It is said that you haven’t truly visited Connemara until you have touched the hand of the Connemara Giant. Perched atop his pedestal in Recess, halfway between Galway city and Clifden , Conn is my first welcome to Connemara. Read More: Clifden- The Capital of Connemara The Legend of the Connemara Giant We were woefully…
Back in the fall of 2014 I received and email asking for a few trip tips. The fun twist to this was that the family asking for advice was from my own community in Iowa and had 2 daughters near my own daughters’ ages! (cue ‘It’s a Small World’) The family would be staying in…
The Irish are natural storytellers, and often their tales are best told through song. Such is the ballad of Dan O’Hara. For refusing to pay increased rent (due to increasing the windows size in his cottage), Dan and his family were evicted and forced to emigrate to New York. Dan’s wife and three of his…
Most know that stunning Kylemore Abbey was home to a private school for girls for quite a few years. Now, Kylemore Abbey is opening their doors to students again to learn through discovery, creative technologies and adventure sports with the Connemara Maths Academy. After a few conversations with Connemara Maths Academy on Twitter, I requested…
Just the name, Connemara, evokes such wondrous imagery. The “wild west” of Ireland, where roads may or may not drop you into the Atlantic Ocean as it crashes against the shore. The place where famed Connemara Marble is cut from The Tweleve Bens mountain range. Where romance tumbles with sadness and ends in hope at Kylemore Abbey. Yes, Connemara…
It had been just over a year since our last visit to Clifden, Connemara in the western-most reaches of County Galway. My husband and mother were with us this trip, which gave us an incentive to return to the area, though one never really needs a reason to return to the beauty that is Connemara….
Want to learn an Irish jig during your Ireland vacation? The Irish Dance Experience in Galway is the place to go! This article is also available as a podcast. To listen please scroll to the player at the bottom of the page. Riverdance & the Culture of Irish Dance It’s been over 25 years since…
Of all the islands off the shores of Ireland, the Aran Islands may be the most well known. About the Aran Islands Located off the west coast of Ireland, the Aran Islands are accessible by ferry from County Galway, Rossaveel year-round or Galway City from March thru September, and Doolin from March thru mid-September. There…
Ireland is a country known for stunning landscapes and natural beauty. The abundant rainfall that contributes to the country’s ’40 shades of green’ is also at least partially responsible for the lush gardens you’ll find across the country. While the majority of public gardens seem to be concentrated in the ‘sunny southeast’, you can easily…
Round towers are an -almost- uniquely Irish structure. (Only 3 ancient round towers exist outside of Ireland.) In Irish they are called cloitheach (cloy- cach), meaning bell house, and were probably built between the 9th and 12th centuries. This article is also available as a podcast. To listen please scroll to the player at the…
Searching for terrific Connemara tours look no further than the tours from born & bred ‘Galway Girl’ Colleen Joyce of Colleen Irish Travel.
Kylemore Abbey is one of the most recognized buildings in all of Ireland. This romantic castle, nestled at the base of a mountain on the edge of a glistening lake in the wilds of Connemara, brings to mind fairy tales, stories of everlasting devotion, and, as with all good stories, tragedy. The story of Kylemore…
One of the best ways to learn about a city is through a guided tour. And one of my favorite types of tours is a food tour! Enjoy my chat with Grainne Lawlor of Irish Food Trail about Irish food and whiskey- and the tours they offer in Dublin, Galway, and beyond! This article is…
Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, and home to the country’s busiest airport, is an obvious place to begin or end your Ireland vacation. You can even base yourself in the capital city and take some amazing day trips from Dublin! No car required! This article is also available as a podcast. To…
The end of October may not seem like the ideal time to visit Ireland. The days are getting shorter, the air a bit cooler, the pubs a wee bit quieter. But if Halloween is your favorite holiday, I would encourage you to visit Ireland as Samhain (SOW-een) draws near. As the final harvest approaches and…
Few drives in Ireland are as breath-taking as the Sky Road in Clifden. We experienced this first hand as we made our way to Ocean Villa B&B , our first lodging in Clifden. We were unprepared for the feeling that we could easily drop over the edge of the road- or the thrill that accompanied the…
The Burren, famous for its barrenness, is one of the most unique places in Ireland. Its limestone terrain, hardy vegetation, and rugged animals, both wild and domestic, make the Burren a contrast. Barren limestone gives way to open grazing land. The limestone cliffs drop abruptly into the ocean. And beauty appears out of nowhere. Too often…
We didn’t set out to find the best hot chocolate in Ireland. In fact, the first couple days it entirely slipped my notice that my youngest daughter, Caelan, was ordering hot chocolate every time we sat down to a meal – be it breakfast, tea, or dinner, her request was always the same, “Do you…
The Christmas period offers us many great opportunities to get out and about with the family, with so many things to do, people to see and places to visit. This week, we thought we would take a look at one of Ireland’s most popular travel destinations; the stunning and friendly county of Galway. Often called…