Galway (Connemara, Kylemore Abbey)
Breakfast at the Victoria was OK, a full Irish but one could pick and choose what one wanted. Like the hotel itself, not luxurious but functional.
We met Michael for an early 8:30am start on a much calmer day. This was our last day with Michael which automatically made things a little bittersweet. We didn’t really have any special expectations for Connemara but Laurie said it was one of her favorite areas in Ireland. I was ready for a nice final day touring.
I took a shot of the calm set of sailboats in Galway harbor then we headed to the west, stopping briefly at Grattan Beach though I’m not really sure why (well, I suppose the rocks, ocean and sky were pretty).
Before long, we turned into bog country. We drove quite a way, discussing the characteristics of a bog. Eventually I asked to stop for some photos and then some of an area that had been harvested for peat.
We went through bog country for more than an hour before turning toward the town of Clifden. Michael pulled off at a scenic point called Pine Island where I took some photos. When I got back in, the van would not start. It seemed like a battery problem and there was little any of us knew to do about it. Michael called one mechanic friend who was not able to help us but recommended another mechanic near our location. Fortunately that man was able to come out within an hour and give us a hand. We settled in for the wait — at least the view was pretty. I watched the clouds and rain come and go.
The mechanic arrived (with his German Shepard riding shotgun) and was able to jump the car. We were ready to go but as soon as we tried, the car stalled again. The mechanic poked around some more and concluded it was a failed alternator which was a problem that would need a repair. Fortunately, he was able to provide Michael and us with a loaner car to continue our tour while he would take care of getting the van repaired in the next few days. His wife delivered the loaner. After a total of about 90 minutes of downtime we were back on the road. Before we left, Barb offered some leftover bread crusts to Pine Island and said hello to the dog.
Our new ride was a tiny Toyota, very different than the van but we all adjusted quickly. We were soon on Connemara’s coastal Sky Road. The views of the coastline and ocean were quite amazing. We stopped at several places including Pointe Amharc an Atlantaigh Fhian Bothar na Speire (got that?), a scenic overlook. The Sky Road was probably the prettiest coastal route we took on the whole trip. Why is it not as famous as the Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula?
It was a few minutes further to Kylemore Abbey. We took several hours to explore this unique spot. Built originally as Kylemore House in 1871 by Mitchell Henry as a Victorian dream castle. His young wife, Margaret, died unexpectedly just four years after the castle’s completion from dysentery contracted on a vacation to Egypt (more reasons for Barb not to go to Egypt). The house was sold to William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester in 1902 but he lost most of his fortune over the next decade. He in turn sold it in 1920 at a bargain price to the Dominican Sisters of Ypres, an Irish order who had been forced out of their Belgian convent by World War I.
Since 1920, the industrious nuns rechristened it Kylemore Abbey and operated the location as a prestigious school for girls until 2010. Since then, they have turned to tourism to help fund a new dormitory for themselves and create a sort of Victorian dream spot once more. They have returned several rooms into public spaces with Victorian furniture and displays telling the stories of the families that lived there, minimizing whatever less than wonderful memories anyone may have of it as a school or convent. The lakeside setting of the castle/convent is stunning.
There is a miniature cathedral and small mausoleum for the Henry family.
A stellar 8-acre walled garden is a kilometer or so away, accessible to decrepit tourists by regular shuttle buses. We poked our noses in the garden for a while but were not prepared to fully explore the acreage.
There are extensive well maintained walking trails over the several thousand acre estate. It’s a beautiful location for a day out, and the nuns seem to be making a killing from tourists. More power to them, I guess. The nuns, by the way, were also fighting a big battle against rhododendrons. I didn’t take any specific pictures but they were making an effort to remove wild rhodos which had choked out all other undergrowth in the hillside forest.
After leaving the Abbey we drove along the impressive Killary Fjord. Michael said it was the only fjord in Ireland but Barb corrected him after reading it’s the loveliest of three Irish fjords. We then had an extensive conjectural discussion about what qualified as a fjord. It was more fun to talk about than actually look up.
Michael drove us another half hour or so through stunning scenery — too much for me to request constant photo stops. There are an unbelievable number of gorgeous corners of Ireland, seemingly around every bend. Seeing them on a sun-dappled day helped, too. We arrived at the tiny village of Cong, stopping at the ruins of the Abbey where we rambled among the empty ruins for a while before briefly paying our respects to the statue of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara commemorating the filming of The Quiet Man, one of Ireland’s favorite movies.
During the final drive back to Galway we thanked Michael for a very excellent trip through Ireland. He did a tremendous job as our driver, guide, and quickly a friend. We wished each other all the best and promised to connect over the winter to start mapping out a return trip in 2026 or so.
We had dinner this evening at Dough Brothers, sharing one of Galway’s best pizzas, by reputation. It was pretty good and we ate all of it so that counts for something. While Barb waited in line, I trotted down to Galway’s Spanish Arch near the harbor and found the statue honoring Christopher Columbus’s time in Galway in 1477 during which he “found sure signs of land beyond the Atlantic.” Look it up! I had recently learned about the statue from the opening episode of the podcast Before We Were White.
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