I took another really cool all day tour today. It was mostly thru what’s called the Connemara region which is north of Galway. I got to see unbelievable mountain scenery, lots of lakes, Ireland’s only fjord and small little towns and villages along the way.
It looked like it was going to rain all day but it didn’t. Which is typical Ireland weather. But the high was a very nice 67 degrees. Perfect tourist weather!
I started off heading to the tour bus downtown when I ran into a ton of beer kegs! (Pic 1). I think they were all for tonight for that one pub. These people can drink! Lol.
Pics 2-3 shows our first stop on the tour where the movie The Quiet Man was filmed. It was from 1952 and starred John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. (All the young people reading this are saying, Who?? Lol). They have a small sign with his picture and that’s the bridge where he stood in part of the movie. It was an idyllic setting.
Pics 4-5 were in the town of Maam Cross which is the start of Connemara National Park. It was fairly mountainous through there and the clouds were hanging low over the mountains giving it a mysterious feel.
Pics 6-7 were in the town of Leenane and the pics show where the Killary fjord was created by a glacier. It was so quiet and peaceful there. Hardly anyone around.
Pics 8-11 are the Kylemore Abbey and grounds which included a church and gardens. The castle type building was built by a wealthy English businessman named Mitchell Henry in the 1860’s. He and his wife had honeymooned in the area and loved it, so after they had 9 kids, he came back and built it for the family. But sadly his wife soon died after that and so he built the Gothic Cathedral in 1877 as a memorial chapel to her.
After World War I, the Benedictine nuns bought the building and turned it into a girl’s school. But that closed in 2010 and it became a tourist attraction. In 2015, Notre Dame University signed a 30-year lease to use part of the facility for summer classes and student housing.
Pics 12-14 are also in Connemara National Park but this time in the town of Recess. These again show the beautiful mountains. And a few rams/goats along the road! There were actually two of them fighting each other with their horns but I couldn’t get my camera out in time!
Pics 15-16 are in the town of Camus which is just outside the Connemara National Park but still part of the region. The landscape here was more lakes and rivers with some having some swift water in them due to coming down from the mountains.
That’s it for today. Happy Hump Day to all!
The Wandering Italian 