A JOURNEY INTO CONNEMARA

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Connemara

Connemara was not as isolated and remote as I expected it to be. At least the part of it that we toured was not so. Even on narrow roads that literally just lead to the coast over several causeways, houses and schools were frequently dashed over the otherwise barren landscape.

Connemara was magical, the more so because the mountains were half hidden in the mist and in low clouds, throwing an un-earthly light over the bogs, highlighting the rusty colours, the sepias, the deep chocolate browns, the ochre.  Sometimes the sun would briefly take away the veil that covered the land, at other times the sky would darken and a very heavy rain would pour down on us.  But the rain did not bother us, we were after all on honeymoon and it was hard to take the smile off our faces.

The old cottages dotted here and there took my interest but the roads made it so that I could not stop easily to observe them better.  I did take in their oblong shapes however, many seemed to be empty and ruined, others were still very much lived in.

My favourite area was the road (R344) we took from Kylemore Lough, on to Recess.  On our right were the Twelve Bens, a very beautiful mountain range which unfortunately was mostly hidden in the clouds, and to our left we saw some of the Maumturk mountains. Rusty bog land, softly covered in pale lilac heathers, and in strong yellow gorse, drew the eye further along to some lakes and more bogs.  This was for me one of the highlights of our journey, the beauty and serenity that I felt there was incredible and filled my heart with joy.  The scents of autumn-like growth and fresh mountain air were invigorating.  My excellent navigator and new husband Ian had suggested this road, and I am so happy that we explored this area of Connemara.


A little fishing village called Roundstone lies on the R341 coast road, it is such a picturesque village, one that you would want to stay for a week and just soak up the atmosphere, and the views.  We had a lovely lunch there in a little place overlooking the harbour. 
Connemara has a lot of small peninsulas, connected by land via causeways.

23 thoughts on “A JOURNEY INTO CONNEMARA”

  5. thank you for featuring connemara with beautiful pictures. such an idyllic and lovely place. we drove from salthill to kylemore abbey and we were treated with the most spectacular landscape! 🙂

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  7. Shame about WP difficulties. Your descriptions were fabulous and the photos make Connemara look like a landscape I would very much like to see myself. I’m glad you enjoyed your honeymoon 😊

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