Magical Places: Thoor Ballylee, Co. Galway

This 16^th century tower on the banks of the river Streamstown near the market town of Gort in Co. Galway was once the home of no other than Nobel laureate for Literature and Ireland’s most famous poet, William Butler Yeats.

Along the Wild Atlantic Way: Dunguaire Castle, Co. Galway

If the walls of this picturesque medieval tower house could speak, they would tell a colourful tale of Kings and Mayors, well-known poets and the Celtic Revival Movement at the beginning of the 20th century. 

 

Boyle Abbey, Co. Roscommon

Boyle Abbey in County Roscommon is one of the most impressive Cistercian monastery ruins in Ireland with quite a turbulent history.

Inis Cealtra, the "Holy Island" in Lough Derg, Co. Clare

Inis Cealtra became known as "Holy Island" during the middle ages, when the monastery was one the most frequented pilgrimage sites in Ireland. But the island was already considered a sacred place in pagan times.

 

Along the Wild Atlantic Way: Burrishoole Friary, Co. Mayo

When Sir Richard de Burke joined the Dominican Order he built a Friary on the tranquil banks of the Burrishoole Channel, a tidal inlet on the north side of Clew Bay. However, in his planning he forgot a crucial detail...

Magical Places: Nymphsfield Stone Circles, Co. Mayo

The stone circle in the townland of Glebe near Cong is part of a group of four circles known as the "Nymphsfield Stone Circles". The area is full of megalithic monuments and plays an important role in Irish Mythology.

 

Magical Places: Rathfran Priory, Co. Mayo

On the banks of the tidal Cloonaghmore River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean lie the remains of Rathfran Priory, also known as the 'Priory of the Holy Cross'. It is one of the earliest monastic foundations in the Province of Connacht.

 

Magical Places: Ross Errilly Friary, Co. Galway

Ross Errilly sits on the banks of the Black River, overlooking the plains of east Galway, on the border to County Mayo. The medieval friary has a long and turbulent history of oppression, expulsion and clandestine reoccupation. 

 

The Pirate Queen's fortress - Rockfleet Castle in Clew Bay, Co. Mayo

Rockfleet Castle, hidden away in an inlet on the northern shores of Clew Bay was the stronghold of the infamous Pirate Queen of Connacht - the fearless Grace O'Malley, who didn't just take on the might of the english Navy, but Queen Elizabeth I. herself.

 

Magical Places: Cong Abbey, Co. Mayo

In the year 627 AD St. Feichín stumbled across a magical spot on the small corridor of land between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib in the west of Ireland. This island in the woods surrounded by rivers and streams was so enchanting that he decided then and there to built a monastery here. The monastic settlement was to become one of the most majestic Abbeys in Ireland.

Magical Places: Inchagoill, the Island of the Foreigner, Co. Galway

Legend has it that there are 365 islands scattered on Lough Corrib, one for each day of the year. One of those is Inchagoill Island or "Inis An Ghaill", the "Island of the Foreigner". Tucked away on that little sacred Isle are ancient monastic ruins and a mysterious stone with the oldest surviving inscription in roman letters ever found in Ireland. 

Cycling around Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Co. Galway

The Arans - three windswept islands off the west coast of Ireland, on the edge of Europe.  Inis Oírr is the smallest of the three and a great way to explore the island is by bicycle. Join me on a bike trip around Inis Oírr - a place of peace and tranquility.

Sligo Abbey - the Fires and the Shadows

Irish history is full of terrifying and violent events - invasions, battles, raids, enslavement, pestilence, famines,  pillages, blood and thunder. The Dominican Friary of the Holy Cross in the heart of Sligo town has seen all of the above.

Under bare Ben Bulben's head: in Drumcliffe, Co. Sligo

...lies the final resting place of William Butler Yeats, one of the great poets of the twentieth century. Four months before he died he wrote the famous poem 'Under Ben Bulben', describing the graveyard at Drumcliffe as his chosen burial place. That's where he wanted to return to: the place of childhood memories.

 

Drumcliffe graveyard

The beaches of West Connemara

Along the ragged coastline in the west of Connemara you will find some of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. Here, the coast is made up of a number of peninsulas jagging out into the wild atlantic sea. Long white sandy beaches, unspoilt bays and myriads of small offshore islands give this region a rare scenic beauty. Have a look at a few of the fine beaches along the western shores of Connemara.

 

Magical Places: Murrisk Abbey - in the shadow of the "Reek"

At the foot of Ireland's sacred mountain Croagh Patrick and overlooking Clew Bay lie the ruins of Murrisk Abbey. The name Murrisk stems from the Irish Muraisc, meaning sea-marsh. The abbey was dedicated to St. Patrick and relics of the Saint were kept here, making it a very popular pilgrim destination.

Murrisk Abbey

Killary Harbour

Here are a few Impressions of Killary Harbour, which isn´t really a harbour, but rather a genuine fjord forming the border of  County Galway and County Mayo in the West of Ireland.

                                                                                                  

Clifden Castle, Co. Galway

Clifden Castle is quite a sight! Straight out of a fairytale, clad in ivy, enchanted, maybe even haunted..! It was commissioned to be built in 1815 by John d'Arcy of the famous Galway d'Arcys, one of the fourteen families of the "Tribes of Galway". 

Roundstone in Connemara

The village of Roundstone in Connemara lies on the atlantic coast, at the foot of Errisbeg Mountain. It has one of the most beautiful little harbours in all of  County Galway.