Connemara
When you watch a travel show or even a YouTube video from a far off place, it’s easy to get envy for the exotic locations and fantastic scenery. It’s also easy to overlook some of the magnificent sights in your own back yard. And here in Ireland, we have a truly magnificent back yard. Ever since the pandemic hit, we’ve been travelling abroad less, and are slowly exploring more of our own country. A little while ago, we travelled through the mountains and valleys of the beautiful Connemara countryside, and I was blown away by what we saw there.
Connemara is an area of the west of Ireland in Co. Mayo and Co. Galway. It’s a rugged countryside, comprised of mountains and valleys. I had passed through this area years ago, but never really paid it much attention. So on a side adventure to a recent work trip, my wife decided to book us into a resort deep in the Connemara country side, and it was glorious.
We started our journey by driving to the beautiful little town of Westport, a haven for tourists in the area. From there we drove through some spectacular mountain and upland scenery until we reached the famous Killary Harbour. Killary Harbour is actually Ireland’s only Fjord, and it looks like something you would expect to see in Norway or Sweden. However a liberal scattering of carefree sheep reminds you you’re still in Ireland. From there we drove to our resort, nestled in a valley with pretty much nothing around apart from the mountains, some forests and more sheep. The place had no cell phone signal, and choppy wifi, and so was the perfect getaway.
Killary Harbour. Ireland’s only Fjord !
The following day, we headed back out around Killary Harbour again, driving the circumference of the inlet, avoiding sheep and soaking in the moody atmosphere of the almost deserted landscape. It was quite an incredible journey. From there we headed to Kylemore Abbey, a famous and historic religious site, which still operates today, nestled in the hills of the Connemara countryside.
The whole time we were travelling and I was taking photos, I had to keep reminding myself of how lucky we were to have this scenery on our doorstep. It’s often too easy when you live somewhere to under appreciate it, especially when certain areas are tourist destinations. But the west of Ireland truly has some spectacular scenery, and my humble attempts at capturing it really don’t do justice to the scale of the place. If you ever get a chance to visit the are in person its well worth it.
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