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| Attractions
- What to see when staying
at St. Clerans |
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Galway
Galway is both the center for the Irish-speaking regions
in the West and a lively university city. Under the
Anglo-Normans, it flourished as a trading post. In 1396
it gained a Royal Charter and for the next two centuries
was controlled by14 merchant families or tribes. The
city prospered under English influence, but this allegiance
to the Crown cost Galway dear when, in 1652 Cromwell’s
forces wreaked havoc on the city. After the Battle of
the Boyne, Galway fell into decline. In recent years,
as a developing center for high-tech industry, the city’s
profile has been revived. The center of the city lies
on the banks of the River Corrib widening as it flows
into Galway Bay. Due to its compact size Galway is easy
to explore on foot, and a leisurely pace provides plenty
of opportunity to stop off at its shops, pubs and historic
sights. Eyre Square encloses a pleasant park lined with
imposing mainly 19th century buildings. On the northwest
of the square is the Browne Doorway, a 17th century
entrance from a mansion in Abbeygate Street. Beside
it are two cannons from the Crimean war and a fountain
adorned with a sculpture of a Galway hooker boat. Lynch’s
Castle, now a bank, is still the grandest 16th century
town house in Galway.
A side street leads to the Collegiate
Church of St. Nicholas, Galway’s finest medieval
building founded in 1320. It was extended in the 15th
and 16th centuries, but then damaged by the Cromwellians,
who used it to stable their horses. The west porch is
from the 15th century and there are some finely carved
gargoyles under the parapet. The Spanish Arch where
the river opens out was built in 1584 to protect the
harbour that was then outside the city walls. Here,
Spanish traders unloaded their ships. The old quays
are a tranquil spot for a stroll down the Long Walk
to the docks. The Claddagh is beyond the Spanish Arch
on the west bank of the Corrib. From medieval times
this fiercely independent fishing community was governed
by a king or mayor, the last of whom died in 1954. The
only remnants of this once close-knit Gaelic speaking
community are friendly pubs and Claddagh rings, betrothal
rings traditionally handed down from mother to daughter. |
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Galway Crystal
Visit the factory and see the famous Galway Crystal
being made. |
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| Museum of Country
Life
Highlights of the lifestyles of rural ancestors from
the mid 19th – mid 20th centuries. Lifestyles
which were established for several hundred years came
to an end well into living memory and here, amidst furniture
and fittings, the tools they used in working the land
and the clothes and textiles they wore, you can reach
out and touch those vanished lives. See a 30 minute
audio visual presentation that is great – a bit
of history and photos of what life was like. |
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Connemara National Park
A combination of bogland, lakes and mountains makes up
this National Park in the heart of Connemara. Within its
more than 5,000 acres are four of the Twelve Bens, including
Benbaun, the highest mountain in the range and the peak
of Diamond Hill. At the center is the valley of Glanmore
with the Polladirk River flowing through it. Visitors
come to see some of the most spectacular landscape in
the region and to glimpse the famous Connemara ponies.
Part of the land originally belonged to the Kylemore Abbey
estate and in 1980 it became a National Park. There are
traces of the lands previous uses all over the park, megalithic
tombs, nearly 4,000 years old, can be seen as well as
old ridges marking former grazing areas and fields. |
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Kylemore
Abbey
Sheltered by the slopes of the Twelve Bens, this lakeside
castle is a romantic, battlemented Gothic revival fantasy.
Mitchell Henry built it as a present in 1826. The Henrys
also purchased a huge area of moorland, drained the
boggy hillside and planted thousands of trees as a windbreak
for their new orchards and exotic walled gardens. It
became an Abbey when Benedictine nuns, fleeing from
Ypres in Belgium during World War I, sought refuge here.
Only the grounds and gardens can be visited, but in
the craft center they can watch the abbey pottery being
hand-decorated and fired. In the grounds, rhododendrons
and fuchsias enhance lakeside walks. By the lakeshore
stands a Neo-gothic chapel, a miniature copy of Norwich
Cathedral. |
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Aran Islands
Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer. The three Aran Islands
are formed from a limestone ridge. The largest, Inishmore,
is 18 miles long and 2 miles wide. The attractions of
these islands include the austere landscape, crisscrossed
with dry-stone walls, stunning coastal views, and several
large prehistoric stone forts. In the 5th century, Christianity
was brought to the islands, starting a long monastic tradition.
Protected for centuries by their isolated position, the
islands today are a bastion of traditional Irish culture.
Farming, fishing and tourism are the main occupations
of the islanders. The Aran Islands main port is a busy
place, with jaunting cars (ponies and two-wheeled carts
and minibuses waiting by the pier to give island tours,
bicycles can also be rented). Nearby, the Aran Heritage
Centre is dedicated to the disappearing Aran way of life.
The islands are famous for their distinctive knitwear
and for the traditional Aran costume that is still worn.
From time to time you also see a Currach or low rowing
boat, the principal form of transportation for centuries.
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Cliffs of Moher
Even when shrouded in mist or buffeted by Atlantic gales,
the Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking, rising to a height
of 650 ft. out of the sea and extending for 5 miles.
