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Connemara - Aran Islands Tour |
As we head west out of Galway City towards Moycullen, we will be taking in the breath taking views of the river corrib and its beautiful lakes which runs all the way out to Connemara. We will pass through Rosscahill and into Oughterard where we will be stopping at the Quiet Man Bridge which looks out onto lough boffin. Then we will head further west into Maam Cross where we will be visiting the Quiet Man cottage at peacocks. We next go to screeb waterfall and then to the best kept secret in Connemara, Tower Camus which is 96m above sea level and was built as a look out point for intruders into Connemara. This place over looks the twelve pins mountains and far away as the atlantic ocean. You can see the whole of Connemara from this point; Ros muc, Kilkieran, leitir mor, leitirmulllin, Casla, and Rossaveel. Rossaveel is one of the oldest fishing villages in the west and steeped in history from famine villages to potin making. From here we will be crossing the atlantic to the beautiful Aran Islands by ferry. It can accommodate up to 300 passengers and are very modern and comfortable with seating bar facilities toilets etc. The crossing takes us about 35mins.
We land on Inishmore, the biggest of the three islands. It is 15km long and 5km wide and is steeped in gaelic history and tradition. Gaelic is the first language. We will first be stopping at Dun Aonghasa fort and cliffs. The fort was built at least 2500bc and was built on the edge of a cliff looking over the atlantic ocean and stands 300ft above sea level. It has a cheavaux-de-frise consisting of limestone set vertically into the ground to deter attackers. It has three inner stone walls two meters wide. There are also three restaurants at the base of the fort, shops, and a visitor centre we stay here two hours.
After we head west to the seven churches the ruins of an ecclesiastical study centre 7-8th century and on then to Maggie Danins cottage and back by kilmurvey beach and Man of Aran Cottage and down the low road towards the seal colony where you will see seals that have been in the island for the last twenty years and then onto kilronan pier where we wiil take the ferry back to Rossaveel and we will be taking the coastal road back to Galway through spiddal and barna and
overlooking galway bay and clare.
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