The West — Connemara

Photos: (clockwise) Cashel Bay, Connemara; Kylemore Abbey; Spiddal Craft Centre.

Drive west of Galway City and you come to the jewel of County Galway — Connemara. It is neither a town nor a city, but a coastal region of great natural beauty and wide open spaces...

The Irish language placename describes Connemara well — "Cuain na Mara," meaning "harbors of the sea." And there are indeed many harbors along Connemara's richly curved coast, plus lakes, waterfalls, rivers, creeks, boglands, rock-strewn fields, and a dozen glorious mountains, known collectively as the "Twelve Bens," rising at the center. Connemara is the picture-postcard image of Ireland that many people envision.

Towns, which are few and far between, have special charms and memorable names, such as Oughterard, Roundstone, Clifden, and Leenane. Shops are filled with the sounds of lively conversation in the Irish language and pubs ring out with native music, song, and dance. Cottage industries carry on ageless crafts. Old ways are treasured. People have time to stop and chat. Tradition is indeed alive and well in Connemara.

Highlights of Connemara include:

Brigit’s Garden, off N 59, Pollagh, Roscahill, Connemara, Co. Galway (tel. 091-55-005), is a serene and off-the-beaten-track 11-acre garden reflecting Celtic festivals, with wildflower meadows, nature trails, woodlands and meadows and Ogham trees. There is also a thatched round house, ring fort and stone chamber, as well as a unique calendar sundial, at 50 feet in diameter, said to be the largest of its kind in Ireland. It’s a lovely respite from the bustle of Galway a 20-minute drive away. Facilities include a small shop and café, with seating indoors and outside amid the gardens. Open April – September, Monday – Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. Web site: www.galwaygarden.com

Connemara Heritage & History Centre, Lettershea, Clifden (tel. 095-21246), is surrounded by the Roundstone Bog and views of the Twelve Ben Mountains. Blending ancient history with pre-famine days, this eight-acre site contains a reconstructed Bronze Age "crannog" (fortified lake dwelling), an authentic megalithic tomb, and a dolmen, all dating from prehistoric times. Adjacent is a pre-famine 1840's farm, open for walk -round tours. Visitors are invited to watch traditional farming methods and to lend a hand in cutting turf, tilling the land, digging potatoes - or take a tractor ride/guided tour up into the hills. Open March-November. Web site: www.connemaraheritage.com

Connemara National Park, Letterfrack (tel. 095-41054), is the West of Ireland's only national park, encircling a kaleidoscope of Connemara's most spectacular scenery in a 4,942-acre setting. With very little man-made development, it is a blend of mountains, bogs, heaths, grasslands, rivers, waterfalls, and nature trails. Connemara ponies run wild and assorted wildlife roam the gentle landscape. A visitor center offers an exhibition on the Connemara landscape and an audio-visual show about the park. Open April-September. Web site: www.heritageireland.ie

Kylemore Abbey & Garden, Kylemore (tel. 095-41146), has a glorious setting on Kylemore Lake, which undoubtedly has made it the most-photographed of all of Connemara's many attractions. Happily for visitors, the setting presents many things to do and see — both indoors and outdoors. Walk around this idyllic estate, wandering off on lakeside and mountain trails or exploring the walled Victorian gardens. Or spend time in the Gothic chapel, considered to be "a mini-cathedral"; or go to the visitor centre to see an audio-visual on the abbey. Browse in the a craft shop, look in on the working pottery, or enjoy a snack in the self-service restaurant. The centerpiece of the estate — the much-photographed abbey, is a castellated mansion, dating back to 1864, currently a girls school run by the Benedictine nuns (but due to close in the near future as a school). The adjacent Kylemore Garden, singled out as a winner of a Europa Nosta Award in 2002, is a six-acre Victorian walled garden in a serene lakeside setting. It was originally laid out in 1867, and took three years to complete, transforming a wilderness of rock and bog into a feast of flowers and plants set in geometrically designed borders and beds, along with hundreds of thousands of trees. Unfortunately, the garden fell into disuse for over 100 years until its recent restoration. The garden is divided into two sections, a formal flower garden for leisurely strolls and the kitchen garden containing fruit, vegetables and flowers for use in cooking. Open Easter-October, while the abbey, tea rooms and shop are open all year except Christmas week, and Good Friday. Web site: www.kylemoreabbey.com

Sheep & Wool Centre , Main St., Leenane (tel. 095-42323). After you spend several hours watching the sheep roaming on Connemara hillsides, this little museum puts it all in perspective. It presents displays on the 20 different kinds of sheep that are indigenous to this area, as well as hands-on exhibits on the local wool industry, including carding, spinning, weaving, and using natural dyes. Daily demonstrations of sheep-shearing are given outdoors in the summer months. Open March-October. Web site: www.sheepandwoolcentre.com

Spiddal Craft Centre - Ceardlann An Spideil, Spiddal (tel. 091-553433), is a hillside cluster of cottages where many craftspeople ply their trades — from pottery and woodturning, to floral art, weaving, knitting, screen painting, and jewelry designing. Watch the men and women work — and enjoy great views of Galway Bay at the same time. Web site: www.ceardlann.com

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