Towns and Villages
Westport
Westport with its wide streets, cheery shopfronts, beautiful planting, stone bridges and Mall River, is renowned for its warm welcome and sense of fun. Big enough to spend a day wandering, small enough to get to know fast, it really is the ideal West-of-Ireland retreat. Be warned, you might fall in love. We have a healthy population of ‘blow ins’ – people who came to visit but couldn’t bear to leave!
Cong
Cong (Irish: Conga, from Cúnga Fheichín meaning “Saint Feichin’s narrows”) is a village straddling the borders of County Galway and County Mayo. Situated on an island formed by a number of streams that surround it on the isthmus connecting Loughs Corrib and Mask, near the towns of Headford and Ballinrobe and the villages of Clonbur, the Neale and Cross.
Leenane
Leenane or Leenaun (Irish: An Líonán or Líonán Cinn Mhara, meaning “where the tide fills”), is a village and townland in northern County Galway, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour (the only fjord in Ireland), on the northern edge of Connemara.
Tourmakeady
Tourmakeady or Toormakeady (Irish: Tuar Mhic Éadaigh, meaning “the pasture of the son of Éadaigh”) is a Gaeltacht in south County Mayo. It is located between the shores of Lough Mask and the Partry Mountains. Tourmakeady had a total population of 1,007 recorded in the 2011 census. Tourmakeady is also the name of the principal village in the area.
Lough Nafooey
Loch Nafooey (Irish: Loch na Fuaiche, meaning “Lake of the winnowing winds” or “grave-shaped lake”) is a rectangular shaped glacial lake in County Galway. Part of the north-eastern shore lies along the border to County Mayo.
Clifden
Clifden today is a vibrant and cosmopolitan town on the very edge of Europe. The town known as the “Capital of Connemara” boasts a thriving tourism industry as its unique and picturesque setting between the foothills of the Twelve Bens and the Atlantic Ocean attracts thousands of visitors annually.
Letterfrack
Letterfrack (Leitir Fraic) Letterfrack, 5 km beyond Kylemore, is an enchanting village on Barnaderg Bay, which was founded by the Society of Friends (the Quakers) in the 19th century as one of a series of mission settlements along the north Connemara coast. There are wonderful bathing strands, while Diamond Hill (445m) offers excellent views of the surrounding countryside. 1.5 km to the west, the summits of Rosleague Hill (50m), and two other hills, are marked with ancient pillar-stones. This thriving little village is home to Letterfrack Furniture College an internationally renowned furniture design college. Connemara National Park Situated near Letterfrack this 1,540 hectares park is of outstanding scenic and ecological value. The Commissioners of Public Works have been acquiring land in the Kylemore/Letterfrack area for almost a decade, and it is hoped to increase the area of the park in this way.
Roundstone
On the west coast of Connemara lies Roundstone, an area of outstanding natural beauty. As well as being the birth place and inspiration for many artists, Roundstone has been described many times as a “botanist’s delight” where many wild flowers, rare to this country, are found.
Clonbur
Clonbur (Irish: An Fhairche, meaning “the green” or originally Cluan Barr, meaning “the meadow of the knolls”) is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. Two kilometres to the west rises Mount Gable where, according to legend, the hordes of Firbolg gathered on the hilltop before their clash with the Tuatha Dé Danann at the Battle of Moytura.
