tourist attractions galway

Kylemore Abbey, founded on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The Benedictine Order, who have lived here since 1920, have a long history and were founded in Belgium in 1665. The nuns fled Belgium in WWI and took up home in the former castle in 1920.
The building itself was built between 1863 and 1868 for a Manchester politician by the name of Mitchell Henry. Both he and his wife are buried here. Important fearures of Kylemore Abbey include the...

Spiddal Craft Village is located at the entrance to the County Galway village of Spiddal. It's right beside the beach and boasts stunning views of the Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay and the Aran Islands.
Crafts people from all over the Connemara region display and sell their quality products here. There's a whole host of crafts on offer including pottery, jewellery, leather, candles and hand woven gifts. You can even observe some of the crafts people at work in their studios. Facilities...

Covering some 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands, Connemara National Park is a sight to behold. It's located near Letterfrack in County Galway.
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Located in Galway Bay in the West of Ireland lie the Aran Islands. Islands so rich in culture, history and heritage they have to be seen to be believed.
The islands unique landscape is composed of limestone rock, big large boulders, considerable stretches of cliffs and very clean beaches. There are three islands in total: Inis Mór (big island), Inis Meáin (middle island) and Inis Oírr (eastern island). Gaelic is the native language spoken here.
It is the islands isolation tha...

The impressive castle at Portumna was the seat of the Clanricarde Burkes, the most important landowners in County Galway. It was completed in 1617 by Richard Burke, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde, but was destroyed by fire in 1826.
The Office of Public Works has been involved in its restoration in recent times. It's a large building, rectangular in shape, with four square towers at the corners. It was one of the first buildings in Ireland with Renaissance features and is also noted for the...

Following England's glorious revolution in 1688, the deposed King James II fled to France to seek refuge with the Sun King, King Louis XIV. Together the Catholic kings planned to regain the English throne for James by ousting his successor and ironically, his son-in-law, William of Orange.
Now, re-live the day that changed the course of Irish and European history at the Battle of Aughrim Interpretative Centre, situated in Aughrim village on the main Galway-Dublin road, the N6. Move ba...

Richard de Burgo granted a charter to Meiler de Bermingham in 1235 and shortly afterwards de Bermingham started building his castle at Athenry. It was probably completed by 1250 and consists of a three storey tower surrounded by the remains of a strong outer wall. Among the buildings was a Dominican friary, also built by Meiler, which is now in ruins.
The basement of the tower has a vault carried by three pillars. The door is on the first floor, though the steps leading to it are moder...

Dunguaire Castle has, for hundreds of years, stood proudly on the site of the 7th century stronghold of Guaire, the King of Connaught, its majesty dominating the shore of Galway Bay. The castle was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan and it gets its name from the ancient fort of Guaire. This restored 16th century tower house sits on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Galway Bay, 300 yards outside the picturesque village of Kinvara.
The Castle bridges 13 centuries of Irish history, from the...

Thoor Ballylee Castle is a four storey tower dating back to the 16th century, beautifully situated beside a stream. There was much to enchant William Butler Yeats on his first visit to Ballylee in 1885: the old square castle, the little river and the legend of a most beautiful local woman 'Mary Hynes, the Shining Flower of Ballylee.
He eventually bought the medieval tower, which was built by the Norman de Burgo family, with a cottage and garden for the grand sum of IR35.00 in 1916. The...

Eyre Square is situated right in the heart of Galway City Centre and is a very popular meeting point. The rectangular plot was presented to the city officials by Mayor Edward Eyre in 1710. It's the perfect place to relax and take in the sights and sounds of the bustling city centre around you.
Attractions within this city centre park include are two large, cast-iron cannons in memory of the Connaught Rangers who fought in the Crimean War, a bust of former US President John F. Kennedy (E...