Trying to round out a 14 night trip covering Ireland and Northern Ireland and have one day/night to spend between Doolin before we head up to Derry in the North. Worth it to wake up in Doolin, drive to Galway and spend the day touring the city and stay there, or skip and drive to Connemara, see ashford, kylemore, etc and stay in a place like westport? We'd love to do both, but really want time in northern ireland which leaves me with this decision. What do you all think?
Posted by
Boston, MA, United States
1806 posts
It's apples and oranges. Galway is a bustling small city. Westport is a slower pace. Both are great places to spend a night.
I assume you do realize you aren't allowed inside Ashford unless you are a guest - you can walk around the grounds. And Kylemore is a good spot for taking photos on the outside, but inside, no great shakes.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
I'd skip Galway and do Connemara instead. It is absolutely beautiful in a "wild west" kind of way. If you go to Kylemore, be sure to walk out to the little chapel. The inside contains columns made of the many colors of Connemara marble. There was soft choral music playing when we stepped inside. And in the house itself we got to hear (from the hallway) the school choir practicing a beautiful Irish melody.
Posted by
Columbia, MD, USA
9 posts
Here's a thought... take a morning stop in Galway and stay there for lunch. This will allow you to get a flavor or the Riverwalk, Quay Street, High Street and Eire Square. A good place to park is near Galway Cathedral (4 Euro-all day).
Then after lunch drive through Connemara absorbing the beautiful scenery as you go. If you look at a map you can see numerous routes that can be adjusted based upon available time with the ultimate goal of making Westport for your overnight.
While I would recommend at least two nights in Connemara, at least this will give you a taste of the area for future reference. The key here is to be flexible. You may find Galway so fascinating that the run out to Connemara will not be possible. Or, Galway may not be that interesting and then you will have more time in Connemara. In either case, you are looking at staying in Westport to stage the next leg of your journey.
BTW, we were in this area just last week and found Connemara to be wild and enchanting. If you decide to skip Connemara and go directly from Galway to Westport, be sure to stop in Cong. The ruins of the Abbey are fascinating and the stop is free. See RS Guide for details.
Posted by
Kalamazoo, MI, USA
100 posts
Tough call. We loved the Connemara region and Galway. Galway was one of our favorite cities and wished we had spent more time there. We only spent a day touring Connemara and although there were gale force winds and rain that day and we were the only ones out beside the sheep, it was still amazing. Kylemore Abby is enchanting. Either way have fun!