Castles of Connemara tour departing Galway city. Guided. Full day
Description
Hop on board this fascinating day tour as we explore the famous Castles of Connemara and travel west into this scenic region, famed for its wild and rugged land and seascapes. Our first castle visit is to Aughnanure Castle. Built by the O’Flahertys in 1500, this castle is a particularly well-preserved example of an Irish tower house. Next stop in the quaint village of Oughterard for a short coffee break and onto see the famous ‘Quiet Man ‘ bridge. Weaving our way through scenic Connemara, our next castle stop is Kylemore Abbey, founded by English industrialist Mitchell Henry and now a Benedictine monastery. Spend the next few hours exploring this romantic Abbey, its Victorian walled gardens and Gothic church. We head to the capital of Connemara, the colourful town of Clifden. En-route (and weather permitting) we drive scenic Sky Road, viewing Clifden Castle, a ruined manor house, built in 1812 in the Gothic Revival style. After our day of exploring we return to Galway City.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our first castle visit is to Aughnanure Castle. This castle lies in picturesque surroundings close to Lough Corrib and village of Oughterard. Built by the O’Flahertys, one of Connacht's most notable lord families in 1500 and standing on what is a rocky island on the shores of Lough Corrib. This castle is a particularly well-preserved example of an Irish tower house. On this visit you will find the remains of a banqueting hall, a watch tower, an unusual double bawn and bastions and dry harbour. Grace O’Malley, the notorious west of Ireland sea pirate was married to Donal O’Flaherty.
This bridge was made famous in the 1950s classic “The Quiet man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. Tourists from all over the world to come visit this local attraction. The Quiet Man is regarded as one of the top 100 films ever made
Our next castle stop is Kylemore Abbey, first founded by English industrialist Mitchell Henry as a present to his wife and now a Benedictine monastery. The next few hours are up to you to explore this romantic abbey, its Victorian walled gardens and Gothic church. (Entrance into Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Gardens not included in cost.) Choose to treat yourself to refreshments at the onsite café for lunch.
Located on the scenic Sky Road, west of the town of Clifden, Clifden Castle was built in 1812 in the Gothic Revival style by John D’Arcy (1785 – 1839), who was the founder of Clifden Town and which is now the capital of the Connemara region of Galway. The estate of Clifden Castle originally covered over 17,000 acres. However, these lands which had been owned by the D’Arcy family for over 150 years, were lost to the family in the mid-1800’s when the family became bankrupt as a result of debts incurred during the Great Potato Famine. The castle has changed hands many times over the years and the land around it has been divided up and sold leading Clifden Castle to fall into ruin in the latter part of the 19th Century. The present day castle has only the stone shell remaining and is partly overgrown with thick ivy.
This castle on the lake is steeped in history and is connected to one of the 14 tribes of Galway the Martin family. Richard Martin was the founder of the RSPCA. Another Martin was Edward Martin who was very friendly with WB Yeats and Lady Gregory and later went on to establish the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Please note we view the old original castle on the island on Ballynahich Lough.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Service animals allowed
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Min 4 passengers required, or pay the price of 4 for the tour to proceed
Reviews(31)
Colleen is native to the area. She had so much local knowledge. It was a fantastic tour. We enjoyed every aspect of our day. She is pleasant accommodating. I would highly recommend Colleen as a tour guide for your Connemara exploration! Mary
A private tour with Colleen who was wonderful - knowledgeable, adaptable & funny. We are a family of 5 with college kids & an 80 year old mother all enjoyed themselves even with rain, hail, wind & a rainbow. Colleen timed it all out well. Clifton, the abbey, the bridge, local wildlife & scenic views were all worth the trip.
We enjoyed our small minivan tour of 5 people with Jimmy. He was flexible and accommodating with tailoring small requests for unique experiences. Had a wonderful day!
Our tour guide Colleen was very knowledgeable. It was quite a windy and rainy day but Colleen handled it all, gave us a great history of the areas we went through, and even suggested a place for lunch, which was excellent. She also pointed us out to the best jeweler in Connemara to purchase jewelry made with the marble of that area, which I was looking to purchase. This turned out to be a private tour with just the two of us and we had her full attention the whole time. She really made this tour something special.
The tour was very nice and we saw a lot. The return journey was very fast and unfortunately earlier than planned (after 7.5 hours) back at the starting point.
Excellent day tour with Gerry. There were only two of us and it was a great experience viewing the beautiful countryside in Connemara. The castles we saw were spectacular. Gerry did a great job with everything!
Our tour never showed up or notified us that the driver was not working that day. We were left standing on the pouring rain for over an hour before reaching someone who gave us the news. Refund did happen quickly but day ruined. Use another group
Jocelyn, we messed up due to a tech glitch on our side and you missed this fabulous tour. We did try reschedule with you, but appreciate you didnt have another day to do this tour. We never want to disappoint our clients. We have fixed this issue, Next tour you have in Ireland is on us.
Our driver/tour operator, Colleen, was amazing. There was an unfortunate traffic accident ahead on the road, blocking the tour route. Colleen was fabulous, figuring out an alternate route to get to Kylemore Abbey, while retaining her sense of humour and can do attitude. Highly recommend her tours to anyone interested in a knowledgeable and motivated operator.
We really enjoyed this tour! Our guide was punctual, friendly, and had a great sense of humor that made the trip fun and informative. She was very knowledgeable about the area and went out of her way to give us extra time for photos, which we really appreciated. The bus was clean and comfortable, and she was flexible with stops and timing—especially helpful when the weather turned. The only small downside was the driving in some areas; the roads were a bit sketchy and the acceleration wasn’t always smooth. That said, her positive attitude and attention to the group made it a great experience overall. Highly recommend!
This is a fantastic experience! The scenery is stunning, the castles are interesting, and the tour guide was the best. I would do this tour again just to see the scenery.
