Posted by We entered into County Galway from County Mayo via Killary Fjord and were straight into the World Heritage area of Connemara. After passing along the shores of the Fjord we headed inland past the 12 Bens Peaks and the National Park. We were on our way to Kylemore Abbey and stopped to admire the stunning spectacle of the Moors and peaks.
THE CONNENMARA
The wild and barren lands of the Connenmara and the Bens mountains expand over the landscape along the open roads.
Kylemore Abbey sits respendant on Pollaccopul Lough with magnificent views to the Bens. It was actually not built as an Abbey but built by the Henry family in1868 and after Margaret Henry died in 1874 a chapel was built in her honour. It was purchased by the Benedictine order of nuns in 1920 after they had arrived in England during WW1 and here they found their refuge in Ireland.
The interiors are sumptuious and the photographic exhibition of the late 19th century of the local people was facinating, especially as they have recreated the colours of the time in the images (see below)
The toothless old lady is extraordinary and look at those childrens faces.
The Chapel is a feast of Gothic splendour and every marble column is a different colour.
The walled garden of the Abbey was a sight to behold and designed to create maximum efficiency and producivity from the land for food production. Drainage and irrigation meant that it was procuctive all year round and provided food for the whole village as well as the residents. The Henry family looked after thier neighbours very well and the famine was not a big disaster here unlike other areas
CLIFDEN AND THE SKY ROAD
We stayed overnight on our way to Galway City at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel just outside of Clifden which was part Castle, part Hunting lodge and part Hotel over the years. We had a great meal and met a lovely family from Antwerp Belguim who took our advice and ventured out to the Sky Road after dinner to experience the vistas and sunset. The heather in the rocky hills was aso colourful and the fingers of land a sea were stunning.
We picked the perfect time to drive the narrow winding road as there was virtually no traffic and certainly no buses. We got a bit cocky and went down some L roads, being LOCAL single lane roads which are hairy to say the least with hedges and blind corners but we got lucky not seeing another car. We drove the full loop and where back at dark and went to the pub, as you do.
Back in Clifden we parked the car right outside of Lowry’s bar and immediatley got engaged in a conversation with two locals when i checked with then if it was OK to park where we did. What eventuated was probably the funniest 15 minutes of our life as we bounced off each other about the neighbours, the Irish, the crazy Yanks and our funny accents. These two old codgers were half ripe but so full of Craich. we then went down the road to Griffins bar and caught some music and sipped a Jemesons before heading back to bed.
While at Abbeyglen the proprietor welcomed all the guests with a talk which was facinating and it was all about the history of the castle and the local area. Unbeknown to all there was the story of Alcock and Brown’s landing site from the first transatlantic air flight from Canada to Ireland and then the subsequent Marconi Transatlantic Wireless station nearby…plus the illfated railroad from Galway to Clifden to make it a tourist destination, al very facinating stuff. Below is Crazy Daizy and her fabulous food van at the Landing site and she did a great rocky road slice but a terrible coffee!
One of the stunning sights you get driving through Ireland in summer are the beautiful wild flowers along thec roadsides. They are everywhere and they creep through the hedgerows and intertwine with the heather in the rocky crags and just bring joy to every corner you drive. This photo below is down by the coast towards Ballyconnelly near the BIG BOG region that is simply saturaed land that you cant do much with other than harvest peat.
ROUNDSTONE & GURTEEEN BEACH AREA
This area has some of Irelands best beaches but we saw it on a wet day after a bit of stormy wind a few nights before so the lovey white/yellow sand was wet and a bit weedy whereas it can be almost tropical in its colours on good days
CONNENMARA BOG AND LOUGH INAGH
This was a real treat and walking through a bog zone you need to be careful of losing a shoe as the spongy land that feels like you are stumbling around on can suddenly sink below you. The Lough was eerie and beautiful and the Connenmara Bog was a very desolate region that was actually captivating but i imagine very bleak in winter.
Heading into Galway we stopped at a great Fish and Chip resturant, The Camp Sreet cafe at Oughterard and got both a great serving of delicious F&C and a lesson in ancestery searching from the cook.
