Holiday Ideas - Connemara

Connemara’s rugged coastline boasts some of Ireland’s finest beaches, with stretches of pure white sands and turquoise waters. Galway’s outstanding beauty surrounds some wonderful holiday homes and cottages, sure to provide a memorable self catering holiday in Ireland. 

Quaint fishing villages and towns scatter the coastline like Ballyconneely, Claddaghduf, Clifden and Roundstone, where we have a number of pretty self-catering holiday homes and coastal cottages available to book.  

Near our holiday cottage in Leenane is Killary Harbour, one of Ireland’s three fjords forms a spectacular natural divide between Galway and neighbouring Mayo. Here you will find some of the most dramatic scenery in Ireland, from the northern shores rises Mweelrea, the highest mountain in Connacht at 814m and to the south you can see the Maumturk Mountains and the Twelve Bens. Accommodation in Connemara provides endless natural beauty, right on your doorstep. 

The movie ‘The Field’ by John B Keane was shot almost entirely in the Connemara village of Leenane. The pub scenes in the film were shot in Gaynor’s, one of three bars which serve this tiny one-street village. Gaynor’s and Hamilton’s are both traditional family owned bars and An Carraig provides an awe inspiring view of Killary. On your next holiday in Leenane, enjoy a traditional music session held every Sunday evening in An Carraig, while mingling with the local fisherman and sheep farmers. 

Kylemore Abbey is 4 km from our holiday homes in Letterfrack. The abbey and its attractive Victorian walled garden welcomes over 300,000 tourists each year. Kylemore Abbey should be on the top of your list of things to do on your next self-catering holiday in Connemara. The magnificent abbey and gardens were founded by the Benedictine nuns in 1920, after they fled Belgium in World War I. Taste the award-winning chocolates handmade by the Benedictine nuns and explore the beauty, history, and romance of Ireland’s most intriguing estate in the heart of the Connemara countryside. 

Visit the mussel and oyster farms along the stunning Killary Fjord and learn what is involved in harvesting the delicious oyster. And of course, you must sample the fresh oysters accompanied by a delicious glass of chilled white wine. Take a cruise along the fjord and stop off at a traditional farm to watch a demonstration of sheep shearing. Renting a coastal cottage has many benefits.