The main purpose of this trip was to go back to the Connemara countryside fifty years later, with memories of once roving the area with a horse-drawn carriage!
Needless to say, Connemara is the province, where I spent more time on this trip. It is still as wild and as beautiful as it has always been.
The discovery of the Connemara scenery has been fragmented into a series of numbered areas, which hopefully will provide a fair perspective of some of its natural beauty.
1. From Galway to Roundstone (on the southern coast):
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| The Galway river |
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| The seaport of Roundstone |
On this side of the coast, the ocean has created an uncountable number of bays and inlets making it difficult to distinguish a lake from a sea arm.
Here, the climate is so mild that it has provided a lush variety of trees and flowers.
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| Reaching out to the Lake District |
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| Full bloom |
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| Farmhouses |
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| Bayview |
2. South promontory (Clifden & Cleggan):
This looks like you have reached one end of the World. For it is one of Europe's westernmost areas.
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| Bay near Cleggan |
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| Downtown Clifden |
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| At Cleggan harbor |
3. From Clifden to Killary Fjord (West coast):
After the Connemara Natl. Park, the road goes to Kylemore Castle & Abbey, a famous site in the country.
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| Kylemore Castle |
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Lounge inside the castle
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| Gothic & Victorian-style facade |
A few kilometers away to the north, we find another awesome natural sight: Killary Fjord. This is Ireland's main fjord formed about 20,000 years ago. It is 16km long and has a depth of 40 to 45m.
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| Panoramic view of Killary Fjord. |
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| Churchyard on the fjord |
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| A long view of Killary Fjord |
At the very end of Killary Fjord, there is a small waterfall called Aasleagh Falls.
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| Aasleagh Falls |
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| A view of the Falls |
4. The inland beauty.
If you leave this area and drive inland to the south, you go through one of the most scenic areas of Connemara in the region of Lough Inagh.
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| Lough Inagh |
It is a district of legends, a large valley with mountains of quartz with veins of the famous green Connemara marble.
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| Sheep grazing |
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| Majestic countryside |
Joyce Country is another nearby valley that offers other wonderful views with only a few farmhouses here and there.
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| A small lough in Joyce Country |
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| A green desert |
5. Around the south peninsula from Glynsk Cottages to Screebe.
To the south of this region, there is a large peninsula that offers other types of marine sceneries. It is not as deserted. There are many tiny villages and cottages dotting the coastline.
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| Bay water by the ocean |
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An almost tropical scenery
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| A place where ocean bays and loughs intertwin |
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A fishing harbor
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6. Around Lough Corrib.
This is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and the second in size on the island. The main town on the southern shore of the lough is Oughterard.
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| Thatched roof pub in Oughterard |
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| A boat at Lough Corrib |
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| Lakeshore sunset |
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| Another view of Lough Corrib on the way to Cong, Co. Mayo |
There are many more gorgeous sides of Connemara. We hope we gave a fair account of its incredible beauty and peacefulness.
A French singer - Michel Sardou - made it even more famous through a song. Perhaps, this is the time to end this report by listening to the song:
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