Typical view in the bogs. A bog or mire is a Wetland type that accumulates Acidic Peat, a deposit of dead plant material &ndash usually Mosses but also

Loch Derryclare.

A view of Connemara, taken from the N59 road.

Connemara (in Irish: Conamara), which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea), is a district in the west of Ireland comprising of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway or south west Connacht. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Killary Harbour / An Caoláire Rua is Ireland's only " Fjord " Kilkieran (Cill Chiaráin is a village in County Galway, Ireland, located in the west of the county along the west coast of Ireland. County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. The Conmhaicne Mara were a branch of the Conmhaicne, an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches located in different parts of Connacht. The Conmhaicne (descendants of Con Mhac) were an ancient tribal grouping that were divided into a number of distinct branches that were found scattered around Ireland As this branch of Conmhaicne were located by the sea they became known as the Conmhaicne Mara, i. e. , of the sea. Connemara lies in the territory of Iar Connacht, "West Connacht", which is the portion of County Galway west of Lough Corrib and the portion of County Mayo in the barony of Ross. Iar Chonnachta (longer form - Iarthar Chonnachta) (anglicised spelling- Iar Connaught) covers the portion of County Galway west of Lough Corrib Lough Corrib ( Loch Coirib in Irish) is a Lake in the west of Republic of Ireland. Connemara was traditionally divided into North Connemara and South Connemara. The mountains of the Twelve Bens and the Owenglin river, which flows into the sea at An Clochán/Clifden, marked the boundary between the two parts. The Twelve Bens or Twelve Pins ( Irish Na Beanna Beola) is a small mountain range of sharp-peaked quartzite ranges located north east of Clifden (An Clochán meaning "bee-hive cell" is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara 's largest town it is often Connemara is bounded on the west, south and north by the Atlantic. Connemara's land boundary with the rest of County Galway is marked by the Invermore River (which flows into the north of Kilkieran Bay), Loch Oorid, (which lies a few miles west of Maam Cross, and the western spine of the Maumturks mountains in the north of which the boundary meets the sea at the Killary a few miles west of Leenaun. Kilkieran (Cill Chiaráin is a village in County Galway, Ireland, located in the west of the county along the west coast of Ireland. Na Sléibhte Mhám Toirc (The Maumturks / Maamturks, the Turks (fam Killary Harbour / An Caoláire Rua is Ireland's only " Fjord " Leenaun ( Irish An Líonán - the filling pool sometimes Leenane, is a village in County Galway, Ireland.

Name

The term Connemara is now commonly used (although incorrectly) to describe all of County Galway west of Lough Corrib. Connemara is often used to describe the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking areas) of western County Galway, however this is inaccurate as some of these areas are outside of the traditional boundary of Connemara. ga '''Gaeltacht''' ( plural ga ''Gaeltachtaí'' is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region Another misconception is that Connemara's eastern boundary ends around Inverin and Maam Cross. Inverin or Inveran ( is a Village in Connemara between Spiddal and Casla in County Galway, Ireland. Maam Cross (An Teach Dóite is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway, Ireland.

Connemara is composed of the Catholic parishes of Carna, Clifden (Omey and Ballindoon), Ballynakill, Roundstone and Inishbofin. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Carna is a small area in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, located on the contry's west coast about 50 km west of of Galway city. Ballindoon ( is the name of a Dominican Abbey on the shores of Lough Arrow in County Sligo, Ireland. Ballinakill ( is the name of a harbour near the town of Letterfrack in County Galway in Ireland. Inishbofin ( Inis Bó Finne in Irish, meaning Island of the White Cow) is an island lying about 8 kilometers (5 miles off the coast of Connemara The territory contains the civil parishes of Moyrus, Ballynakill, Omey, Ballindoon and Inishbofin (the last parish was for a time part of the territory of the Clann Uí Mháille, the O Malleys of the territory of Umhall, County Mayo. )

History

The Ó Cadhla (Kealy) clan were the rulers of Connemara up until the 13th century when they were displaced them from this position by the O Flahertys who fled into Iar Connacht from Maigh Seola during the English invasion of Connacht in the early 1200s. Iar Chonnachta (longer form - Iarthar Chonnachta) (anglicised spelling- Iar Connaught) covers the portion of County Galway west of Lough Corrib Maigh Seola was a term used to describe the land along the east shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. The Mac Conghaile (Conneely) clan were like the Ó Cadhla clan also a branch of the Conmhaicne Mara.

