A chauffeur-driven tour that guides you through a lot of variety in Connemara on your personalized private tour. Galway... Moycullen... Oughterard... Maam Cross... Recess... Clifden... Sky Road.. . Letterfrack...Connemara National Park. . . Kylemore Abbey... Leenane... Killary Harbour ... Maam Valley... Maam Cross... Return to Galway
You can decide, on the day, how you want to use your precious vacation time and your guide will gladly chauffeur you there. You can spend a lot of time exploring the grandeur of Kylemore Abbey and its walled gardens or just have a quick look and move on to stroll through Connemara National Park or take the scenic coast road to Ireland's only fjord at Killary Harbour.
Brief description of Tour:
We leave Galway and set off on your Guided Tour of Connemara by heading to the village of Moycullen and continue with views of Lake Corrib on to Oughterard the largest town on the western side of Lough Corrib. You can visit Aughanure Castle, built circa 1500, and the home of "The Ferocious O'Flahertys". One of the O'Flahertys, Donal of the Battles, married the famous Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley who is also known as Grainuaile.
Your guide then brings you towards Maam Cross where the rugged landscape of Connemara unfolds. The effects of the Ice Age are clearly visible. Majestic mountains rise from land that contrasts sharply between Connemara Lakes and Mountain. Maam Cross has, at times, been described as "The Piccadilly Circus of Connemara". Cattle fairs are still held here and there is a 60-foot Viewing Tower that gives breathtaking panoramic views. There is a shop with an impressive range of Connemara Marble products.
We continue on to Recess passing through more beautiful and rugged landscapes until we reach Clifden, the largest town in the region and considered to be the Capital of Connemara.
Clifden was founded early in the 19th. Century by local landlord and sheriff, John D'Arcy. The town nestles on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and has a superb backdrop of mountains. Clifden has many fine Restaurants and Irish Pubs that cater to diverse tastes. From here we go to the Sky Road, a seven-mile exhilarating drive with views including D'arcy Castle, and the Islands of Turbot and Inishturk.
We continue on to Letterfrack which was founded by The Quakers and is right beside Connemara National Park where you can see the famous Connemara Pony in its natural habitat. Only one of two horses to jump a clear round in the entire 1968 Olympics was a 14.1 half-bred Connemara pony called "Stroller".
Our next stop is at Kylemore Abbey, a beautiful building in the neo-gothic design built by the English businessman, Mitchell Henry for his wife in 1868. The Abbey is now home to The Benedictine Nuns and you can enjoy their excellent home cooking while visiting the Abbey and the restored Victorian Gardens.
Next, we head towards the village of Leenane and the breathtaking Killary Harbour. Leenane played host to the filming of John B. Keane's play "The Field" in the early 1990s directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Richard Harris. You can visit many of the Irish Pubs and Shops that were used on the set. Leenane lies at the head of the picturesque Killary Harbour, Ireland's only true fjord, and is sheltered by mountain walls.
From here we guide you through The Maam Valley with the Maumturk Mountains on your right and Joyces Country to your left. It is called "Joyce Country" because of the large percentage of inhabitants who share the name "Joyce". We pass through much of the landscape where John Wayne and Maureen O Hara were filmed in the making "The Quiet Man". It can be difficult to realize that we are approaching the 70th Anniversary of the filming of this screen classic. Maam Valley brings us back to Maam Cross on our way back to Galway.
The above itinerary guides you through the main route and does not include the hidden gems that we have discovered over the years.
Book Now
