West &
North West
Galway, Mayo and Roscommon mark a distinct change in the
west of Ireland scene. Coming from the south, County Galway
may at first seem a continuation of what has gone before in
Clare and Kerry. And Galway city is in some ways the west
coast town par excellence - an exceptionally enjoyable,
free-spirited sort of place, and a gathering point for young
travellers. But once you get beyond the city things start to
change. The landscape is dramatically harsher and far less
populous, and there are fewer visitors, too.
Lough Corrib , which
divides Galway in two, delineates another dramatic split in
the landscape of the county, this time between east and
west, inland and coast. To the east of the lake lies tame,
fertile land which people have farmed for centuries, while
to the west lies
Connemara , a magnificently wild terrain of
wind and rock and water. The
Aran Islands , in the mouth of Galway Bay,
resemble Connemara both in their elemental beauty and in
their culture; the Galway Gaeltacht - areas where
Irish is still spoken - comprises the islands, Iar-Chonnacht
and some scattered communities in north Connemara and Joyce
country (north of Lough Corrib). While it can't compete with
the rest of the county, east Galway 's medieval
monastic sites are well worth taking in as you pass through.
Again,
Galway city straddles the divide. A bridging
point both physically and culturally, it's a fishing port,
an historic city and the focus of an energetic social and
artistic scene.
Further up the coast is County
Mayo , where the landscape softens somewhat but
is still relatively free of tourists. The pilgrimage centre
of Knock and the attractions of historic towns like
Westport aside, it's the coast which is once again
the main draw. Physically, it's as exciting and rugged as
any in the Republic, and far less exploited, though the
downside is that facilities for travellers are relatively
thin on the ground. An exception is Achill , the
largest Irish offshore island and popular holiday resort,
which provides both some of the most spectacular cliffs in
the country and caters well for travellers.
County Roscommon is
entirely landlocked and less visited still. There are few
real excitements, and the land is for the most part flat and
low lying; nevertheless, the fine detail of this landscape,
scattered with small lakes and large houses, has a slow
charm. There are places that merit a look as you pass
through, and in the extreme north, around Lough Key ,
there's some very attractive scenery indeed.
Galway - Mayo
- Roscommon
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