Blogs from Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, Europe - page 2

Well... that was a stressfully unplanned morning. They close most of the common areas in the hostel from 10:30-12:30pm so I kind of begrudgingly set off on a hike... they suggested I join the Western Way and loop around but it was a two hour hike in the mountains and by the time I got near the base the cloud cover told me it was not going to be a good idea lol. Thankfully there were a bunch of giant boulders off the side of the road - perfect reading spot. (Just be mindful not to sit in sheep poop!) Of course as I went to settle the clouds cleared and it was blazing sun... blazing sun is not something you get to say too often in Connemara. I gave in and put sunscreen on and ... read more

Saturday, January 24, 2015 - Two of my roommates and I took a day trip to Connemara (northwest of Galway) through the Galway Tour Company. The bus ride itself was very scenic and we were able to see a few lakes and drive through the mountain passes of Connemara National Park. The main sites that we were able to see included the Kylemore Abbey, a Victorian-walled garden, and a gothic church. The abbey was originally a castle and home to Mitchell Henry and his wife, Margaret in the 1860s. In 1920, it was taken over by the Irish Benedictine Nuns and the castle was converted to an abbey. In 1923, the nuns opened up a school that was open to international women and closed in June 2010. Today, it is open to the public for viewing. ... read more

After tossing up how to get to Ireland with limited time we decided it was fast and less hassle to catch a plane from Edinburgh to Dublin. Our one week in Ireland consisted of 3 days in Dublin which was long enough, then 4 nights on the road. Highlight from Dublin was the Guniness factory tour we did on the first day. This was a in depth tour consisting of everything you want to know about the production of the beer to the marketing side of the business. It was educational and we would recomend it to anyone who visits the city but all in the all the highlight was the road trip. So off we set early on the morning of 19 April where we hired a car from Eurocar. Destination: Cork approx 270 Km ... read more

We drove an hour into the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. Mountains, lakes, green everywhere, sheep (also in the roads) and best of all down in the valley is Joyce's Border Collie Breeding farm with live herding exhibitions. So worth the drive... the dogs were amazing and if we could have I would have brought one of the little guys home. We miss Rudy and Misty!... read more

Now that the bike trip is over, the remainder of our visit would be by car. We stayed in Galway for two days. Thi region is know as the Connemara and it is absolutely beautiful. Lots of trees, open pastures, mountains and rivers dot the landscape. Our plan was to head to the national park to clime Diamondhead, a mountain peak that gives a spectacular view of the valley to the bay of Galway. On the way, we stopped and lunched on cheese and bread we bought at the Galway market that morning, sitting by a mountain stream. We then stopped at Kylemore Abbey near Clifden, an 18th century castle run by benedictine nuns. Absolutely spectacular and the gardens were just blooming. Then we climbed Diamond Hill (but only the second 'blue' path...too late to climb ... read more