemara will delight you with its unspoilt beauty: majestic mountains, mist-covered lakes, rugged coastline and picturesque villages are all there waiting for you. Frequent changes of weather are reflected in the lakes and mountains - they may look serene and tempting when bathed in the sun but hostile and sinister with clouds hanging low over them.
We saw only a small part of this wonderland, but it was enough to fall in love. The part we explored, mainly on foot, is the region of Killary Harbour. We took a fantastic walk along Killary Fjord, the only fjord in Ireland. On that day we weren't lucky with the weather again. It was drizzling so after a few hours we were wet through, yet I recall it as one of our best trips. Even the slippery paths and walking through bogs in squelching boots didn't manage to deprive us of the feeling of sheer joy and excitement. After some time we learnt to step onto the grass rather than on the boggy path, which made walking more strenous, but 'less wet'. On the way we met hardly anyone - it was just us, a few sheep and nature.

Throughout the entire island of Ireland there are sceneries which are quite like natural wonders. Connemara is something special.

Connemara is located on the area of County Galway and in the southern part of Co. Mayo in the western Ireland and has some real special scenery. Connemara is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean and on the east by Lough Corrib, which is largest lake in the republic of Ireland. Connemara is dominated by the rocky mountain range known as the Twelve Bens.

This is also where you'll find Irelan'd only fjord and one of Ireland's 5 national parks: Connemara National Park which covers 2000 km2 of mountain countryside. It is open from May to the end of September.