Connemara National Park & Visitor Centre in Galway, Ireland
Connemara National Park occupies nearly 3000 hectares and is located in the very western part of County Galway. It is a great place from which to experience the rugged yet beautiful scenery and landscapes of Ireland.
The Park Visitor Centre is based out of Letterfrack which is only a few miles from the Atlantic coast, just about as far west as you can go in Ireland. Located just 15km from Clifden, 53km from Westport and 82km from Galway City the park is best visited by car or tour bus although there are some public bus services available. The Visitor Centre is open from March through October while the park grounds are open throughout the year.
The Visitor Centre offers an exhibition and information desk, a Cafe and a Playground for the kids. Nearby Diamond Hill can be climbed along four different walking trails. Free Connemara Pony Rides are occasionally available but be sure to check the schedule so you arrive when this free service is provided.
The park makes up only part of the overall region known as Connemara which covers much of Galway and part of Mayo. Several days could easily be spent exploring the towns and villages of this picturesque location. Hikers and explorers will certainly enjoy the parklands, lakes and forests. Connemara includes the towns of Clifden and Oughterard and includes between 20,000 to 24,000 native Irish speakers in the region making it the largest Irish speaking Gaeltacht in the country. Kylemore Abbey is one of the most notable tourist attractions in the County while fans of the film 'The Quiet Man' will enjoy visiting nearby Cong, where the movie was shot.
A very good tip when planning your visit to Connemara or indeed just about any rural location in Ireland, is to time your visit with a festival event. Just about every town in Ireland has a festival during the year when streets are closed off, musicians play into the small hours and traders display their wares and stalls.
Remember, a lot of the villages you encounter in Connemara will be very small indeed, some only having a population of a few hundred people, or even less. Festivals bring a lot of people into these villages and there are festivals for just about everything!
Connemara is a fantastic place to explore and you could spend an entire week visiting Galway. The nearby Burren and Bunratty Castle, Oughterard, Kylemore Abbey, Clifden and the Connemara National Park are all on the doorstep of Galway city which makes a great base from which to travel the western part of Ireland.
Situated in the West of Ireland in County Galway, Connemara National Park covers scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. Some of the park's mountains, namely Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght, are part of the famous Twelve Bens or Beanna Beola range.
A number of walking trails beginning at the Visitor Centre offer walkers a variety of scenic routes and nature trails through the park. Stunning vistas from the 400 metre high Diamond Hill include the distant islands of Inishbofin, Inishturk and Inishshark, and the turreted Kylemore Abbey. The park is also home to Connemara ponies, red deer and an enormous variety of bird-life, including skylarks, stonechats and peregrine falcons.
Other remnants of times past include ruined houses, a disused lime kiln, old sheep pens, an ice house, ancient walls and Tobar Mweelin, a well which was formerly used to supply water to Kylemore Castle.
The Visitor Centre features include exhibitions, the ‘Man and the landscape’ multi-lingual audio visual show and tea room (seasonal). Entrance to the Visitor Centre is free of charge. A summer programme of guided walks and special events for younger visitors are also available at the Visitor Centre. Connemara is one of six such national parks in Ireland.
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Connemara Celtic Crystal Ltd
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Aengus Munnelly: Connemara Celtic Crystal Ltd
Celtic Crystal is a family run business formed in 1972 in Moycullen Co. Galway. The aim of the business was to bring a new and unique design concept to Irish crystal glass manufacturing and the handcrafting of traditional Irish design on ornate Irish crystal. Over forty years on, talented Irish craftspeople continue the tradition of handcutting using the original stone wheel methods. The range of items include giftware, stemware and limited or one of a kind pieces in clear and colour cased crystal. A new range of crystal jewellery has recently been added to the range. There is a visitor centre which is open to visitors all year round.