Our Visit to West of Ireland / Connemara, includes a bit on the Wild Atlantic Way, , the Gaeltacht Region, the Twelve Bens, some sweet Connemara Ponies, Roundstone, and Ballynahinch Castle!
Visiting Connemara Overview
From Galway on the West of Ireland, we are traveling through Connemara along the coastal road known as the Wild Atlantic Way.
Our goal is to escape to our 2-night luxury retreat nestled in a majestic wooded area in Connemara. Final destination is the expansive and elegant Ballynahinch (Baile na hInse) Castle. The hotel sits on a 700 acre estate full of lush forests, icy-cold rivers (famous for its fly fishing), and a lot of Irish history. Its also close to the famously picturesque village of Roundstone (Cloch na Rón).
Connemara Geography
Connemara lies in “West Connacht”, (Connacht is one of the four Provinces of Ireland) and is located within a portion of County Galway west of Lough Corrib.
When in Connemara there is no escaping the sight of The Twelve Bens Mountain Range. Other names include Beanna Beola which means “The Peaks of Beola” in Irish.
Photo shows Twelve Bens from Roundstone harbor
(Photo Credit Lisa Harbin)
Visit West Ireland Connemara Driving the Wild Atlantic Way
The Wild Atlantic Way may be breath-taking and even “wild” but it is also a great example of creative marketing by the Irish government. The branded tourist route promotes the West of Ireland including remote areas. It highlights a variety of landscapes from mountains, rugged coastlines, forests, rivers, waterfalls, to vast open spaces.
We are enjoying just a short drive along the well sign-posted Wild Atlantic Way. We stop regularly for photographs and to breathe the wonderful fresh sea air along the coastal road.
Gaeltacht Regions in Ireland
In the Gaeltacht Regions of Ireland, the Irish language (Gaeilge) is the language the locals speak. They will, and do, switch from Irish (Gaeilge) to English and vice-versa and always will make visitors feel at ease in either language.
Driving through Connemara, the road signs and shop names are in Irish, but most have the dual English translation.
Signposts in Ireland
There are common prefixes in the English translation of Irish places generally based on the Gaelic pronunciation. These are good to know as you will see them often:
Bally comes from the Gaelic word Baile (pronounced Balya) which means “place of”. Examples are Ballymena or even Ballykissangel.
Kil comes from the Gaelic word Cill (pronounced Kill) which means a church. There are a lot of churches in Killarney.
Knock comes from the Gaelic word Cnoc (pronounced Canuck) which means hill as in Knockroe.
Dun comes from the Gaelic word is Dún (pronounced Doon) which means ring fort as in Dungarvan.
Reference: Letter from Ireland
Connemara Ponies
The Connemara region is where the Connemara Pony breed first became recognized as a distinct type.
These ponies are a hardy, strong breed able to thrive on this very harsh landscape. They photograph well! Some say the breed’s origins are from Scandinavian ponies that the Vikings brought to Ireland. Others say that a Spanish Armada ran aground in 1588 with Andalusians on board. Maybe a bit of both?
Aran Island Ferries
As we drive, we pass signs for the ferries to the Aran Islands, a journey we enjoyed on a different visit to Galway and the West. The Ferries to the Aran Islands depart from Rossaveel Port in Connemara, 37 kilometres west of Galway City center.
Parking is available at the pier at a cost of €7 for 24 hours. Many people go for the day, but we met some who stayed overnight and enjoyed the charming local scenery.
Carna
Carna, an area in Connemara, and about 50 km west of Galway, speaks to a harsh life. During the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War, Carna was a major center for the work of the Irish Folklore Commission in recording endangered folklore, mythology, and oral literature of Ireland.
Roundstone
Roundstone is a charming, quaint fishing village settled in 1820’s and early on it was the site of a Franciscan Monastery of which little remains. Today it is a popular tourist destination during the summer months especially during the regatta at the end of July. We visited it off-season and were told by locals that it was the perfect time to come with little noise and traffic.
Roundstone is popular for its culture and arts and has been the subject of many paintings by famous painters including Paul Henry, Gerard Dillon, and Jack B. Yeats (WB’s younger brother.) Sting lived in Roundstone in the 80’s.
The restaurants serve fresh fish and there are two popular beaches.
Ballynahinch Castle
History / Overview
We arrived at Ballynahinch Castle through the narrow wooded back roads from Roundstone just as the rain began to fall, which added to the appeal of our two night retreat in this historic location.
Ballynahinch dates back to 1756 and in 1813 became the main residence of the Martin family, members of the British parliament.
Richard Martin (1754-1834) owned much of Connemara and apparently boasted to King George IV, that from the gatehouse to his hall was about 30 miles in length. The Great Famine turned the Martins to bankruptcy and was sold to a London brewer, Richard Berridge. Berridge’s son sold it in 1925 and the famous Indian Cricket player “Ranji” bought the estate. As an avid fly fisher, Ranji developed over 72 stone piers alone the Ballynahinch River which are still in use today. It’s been privately held since 1952.
Notable visitors include the former US President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty in 1981.
Ballynahinch Castle
The hotel has a peaceful ambience. It’s quiet and scenic. We enjoyed our large, elegant room which overlooked the river.
In addition to fly fishing we were offered the opportunity to participate in clay shooting, bike riding, or walking the grounds.
They even provide all weather clothing and wellingtons to combat the Irish soft days.
While I relaxed, Lynn explored the hotel and the grounds. Below is a rug commemorating President Ford’s visit which is pretty impressive in person. The large greenhouse below cultivates and walled gardens provide fruit, vegetables, and herbs used in the hotel as well as flowers and plants such as phlox, verbenas, astilbe, geraniums, and roses. The gardens are extensive and an education and provide room for formal affairs such as wedding.
It was a great few days of relaxation, gourmet meals, and drinking Guinness in grand comfortable surroundings. exactly what we wanted before heading back to Dublin.