Travel Guide Connemara National Park

"To hell or to Connemara" is the famous tirade of Cromwell who deported the Catholic population of Ireland here. Today, however, this region northwest of Galway is a favorite getaway for French tourists... and many have left their hearts there. Maybe because of the hospitality and the gastronomy? It must be said that Connemara is a region where angling is widely practiced, so we often see on the roads fishermen knee-deep in the rivers. A mixture of grand and local ambiance characterizes this area where you will find probably the most exceptional restaurants and hotels on the Emerald Isle. Its wild beauty also offers landscapes rich in superb contrasts. Clear mountains rising from a peaty land, dark lakes surrounded by fir trees and valleys where sheep graze in semi-freedom. And along the coast, Connemara is sometimes reminiscent of Brittany, with its charming fishing villages, intimate coves and romantic beaches where you can relax. In the center of the region rise the Twelve Bens, soft hills with a lunar pallor. And it is probably the most extraordinary landscape of Connemara. To get around Connemara after Galway, there are two possible routes: the coast (R336) passing through Spiddal, Roundstone, Clifden to Leenane, or the inland road (N59) from Oughterard to Clifden.