Ireland West Coast & Country Tour - Self Drive

Ireland West Coast & Country Tour
+353 (0)91 537700
www.irelandwest.ie

This tour takes in the highlights of Galway and Mayo including Galway City, Clifden, Leenane, Ballina, Foxford, Castlebar and Clonbur.



Galway - Clifden : Starting in Galway City your tour of Connemara (R336/R340 & N59) brings you to Spiddal where at the Craft Centre you will find the weaver, potter, jeweller and candlestick maker at work. Onward to Inverin, Costello, Screeb, Gortmore, Carna, Toombeola, Ballinahinch and Clifden, the capital of Connemara. It is worth noting that on the way you will pass through Rossaveal from where you can access the ferries to the Aran Islands which host the most spectacular pre historic cliff site - Dun Aengus. Pearse's Cottage in Rosmuc is also worth a visit.

This small restored cottage was used by Patrick Pearse (1879 - 1916) leader of the 1916 Rising, as a summer residence. The interior, although burned during the War of Independence, has been reconstructed and contains an exhibition and a number of mementoes of Pearse. If you're interested in some shopping stops with a difference try Roundstone Music & Crafts - perhaps you will pick up some mementos of your visit to the west of Ireland. Visit the Connemara Smokehouse in Ballyconneely where a wide range of smoked and marinated fish is on offer. Stop for lunch or a round of golf at Connemara Championship Links course in Ballyconneely.

Clifden - Leenane : While in Clifden visit the Connemara Heritage & History Centre (Dan O'Hara's Homestead) and experience a journey back in time through Connemara past & visit the Crannog (lake dwelling)/Ringfort/Neolithic site. This area is graced with some of the best Country House properties in Ireland places like Ballinahinch Castle, the Zetland Hotel, Cashel House Hotel, Abbeyglen Castle, and Lough Inagh Lodge. All offer high quality accommodation with fine dining, in historic houses set in rugged countryside on the Atlantic shore. Head north from Clifden (N59) to Letterfrack and visit Kylemore Abbey, and Connemara National Park. Stop at Rosleague Manor in Letterfrack for afternoon tea and a walk in the beautiful gardens.

Head for Leenane at the head of the Killary Fjord, home to a number of world-class adventure and leisure centres with expert assistance in a wide range of adventure pursuits. The Connemara National Park covers 957 hectares of rugged quartzite and schist terrain of north Connemara, stretching from sea level at Letterfrack to some of the peaks of the Twelve Bens Mountains (Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanacht). The landscape is mantled by blanket bog and wet heath vegetation with characteristic and varied wildlife. Operating from Nancy's Point just west of Leenane Killary Cruises offer a 1½ hour cruise on Killary Fjord on an all-weather luxury purpose-built catamaran. This nine-mile inlet boasts some of the finest scenery in the West of Ireland.

In 1989 Leenane village was the set of a film adaptation of John B. Keane's famous play "The Field", directed by Jim Sherdian. Well-known stars taking part included the late Richard Harris, John Hurt and Tom Berrenger. While in Leenane try to fit in a visit to the Leenane Sheep & Wool Centre. At this stage you are guaranteed to have met some of these wandering along the roads of Connemara and here there is pictorial display of the history of sheep and wool handcrafts. There are personalised demonstrations of carding, spinning and weaving, and guaranteed answers to all your woolly or sheepish questions!

Leenane - Westport : From Leenane (R335), head north through the Delphi Valley and along the shore Doolough Lake to Louisburgh. Follow the road east, along the south shore of Clew Bay to Westport stopping at Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain a place of Christian pilgrimage along the way. The Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre is family run with restaurant, local crafts & guided tours available. Here to is the National Famine Memorial and Murrisk Abbey. Clew Bay is said to have an island for every day of the year and it is worth noting that each of this islands is a "drumlin" deposited by the retreating ice flows at the end of the Ice Age.

The largest, Clare Island, is accessible by ferry from Roonagh Quay and was home the famous sea queen Grace O'Malley (Granuaile). Westport, a planned town, has won several awards in Ireland's Tidy Towns competition and was a gold medal winner in the European Entente Floral Competition in 2004. Westport House is one of Ireland's Stately Homes, Georgian in Architecture, & is a very popular family visitor attraction. The town has two Heritage Centres. The Clew Bay Heritage Centre located at Westport Quay traces the history of Westport & the Clew Bay area from pre-Christian times while The Westport Heritage Centre, located in the Tourism Information Office on James Street, has a very interesting exhibition on the foundation of the town itself.

Spoilt for choice you can mix retail & educational at The Linen Mill Museum & Shop where the full story of the Westport Textile industry is on display containing a collection of photos, books and other items connected with the industry. The town is wonderfully presented with a wide range of accommodation, restaurants, and visitor facilities making it a "must see" destination on your West of Ireland tour.

Westport - Ballina : Leaving Westport (N59) head north through Newport & Mulranny following the Atlantic Drive around the Curraun peninsula (R319) experiencing some breathtaking seascapes & explore Achill Island by taking the road to Keel and up to Dooagh. The Achill Folklife Centre in Dooagh hosts exhibitions of different aspects of local folklife and from here group tours of the Slievemore Deserted Village can be arranged. The Deserted Village is a poignant reminder of the mass exodus from Ireland following the famine of the 1840s. Heading eastward again take time to stop & stroll on one of the many sandy beaches for which Achill is renowned.