GALWAY CITY
Just near where we were staying is the old Spanish gate/arch and walls of the city with the original docks and warehouses now converted to accommodations and restaurants. the city centre is a total buzz with locals and tourists alike jockying for position down High street with all it pubs and cafes and shops keeping everyone happy. The Town centre is only about 1sq Kilometre but boy it packs some activity punch.
We had a fabulous apartment at “The Herons Rest” boutique accommodation, to the left on the picture below which was such a perfect location on the “long walk” strand facing the river and just on the edge of the Old walled town.
We were very fortunate with the weather we had on our trip but of course there was the odd bit of drizzle, or as the Irish call it, a soft day or spitting outside. So light rain gear was always on hand to cover any circumstances. And then not long after a shower the sun would come out.
The river is covered in old bridges and locks to calm the flowof a very fast river and there are also canals running down its side to move the water around town and its also used for great fish catching control at times.
Castle Menlo on the Corrib river has a sad story of fire and tradgedy that would make a great movie…look it up. We took a ferry ride up the river to the lough to take in the extensiveness of it all, a nice interlude and a bit of serenity.
The modern day marvel that is Galway Cathedral, the last stone Cathedral built in Europe as it onlt began in 1958 and was finnished in 1965. Funded by the people of Galway and the USA it is a real testement to hard fought gains after Independance when Catholics had to resestablish their religion after 400 years of oppression. It could be argued that the Church ended up ruling ireland for 50 years and not always in a good way but they did allright with this pile making it a stunning homage to the Byzantine style
Galway is considered the music capital of Ireland and there certainly was no shortage of it throughout the city and this street art below was my favourite from all that we saw. Just take a close look at who is in the pub enjoying the Craich.
Live music in the streets of Galway Town in support of Palestine was a real highlight and they were pumping. The Irish have a affinity with the opressed peoples of the world after 700 years or Tyranny from the British and understand what it is like to be displaced and have your land stolen and then trodden on over and over again.
Galway town was all it is cracked up to be and more so a really great place to visit, be entertained with plenty to see and do in the region.
LOUGHREA
Not far out of Galway Town, just a 30 min drive is the small town of Loughrea and the origin town of the Cunninghams. My Great grandfather was born here in1857 in the middle of the famine years and left from there in 1878 during the later years that were still affected by the Famine. He was bought up right in the centre of town on a parcel of leased land that his father appraenty used as a cattle yard, due to him being a cattle drover. it is unknown what happened during the famine years as it would have been an occupation that was not affected by the Potato blight, but we will never know.
It was truly a beautiful place with a stunning Lake and fertile land everywhere.
It even has a beach and lifeguards with kids doing lifeguard lessons and families having fun in the holidays so i had to have a swim in the mild waters on offer
The centre of town was friendly and quaint where we enjoyed breakfast at a cafe near the Cathedral and then picked up some lunch at an amazing bakery that we enjoyed exploring and feasting on (the bright pink building below)
The row of houses below left is where they lived towards the end of Dunkellin street and as these hoses date in many instances to the mid 1800’s it is likely that they are the original dwellings.
The ruined church of the Loughrea Abbey (below) was destroyed by Cromwell…of course and was not replaced until 1820 by the Carmelite nuns so it is likely that the new church (below) was their Parish church as it was just 50m from where they lived.
Running along the back of the very long parcels of land that run from the street is a small moat with walled gardens behind the Abbey so we thought we might knock on a door to see what happened…nothing.
The records in Ireland are amazing once you know where to look but its also very daunting to understand it all but this detail below led us to the street but the map references were hard to decipher in detail but we got enough ogf a rough idea. It was very catartic to experience this and it suprised me how the emotions began to surface with the realisations that this lane Ann is standing on was probably one of the familes most common paths used everyday.
Tracking Ancestry can be all over the shop and sources of info are hard to believe if they have made assumptions. this grave stone we found could be what led to the information on a great aunts records as it all matches up but her husband doesnt so who knows what is right or wrong.