The coast of Connemara consists of a number of peninsulas. The peninsula of Iorras Ainbhtheach (sometimes corrupted to Iorras Aithneach) in the south is the largest and contains the villages of Carna and Kilkieran. Kilkieran (Cill Chiaráin is a village in County Galway, Ireland, located in the west of the county along the west coast of Ireland. The peninsula of Errismore consists of the area west of the village of Ballyconneely. Ballyconneely (Baile Conaola meaning Conneelys' village) is a small village in the west of the Connemara region County Galway, Ireland. Errisbeg peninsula lies to the south of the village of Roundstone. The Errislannan peninsula lies just south of the town of Clifden. Clifden (An Clochán meaning "bee-hive cell" is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara 's largest town it is often The peninsulas of Aughris, Cleggan and Renvyle are found in the north-west of Connemara. Cleggan (An Cloigeann meaning head) is a picturesque fishing village in County Galway, Ireland. There are numerous islands found off the coast of Connemara of which Inishbofin is the largest, other islands include Omey, Inishark, High Island, Friars Island, Feenish and Mweenish. Omey Island (Iomaidh is a Tidal island situated near Claddaghduff in the western edge of Connemara, Ireland (

The main town of Connemara is Clifden. The area around the town is rich with megalithic tombs. The famous green/white Connemara Marble was a trade treasure used by the inhabitants of the time and continues to be of great value today. Marble is a nonfoliated Metamorphic rock resulting from the Metamorphism of Limestone, composed mostly of Calcite (a crystalline form of It is used for the pendant which makes up the Scouting Ireland Chief Scout's Award, the highest award in Irish Scouting. The Chief Scout's Award is the highest award for Scouts in Scouting Ireland. Scouting Ireland ( Irish: Gasóga na hÉireann) is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM and the national Scouting

Connemara Aerodrome

A wooded waterfall in Connemara.

Beann Ghuaire / Diamond Hill in Connemara.

Connemara Regional Airport is home to Aer Arann, who operate daily air services to the three Arann Islands. Aerfort na Minna, often known as Connemara Regional Airport in English, is located at Inverin, in the Connemara region 27 kilometres (17 miles Aer Arann is a Regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland. They operate scheduled service on 40 different routes between Ireland, France They operate 3 Britten-Norman Islanders EI-AYN, EI-BCE and EI-CUW. The airport is located about 35 km west of Galway city along the coast at the town of Inverin. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. The airport sits just under the boundary of the Shannon CTA for the approach to runway 08 at Carnmore. Carnmore (Cearn Mór is located at the southern end of the parish of Claregalway, approximately east of Galway city in County Galway, Ireland

Notable towns and villages in Connemara

• An Cheathrú Rua (Carraroe)
• Clifden
• Carna
• Cloch na Rón / Roundstone
• Baile Mhic Chonghaile / Ballyconneely
• Claddaghduff (for Omey Island)
• An Cloigean / Cleggan (for Inishbofin). Clifden (An Clochán meaning "bee-hive cell" is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara 's largest town it is often Carna is a small area in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, located on the contry's west coast about 50 km west of of Galway city. Roundstone ( Irish: Cloch na Rón meaning "Seal's Rock" is a Village in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, located Ballyconneely (Baile Conaola meaning Conneelys' village) is a small village in the west of the Connemara region County Galway, Ireland. Omey Island (Iomaidh is a Tidal island situated near Claddaghduff in the western edge of Connemara, Ireland ( Cleggan (An Cloigeann meaning head) is a picturesque fishing village in County Galway, Ireland. Inishbofin ( Inis Bó Finne in Irish, meaning Island of the White Cow) is an island lying about 8 kilometers (5 miles off the coast of Connemara
• Leitir Fraic / Letterfrack
• Cill Chiaráin
• Renvyle (Rinn Mhaoile)

See also

• Aran Islands (day trips from Rossaveal)
• Alcock and Brown's first non-stop flight across the Atlantic crash landed near Clifden
• Connacht Irish
• Connemara National Park
• Connemara Heritage & History Centre
• The Western Way (Long-distance trail)
• The Twelve Bens and Maumturks mountains
• Lough Corrib

External links

• Connemara.net - All about Connemara, Galway, Ireland
• Connemara Ireland.
• Connemara.ie - Irish tourist board web site for Connemara.