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The West
COUNTY CLARE: More than 2000 stone forts litter the landscape of Co Clare, a county that would be virtually unknown were it not for The Burren, a beautiful limestone district overlooking Galway Bay, and formed around an ancient barony of that name. More than three quarters of the county is fringed by water, and the main activities are farming, fishing and tourism.
Ennis sits on a bend in the River Fergus, a place of narrow, winding streets and the ruins of Ennis Friary.
The spectacular Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland’s most dramatic sights, extending for 8km (5 miles) and rising to more than 200m (650ft) above the sea, and host to huge colonies of seabirds. The Burren Coast is for those interested in geology and outstanding landscapes. Here, limestone pavements shelter unique flora that develop in their fissures. The Burren Display Centre is at Kilfenora.
COUNTY GALWAY: If one place typifies the visitor’s image of Ireland it is Co Galway, a place of contrasts from prime bogland and rich farming, to mountains, loughs and stone cottages. Long, lonely valleys, sublime hills and vast golden beaches are the hallmarks of the county, which reaches from the banks of the Shannon to the wild region in the west known as Connemara.
Galway stretches along the Corrib River, divided by it into the traditional fisherman’s village of Claddagh and the medieval town of ancient streets and quaysides. This is a bustling, vibrant city and the centre of trade for this part of Ireland for centuries. Today, it is one of the fastest developing towns in Europe, with a fascinating blend of modernity and Celtic culture.
The Aran Islands are great swathes of limestone defending the approach to Galway. Legend has it that they were inhabited by a tribe expelled from the mainland, and they certainly have been inhabited for centuries. Clifden lies at the western edge of the beautiful region known as Connemara, a place of bogs, lakes, mountains and moors, and a coastline etched by deep bays and inlets. Letterfrack is a tidy village laid out by Quakers, one of a number of mission settlements along the coast. Connemara National Park Visitor Centre is close by.
COUNTY ROSCOMMON: Green and fertile Roscommon has numerous lakes and rivers, its eastern boundary formed by the Shannon, largely in the shape of Lough Ree. The centre of the county is given to sheep and cattle farming, the east and west runs to bogland. There are numerous archaeological sites. Lough Key Forest Park is laid out with trails and gardens.
The small town of Roscommon is dominated by the ruins of its Norman castle. Nearby are the remains of a Dominican Friary. Strokestown Park House is a fine Palladian mansion with original 18th-century furniture.
COUNTY MAYO: Land of wide sandy beaches and high mountains, Mayo is a quieter version of Connemara, rising to the sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick, an annual place of pilgrimage. Mayo is one of Ireland’s loveliest counties, extending round Clew Bay to the Corraun Peninsula and Achill Island, and beyond, to the windswept corners of the Mullet Peninsula. This northern part of Mayo is virtually unknown.
A delightful little town, Westport contrasts remarkably with the wild countryside all around. Ideal for walkers visiting Croagh Patrick, Westport lounges along the Carrowbeg River, exuding a busy air from the elegance of its Georgian designs. The annual Westport Sea Angling Festival and the Horse Fair are great attractions. The sea angling in Clew Bay is reputedly the finest in Europe.
Achill Island, linked by a bridge, is best explored on foot, from the high cliffs at Achill Head, to the lovely beaches at Keem Strand and Trawmore Strand. The Atlantic Drive is the finest way to view the island by car and begins from the village of Mulrany. Along the north Mayo coast is the archaeological site known as the Céide Fields, supported by an imaginative visitor centre that explains the 5000 years of settlement in this part of Ireland.
In the southeast of the county, the small town of Knock has an internationally recognised Marian shrine. Approximately one and a half million pilgrims visit the shrine annually.
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