Connemara
A peat fire adds to the warm welcome at this seasonally opening, 40-bed YHA hostel. With a tidy, homely kitchen and drying room, it's an excellent base for exploring the valley.
Check-in is between 5pm and 9pm. It's 12km east of Clifden; Citylink buses stop here on request.
24.07 MILES
Dún Aonghasa is one of the largest prehistoric stone forts in Europe and stands guard over Inis Mór on the edge of a 100-metre sheer cliff drop.
23.71 MILES
The 'Fighting O'Flahertys' were based at this superbly preserved 16th-century fortress 4km east of Oughterard. The clan controlled the region for hundreds…
6.98 MILES
Immediately southeast of Letterfrack, Connemara National Park spans 2000 dramatic hectares of bog, mountains, heath and woodlands.
6.57 MILES
Photogenically perched on the shores of Pollacapall Lough, 4km east of Letterfrack, Kylemore is a crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy. It was…
23.11 MILES
The chancel roof of 13th-century Clare Island Abbey is dotted with faded fragments of murals, dating from around 1500. Look out too for the tomb reputed…
10.89 MILES
Pádraig Pearse (Patrick Pearse; 1879–1916) wrote some of his short stories and plays on the shore of a remote lake in this small thatched cottage, which…
26.12 MILES
Many locals pick this ruined ancient fort, dating from the Iron Age or early medieval period, as their favourite Inishmore historic sight. It's…
23.45 MILES
Just beyond Cong Abbey, the village abruptly ends and the woodlands surrounding Ashford Castle begin. First built in 1228 as the seat of the de Burgo…
1. Connemara Heritage & History Centre
2.91 MILES
Farmer Dan O'Hara lived here in the 1840s until his eviction from the farm and subsequent emigration to New York, where he ended up selling matches on the…
2. Roundstone Musical Instruments
6.24 MILES
At the village's southern edge, you can watch Malachy Kearns, Ireland's only full-time maker of traditional bodhráns, handcrafting goat-skin drums in his…
6.57 MILES
Photogenically perched on the shores of Pollacapall Lough, 4km east of Letterfrack, Kylemore is a crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy. It was…
6.98 MILES
Immediately southeast of Letterfrack, Connemara National Park spans 2000 dramatic hectares of bog, mountains, heath and woodlands.
7.35 MILES
Located in a former train shed, this small, absorbing museum has displays on the local ponies and pivotal aspects of Clifden's history, including the…
6. Derrigimlagh Discovery Point
7.47 MILES
A wealth of interactive exhibits dot this 5km scenic loop walk around windswept bogland: crystal radio sets let you listen to recordings from the 1907…
8.36 MILES
On these hour-long tours you'll get a real sense of the skill and sheer hard work that goes into producing Connemara's famous oysters. Then try your hand…
10.65 MILES
On Leenane's main street, just north of the bridge, sits a compelling little museum dedicated to sheep and wool. It has spinning and weaving…