Killary Harbour and Connemara
Connemara is a
unique and beautiful part of western Ireland, in County Galway, and
Killary Harbour, which separates Galway from County Mayo, is Ireland's
only fjord. Enclosed by mountains on either side, this 16-km (10 miles)
long deep-water inlet boasts some of Ireland's most spectacular scenery
and fabulous opportunities for boating.
This area of
Connemara was seriously affected by the potato famine, which was sparked
by the failure of the potato crop in 1845/6 and 1848. Most of rural
Ireland relied on potatoes as the staple diet, and more than a million
people died from starvation and disease during this period. More than 2.5
million others were forced to emigrate in order to survive. You can walk
the famine relief road that was built in 1846 by local people in exchange
for food. Nowadays there are mussel farms in the fjord and plenty of
opportunities to taste them. You can even harvest your own mussels from
the shoreline and cook them yourself if you want.
North
Connemara contains the National park, which covers 5,000 acres of wild
countryside and includes bogland, moorland, lakes and mountains. Plants
and wildlife abound, including rare bog and heathland plants such as St
Dabeoc's heath, a species of heather. Peregrine falcons and merlins can
be seen, as can otters, red deer, Connemara ponies and grey seals around
the rocky coastline.