The sheer rock face, with its layers of black shale
and sandstone, provides sheltered ledges where guillemots
and other sea birds nest. Well- worn paths lead along
the cliffs. Northwest of Liscannor, you can walk south
to Hag’s Head in an hour. To the north, a good
alternative is the three-hour walk along the coast between
O’Brien’s Tower and Fisher Street near Doolin. |
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The Burren
The word Burren derives from Boireann, which means “rocky
land” in Gaelic - an apt name for this vast limestone
plateau in northwest County Clare. Few trees grow in
this desolate place, yet other plants thrive. The Burren
is a unique botanical environment in which Mediterranean
and alpine plants, rare to Ireland, grow side by side.
From May to August an astonishing array of flowers adds
splashes of color to the austere landscape. In the southern
part of The Burren, limestone gives way to the black
shale and sandstone that form the dramatic Cliffs of
Moher. |
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Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle is the most complete medieval castle
in Ireland, with furniture and tapestries capturing
the mood and style of the times. Medieval banquets are
held nightly. In its grounds is Bunratty Folk Park,
where 19th century village life is recreated. Traditional
crafts are carried out in their natural setting. Just
at the entrance to the park is Durty Nelly’s,
one of Ireland’s most popular pubs, dating from
the 1600s. |
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Ballynacourty
Twenty-five years ago Ballnacourty was surrounded by open
fields. Today it extends to a series of small gardens,
all interlinked. A laburnum walk underplanted with lavender,
a vegetable garden, a rose garden and another is full
of soft fruit and flowers for picking. |
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Currachase Forest
Park
This park was formerly the estate of the De Vere family
who built the mansion, laid out the grounds, formed
the lake, and planted the old woodlands. The ruined
shell of Currachase House, once the home of the poet
Aubrey De Vere, remains. |
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Augustinian Priory
Founded around the year 1315, the Augustinians retained
possession until about 1633, when they were driven out
and settled in Limerick City. It is still a fine example
of what a medieval Irish church looked like and has
been used as the Church of Ireland church since the
very early years of the 19th century. |
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Desmond Castle
Erected on a ring-fort site in the early 13th century,
it sits on the bank of the River Maigue and was the object
of an eleven-day siege in 1578. It survived and was occupied
by various noble families throughout the centuries, abandoned
in 1600, dismantled in 1657, but repaired in 1825. |
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Kilmacuagh
This monastic settlement is in a remote location on
the borders of counties Clare and Galway, southwest
of Gort. The sense of isolation is accentuated by the
stony moonscape of the Burren to the west. Reputedly
founded by St. Colman MacDuagh in the early 7th century,
Kilmacduagh owes more to the monastic revival that led
to rebuilding from the llth century onward. The centerpiece
of the extensive site is a large slightly leaning 11th
or 12th century round tower and a roofless church, known
as the cathedral or Temple. The cathedral is a pre-Norman
structure, which was later remodeled in Gothic style,
with flamboyant tracery and fine tomb carvings. In the
surrounding fields lie the remains of several other
churches that once depended on the monastery. |
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Thoor Ballylee
For much of the 1920’s, this tower house was a summer
home to the poet B. Yeats. He was a regular visitor to
nearby Coole Park, the home of his friend Lady Gregford,
who was a cofounder of the Abbey Theatre. |
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Coole Park
Although the house was demolished in the 1950’s,
the estate farm has been restored and the fine gardens
survive. In particular, there is the “autograph
tree”, a spreading copper beech carved with the
initials of George Bernard Shaw, Jim Synge, Jack Yeats
and other famous visitors. |
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Clonfert Cathedral
Situated near a bleak stretch of the Shannon bordering
the boglands of the Midlands, Clonfert is one of the jewels
of Irish-Romanesque architecture. The tiny cathedral occupies
the site of a monastery, which was founded by St. Brendan
in AD 563 and is believed to be his burial place. The
highlight of Clonfert is its intricately sculpted sandstone
doorway. |
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Dun Guaire Castle
North of Kinvarra, on a promontory on the shore of Galway
Bay, lies Dun Guaire Castle. It is perched just beyond
some quaint thatched cottages and a stone bridge. The
castle is named after the 7th century King Guaire of Connaught.
Although the medieval earthworks survive, the present
castle was built in the 16th century, a quintessential
tower house with sophisticated machicolations. The banqueting
hall is still used for medieval banquets with Celtic harp
music and the poetry of Yeats. |
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Dartfield Horsepark & Museum
Dartfield Horse World houses fascinating and informative
displays. The museum charts the history of the horse and
its contribution to society from the earliest times to
the present day. Museum includes Cafe and Gift Shop within
19,000 sq. ft. of indoor facilities. Horse riding and
carriage rides available. The 350-acre parkland can be
explored on foot or on horseback, and also by horsedrawn
carriage.
Opening Months: Open daily,
All Year
Catering Facilities: Yes
Retail Outlet: Yes
Address: Kilrickle Loughrea
Co Galway
Phone: +353 (0)91 843968
Fax: +353 (0)91 843969
Email: info@dartfield.com
Web: www.dartfield.com |
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