Driving Along the Connemara Peninsula

The day after we arrived in Cong Ireland, I’d determined that we would take a drive out to the Connemara Peninsula.  It has a reputation as a wild and beautiful place.

Following the route suggested by our hosts at Ryan’s River Lodge, we drove along R336, which is the more scenic northerly road toward the town of Clifden at the western tip of the peninsula.

Unfortunately, it was a rainy, windy and overcast day.  Despite that, there was plenty of terrific looking countryside for us to enjoy…

The clouds came all the way down to the low mountain tops as well as the taller hills.

Laurie is always looking for animals and we stopped so she could take a photo of these varied and happy looking chickens.

Their chicken coop was unlike any others that we’d ever seen!  A hurricane couldn’t blow this structure down…

I loved the precise workmanship and the obvious beauty projected by this stone wall…

As usual, we saw a lot of sheep along the way…in this case with a pretty lough/lake in the background.

Stop!!  Laurie took this photo of one of her favorite animals.  We’d hoped to see a Connemara pony or two along the way. This could be a Connemara pony but not certain.

The Connemara pony breed originated in the Connemara region of Western Ireland.  The challenging landscape and environment helped create a pony breed of hardy, strong individuals.  These ponies known for their athleticism, versatility and good disposition.  

To learn more about the Connemara pony, you can go to https://.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connemara_pony.  For information about the Connemara Pony Breeders Society, go to https://cpbs.ie/. 

  

I loved the beauty and the apparent isolation of this farmstead across the lake.  I believe that this was Lough Nafooey/Na Fooey. 

…and of course, I just had to zoom in on the farm to get a closer look!

I wonder what this big sheep with an apparent 'attitude' thought about a carload of tourist stopping by to take a photo…

As we neared Killary Harbor…the scenery grew even more dramatic.  The juxtaposition of the mountainsides, the road and the valley in the distance was fairly breathtaking.

Killary Harbor is Ireland’s only true fjord.  This flooded narrow glaciated valley is about 10 miles long.  In the center it is over 138 feet deep, and as normal for a fjord, the sea level is higher outside its mouth.

…and then we entered the scenic village of Leenane or Leenaun in County Galway.  

For some terrific photos of the village and Killary Harbor, (with sunshine), just check out this rather lengthy link: https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=leenane+galway&id=5430F7EE4F350894F9222B419ECB4D22F9A7EE37&view=detailv2&form=IEQNAI&selectedindex=26&ccid=EwGP5tRP&simid=608044831560958445&thid=OIP.EwGP5tRP9T7ch2_PReE99gHaFk&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fleenanehotel.com%2Fcms%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fleenane-hotel-connemara-10.jpg&exph=753&expw=1000.

Leenane has a couple of pubs and guesthouses, a café and a Sheep and Wool Museum.  The Leenane Hotel is far and away the biggest structure in the village.  Originally established as a ‘coaching inn’ in the 1790’s, its current form includes a large hotel, restaurant and spa.  I checked it out and the rates look quite reasonable.  For more information, go to https://leenanehotel.com/.

With all of our touring through Scotland and Ireland, we hadn’t come across any peat harvesting…until now.  You can see the cuts where the peat has been removed in this photo.

For your information, peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors or muskegs. 

…and then we saw stacks of peat, apparently waiting to be transported.  In Ireland, large scale domestic and industrial peat usage is widespread. 

A state owned company, named Bord na Mona, is responsible for managing peat extraction.  The peat is processed into milled peat which is used in power stations and which is formed into peat briquettes for domestic heating.    I was surprised to learn that Ireland consumed 4,520,000 tons of peat as fuel as recently as 2008!

I thought that I’d end this post with a photo of a couple of boats…one of them dry docked…along the shores of Killary Harbor/fjord.  

The smaller boat tied to the pier is the ‘Blue Water’.  The larger vessel on the pier has an interesting name…’The Brazen Hussy’.  Why she was named the Brazen Hussy is probably a story in itself.  In any case, her mission in life is to provide charters/trips for scuba diving, fishing, Connemara island tours and wildlife viewing. 

Just checking their website and the varied trips provided, adventures await!  The Brazen Hussy is based in Derryinver Harbour in Letterfrack Ireland.  Check it out at http://brazenhussy.ie/.

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave