Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [362]
Killary House ( 095-42254; www.connemara.com/killaryhouse; Leenane; r €50-80) On a working farm just a short walk from Leenane, this six-room B&B looks out to the bay from its front rooms, and up to the hills in its rear rooms. Cheaper rooms share a bathroom. Ask about on-site meals, including children’s menus.
Blackberry Cafe ( 095-42240; Leenane; cafe dishes €4.50-11, dinner mains €14-25; noon-4pm & 6-9pm Easter-Sep) Connemara smoked salmon, chunky chowder, hot smoked trout and rhubarb tarts are some of the treats on offer at this gem of a bistro, conveniently located near the pubs.
Drinking
Farmers and other locals come for quiet pints and warming Irish coffees at the gentle sweep of traditional pubs near the bridge. Savour a pint outside at one of the picnic tables or inside amidst the dark wood panelling and enormous open fireplaces.
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SOUTH OF GALWAY CITY
Take time to smell the oysters on the busy seaside route between Galway city and County Clare. At Kilcolgan, veer east off the N18 and you’ll be rewarded with villages like Kinvara, whose charms may play havoc with your schedule – if you have one.
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CLARINBRIDGE & KILCOLGAN
pop 2100
Some 16km south of Galway, Clarinbridge (Droichead an Chláirin) and Kilcolgan (Cill Cholgáin) are at their busiest during the Clarinbridge Oyster Festival (www.clarenbridge.com), held during the second weekend of September. However, the oysters are actually at their best from May through the summer. Clarinbridge is also good for rummaging the antique stores along the main road.
Oysters are celebrated year-round at Paddy Burke’s Oyster Inn ( 091-796 107; www.paddyburkesgalway.com; Clarinbridge; 6 oysters €10, mains €10-24; 12.30-10pm), a thatched inn by the bridge dishing up heaped servings in a roadside location.
Moran’s Oyster Cottage ( 091-976 113; www.moransoystercottage.com; The Weir, Kilcolgan; mains €13-22; noon-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun) is an atmospheric thatched pub and restaurant, with a terrace overlooking Dunbulcaun Bay, where the oysters are reared before they arrive on your plate. It’s a well-marked 2km west of the noxious N18, in a quiet cove near Kilcolgan.
Clarinbridge is on the main Galway–Gort–Ennis–Limerick road (N18) and is served by numerous Bus Éireann buses from Galway.
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KINVARA
pop 400
The small stone harbour of Kinvara (sometimes spelt Kinvarra) sits smugly at the southeastern corner of Galway Bay, which accounts for its Irish name, Cinn Mhara (Head of the Sea). Traditional Galway hooker sailing boats race here each year on the second weekend in August in the Cruinniú na mBáid (Gathering of the Boats).
Kinvara’s other big date on its annual calendar is Fleadh na gCuach (Cuckoo Festival), a traditional music festival in late May that features over 100 musicians performing at upwards of 50 organised sessions. Spin-off events include a parade.
Details of both festivals are available on Kinvara’s website (www.kinvara.com).
Sights & Activities
The chess-piece-style Dunguaire Castle ( 091-637 108; adult/child €6/3; 9.30am-5pm May-Oct) was erected around 1520 by the O’Hynes clan and is in excellent condition following extensive restoration. It is widely believed that the castle occupies the former site of the 6th-century royal palace of Guaire Aidhne, the king of Connaught. Dunguaire’s owners have included Oliver St John Gogarty (1878–1957) – poet, writer, surgeon and Irish Free State senator.
The least authentic way to visit the castle is to attend a medieval banquet ( 061-360 788; www.shannonheritage.com; banquet adult/child €56/28; 5.30pm & 8.45pm May-Oct). Yuck-filled stage shows and shtick provide diversions while you plough through a big group meal.
Sleeping & Eating
Kinvara has several good places to feast on the bounty of its seaside location; a passel of atmospheric pubs only add to the joy. You won’t miss at the appropriately named Fahy’s Travellers Inn (