Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [360]
KYLEMORE ABBEY
A few kilometres east of Letterfrack stands Kylemore Abbey ( 095-41146; www.kylemoreabbey.com; adult/under 12yr/student €12/free/7; visitor centre, abbey & church 9am-5pm, gardens 10am-4.30pm mid-Mar–Oct). Magnificently situated on the shores of a lake, this crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy was built for a wealthy English businessman, Mitchell Henry, who spent his honeymoon in Connemara. His wife died tragically young.
Admission also covers the abbey’s Victorian walled gardens. Without paying admission, you can stroll around the lake and surrounding woods.
During WWI, a group of Benedictine nuns left Ypres in Belgium and set up in Kylemore Abbey. They established an exclusive convent boarding school here, but a decision to close the school in 2010 means bad news for local Catholic high-school girls.
Kylemore’s tranquillity is shattered in high summer with the arrival of dozens of tour coaches per day, each one followed through the gates by an average of 50 cars (yes, about 2750 cars every day).
CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK
Immediately southeast of Letterfrack, Connemara National Park ( 095-41054; www.npws.ie, www.heritageireland.ie; Letterfrack; admission free; visitor centre & facilities 10am-5.30pm Mar-May & Sep-early Oct, 9.30am-6.30pm Jun-Aug, grounds open year-round) spans 2000 dramatic hectares of bog, mountain and heath. The visitor centre is in a beautiful setting off a parking area 300m south of the Letterfrack crossroads.
The park encloses a number of the Twelve Bens, including Bencullagh, Benbrack and Benbaun. The heart of the park is Gleann Mór (Big Glen), through which the River Polladirk flows. There’s fine walking up the glen and over the surrounding mountains. There are also short, self-guided walks and, if the Bens look too daunting, you can hike up Diamond Hill nearby.
The visitor centre offers an introduction to the park’s flora, fauna and geology, and visitors can scrutinise maps and various trails here before heading out into the park. Various types of flora and fauna native to the area are explained, including the Mothra-sized elephant hawkmoth.
Guided nature walks ( Jul & Aug) depart from the visitor centre. They last two to three hours and cover rough, boggy terrain.
Sleeping & Eating
Letterfrack has some good cafes and pubs.
Letterfrack Lodge ( 095-41222; www.letterfracklodge.com; Letterfrack; campsites from €12, dm €10-20, d €50-60; ) Personality oozes out of the cracks at this fun hostel close to the Letterfrack crossroads. Dorms come in a variety of sizes, but all are clean and spacious. Doubles are hotel-like in decor and comfort. Mike, the owner, is a great source of info on topics as diverse as local hikes and pubs.
Getting There & Away
Bus Éireann (www.buseireann.ie) and Citylink (www.citylink.ie) buses continue to Letterfrack several times daily from Clifden, 15km southwest on the N59.
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LEENANE & KILLARY HARBOUR
The small village of Leenane (also spelled Leenaun) drowses on the shore of dramatic Killary Harbour. Dotted with mussel rafts, the harbour is widely believed to be Ireland’s only fjord. Slicing 16km inland and more than 45m deep in the centre, it certainly looks like a fjord, although some scientific studies suggest it may not actually have been glaciated. Mt Mweelrea (819m) towers to its north.
Leenane boasts both stage and screen connections. It was the location for The Field (1989), a movie with Richard Harris based on John B Keane’s poignant play about a tenant farmer’s ill-fated plans to pass on a rented piece of land to his son. The village’s name made it onto the theatrical map with the success in London and New York of Martin McDonagh’s play The Beauty Queen of Leenane.
The local website (www.leenanevillage.com) is a good source of info.
Sights
After surveying the countryside studded with sheep, you can roam among them at the Sheep & Wool Centre ( 095-42323, 095-42231; www.sheepandwoolcentre.com; admission €4; 9am-6pm Apr-Oct). You can also see spinning and weaving demonstrations, learn about the history