Leaving Achill drive back towards Mulranny then veering north to Bangor Erris (N59 & R313) visiting the Ballycroy National Park along the way. Here we have c.11, 779 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog in the Owenduff/Nephin Beg area of North West Mayo - some of the most important blanket bog in Europe. The Owenduff area in the Nephin Mountains in particular is a wild and remote area of blanket bog, cliffs and river habitats containing some rare species of plants. The area is also important as a roosting, feeding and breeding site for certain migratory species.

The Owenduff River is of international importance in conservation terms and it is the last river in Western Europe, which drains a relatively intact, extensive blanket bog system. The scenery and wilderness qualities of this area are outstanding. Stop off in Belmullet & if time permits head south down the Erris peninsula & into the Mayo Gaeltacht (Irish speaking region). This area is one of spectacular scenic beauty with agriculture and fishing being the main industries and it's a great place to buy your wild smoked salmon! Enjoy walks on long sandy beaches and go sea angling with one the local licensed operators.

Eachleim Heritage Centre documents the stories of St. Deirbhle & the Holy Well, The Children of Lír, Colmcille, St. Brendan, landlordism, whaling, lighthouses & a Famine library. For the golfers, Carne Golf Course - an 18-hole links course designed by the renowned Eddie Hackett - is a must. A really special treat is a boat trip to the Inishkea Islands wildlife reserve. Back on land and heading east take the coastal road towards Ballycastle (R314) and enjoy the seascapes across to Sligo and Donegal. If time allows along the way a visit to the Céide Fields Visitor Centre is worthwhile. The award winning visitor centre operated by the National Heritage agency is based around the discovery of the most extensive Stone Age farmed landscape in the world which was hidden beneath the wild bogs from approx. 5000 years. From here too you can view the most spectacular seascapes, the magnificent Céide cliffs and Dún Briste sea stack.

Ballina - Foxford : Continue eastwards through Killala & into Ballina on the River Moy, a town famous the world over among anglers. The principal town of the Moy Valley Region, Ballina was officially founded by Lord Tyrawley in 1723 though a settlement had been established here at the final crossing point of the Moy, for many years before. A walk along the river and through the market town is most enjoyable and another opportunity to stretch your legs while experiencing the hustle & bustle of Ballina. St. Muredach's Cathedral on The Moy is the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Killala & well worth a visit. Work on the Cathedral began in 1827.

The stone was quarried locally and the roof and ceiling were completed before the Great Famine of 1845. It was 1855 before the spire was completed and by 1875 the organ had been installed. The remains of a beautiful doorway of an Augustinian Abbey, beside the Cathedral, date from the late 14th century. Bogwood Ireland Sculptures at The Quay produce hand-carved, Irish, excellent-quality sculptures from bogwood about 3,500-5,000 years old which is sourced from the local bogs. Taking to the road again drive southwards (N26) to Foxford, a small village also situated on the River Moy & again with great angling connections.

If time allows, a visit to the Foxford Woollen Mills is well worthwhile. The centre tells the story of a remarkable nun, Mother Agnes Morrogh-Bernard (1842-1932), who founded the Foxford Woollen Mills in 1892 and transformed the town and district. She made Foxford synonymous throughout the world with high quality tweeds, rugs and blankets which are still produced there today.

Foxford - Castlebar : Onto Ballyvary via the N58, taking the N5 westward towards Castlebar. On the way is the National Museum of Ireland's Museum of Country Life. The people of Mayo are justifiably proud of this facility as it is the only branch of the national Museum to be situated outside of Dublin City. The Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday & admission is free. The exhibitions portray the lives of ordinary people who lived in rural Ireland in the period 1850 - 1950. Emphasis is placed on the continuity of lifestyles, which were established for several hundred years and which lasted well into the 20th century.

Castlebar - Galway : On reaching Castlebar veer southwards again (N84) towards Galway on the final leg of your journey. In Ballintubber you can stop off at Ballintubber Abbey, founded in 1216 by King Cathal O'Connor. On reaching Partry you have the option of taking the direct route back to Galway via the N84 through Ballinrobe & Headford or, if time allows you can take the following scenic route: In Partry turn right (R330) then take the first left which will take you to Srah from where you will veer left and onto Tourmakeady and another Gaeltacht region. Enjoy the magnificent views of Lough Mask - a large limestone lough of 22,000 acres in area which, along with Lough Corrib, is one of the best known brown trout fisheries in Ireland - on your left and the Partry Mountains on your right as your travel on to the villages of Killateeaun then Finny & Clonbur.

Once in Clonbur, you could take a short detour to the picturesque village of Cong, setting for much of the filming of John Ford's 1951 movie "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara. A visit to The Quiet Man Museum is worthwhile & there are daily guided tours of the film locations. Returning to Clonbur drive long the north shore of the magnificent Lough Corrib - 42,000 acres in size and stretches in length from within 4 miles of Galway City to within 2 miles of Maum Bridge, a distance of 33 miles. The Lough is renowned for its wild brown trout and salmon fishing - to the village of Cornamona & on westwards to Maum (R345). On to Maum Cross (R336), then take the N59 to Oughterard nestling between the ruggedly beautiful mountains of Connemara and Lough Corrib.

The lively coloured shop-fronts and well-maintained architecture allows the village to perfectly blend old Irish charm with contemporary levels of service and comfort. Here you can visit the Glengowla Mines an historic 19th Century silver and lead mine with guided underground tours every 20 minutes. This unique heritage attraction is the only one of its kind in the country. Continue onto Moycullen and back once more to Galway City, "The City of the Tribes".