Connemara & Kylemore Abbey

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September 8, 2016

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When I told people I booked a flight to Ireland, the most common thing I heard was that the people are very kind and it’s a very special place–which is totally true–but after that, I always got tons of tips on where to go. One of the most common was Connemara. Since we rented a car, we decided to make the drive over from Galway and there were countless photo opps along the way.

Connemara is a an area on the west side of Ireland with villages, farms, beaches and of course, castles. On the way to Connemara, we passed Ashford Castle. You can actually rent a room there if you like and if you’re just stopping by and you’re nice to the guard, he might let you walk around on the grounds and dine in the cafe. We stopped quickly, but wanted to make it over to the water before it got dark.

When we reached the water, it took our breath away. I wish I was a better photographer, but I’m not sure anyone could really capture the pure beauty that we saw when we came around the curve in the road. It was so peaceful and beautiful. You could look out on the water on one side and then on the other side of the road were hills filled with sheep. We stayed and marveled for quite a while. We decided to continue driving so we could make it to Kylemore Abbey – a huge castle with gardens and cafes, all run by nuns.

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We drove past an awesome lookout point with a huge statue and decided to stop again for some photos when we saw a store accross the street. It was the cutest book and gift shop I have ever seen. The owner was there and he actually makes a lot of the art and framed photography there. In fact, he actually made the enormous statue by the water! He was so kind and it was so great to meet a new friend.

After shopping for way too long, we finally left for Kylemore Abbey. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we got there, but we pulled over and snapped some photos from afar. I’m glad we at least got to see the outside of it.

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I also got one of my favorite photos from Ireland near Kylemore Abbey, so it was definitely worth the drive!

Have you ever been to Connemara?