Visitor Attractions

Westport House was built in 1730, on the ruins of one of legendary Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley’s 16th Century castles built by The Browne Family. It is approx 1 hour 15 mins from Galway city and situated in a superb Parkland setting with lake, terraces and gardens overlooking Clew Bay, The Atlantic Ocean and Clare Island to the West. To the South Croagh Patrick sits on the horizon and to the front of the house the Carrowbeg River runs into the lake and down to the quay.

Complete with original antiques, dungeons, wax work displays and two comprehensive educational exhibitons , it is home to Grace O’Malley’s direct descendants: The 11th Marquess of Sligo and his family. Stunning scenery, architectural magnificence, beautifully manicured gardens and a Pirate Adventure Park combine with a remarkable history, that encompasses Ireland’s notorious Pirate Queen, rebellions, slavery and famine - to provide a memorable, fun and educational experience for all age groups. There are endless activities for young and old such as pitch and putt, table tennis, tennis, white swan boats, cannonball run, playgrounds, bouncy castle and much more.

Turoe Pet Farm, with a reputation for excellent 'value for money' first class customer service offers a unique farm experience for family, group and individual outings. Apart from its popularity for school tours Turoe Farm is also an ideal facility for Birthday, First Communion and Confirmation Parties.

The tower or castle that Yeats bought was a sixteeneth century norman castle built by the family de Burgo, or Burke. It consisted of four floors with one room on each, connected by a spiral stone stairway built into the seven-foot thickness of the massive outer wall. Each floor had a window overlooking the river which flowed alongside. At the top here was a flat roof reached by a final steep flight of steps from the floor below. There is a great view of the surrounding country including Coole's Seven Woods, from its parapets. There were two attached cottages, one of which was in ruins. A walled garden is joined to the cottages and across the road a grove of trees. The Cloon river winds through this low-lying, rolling countryside, dropping over a thirty foot waterfall before it flows past Thoor Ballylee and afterwards disappearing into a underground passage on its way to enter the Atlantic Ocean.

A visit to Galway is never complete without spending some time exploring The Latin Quarter. It is a magical place. Starting at St Nicholas' Church, the Latin Quarter runs through the city's Saturday market and onto O'Brien's Bridge. From there it follows the River Corrib down to the Spanish Arch where the Galway City Museum is located and then swings back up along Middle Street and turns up Buttermilk Lane where it joins the starting point. From day-time to late into the night it is buzzing with people who are enjoying all that is on offer. The vast majority of the shops are locally owned and it boasts some of some of Galway's best loved pubs and restaurants.

To Begin to discover the secrets of the Burren, a walk through the Burren Centre Exhibition is essential. Beautifully presented, with atmospheric lighting and sounds, the story of the Burren unfolds before your eyes, revealing the history of man and animals and how they co-existed.

The Biddy Early Brewery is Ireland's first pub brewery. We hope our site will impart a little of our passion for our beers. When we started to brew in 1995, we revived the tradition of craft brewing in Ireland and our small brewery continues to produce fine beers using only natural ingredients. Since we opened our brewery in 1995 we have had many visitors. While obviously content with a pint or two of our beers, we found that they also wanted to know more about the brewery itself. To provide this we have converted part of the pub into a visitor centre. Here visitors can watch an audio-visual presentation on the legend of Biddy Early and the brewing process and how the two are inter-linked. This is followed by a guided tour of the brewery and beer tasting. Finally, visitors have the opportunity to purchase souvenir merchandise.

The Sheep & Wool Museum was founded in 1992 with a view to displaying and conserving different items which were used in the wool industry locally. You are invited to enjoy the exhibits and demonstrations indoors, or take a stroll among the friendly sheep outdoors. Shop at your leisure for gifts and souvenirs, or choose from the delicious home-made fare from our own kitchen. Visitors to the museum obtain a great insight into the history and importance of wool in Ireland and come away more conscious of the need to protect our heritage and our culture. We hope that you enjoy your visit to Leenane, and that you will come visit us while you are here.

Loughwell Farm Park is situated in 15mins drive from Galway in the beautiful Moycullen countryside between Moycullen and Spiddal. The park has a 360 degree backdrop of Connemara and the has been carefully designed to fit naturally into the Connemara landscape with stone roundabouts, beech lined walkways, timber play villages, duck pond and use of natural materials such as sand, timber, stone boulders and more. Two large buildings lead onto a decked courtyard where the adults can watch the children play. The many friendly animals include pot bellied pigs, miniature and regular ponies, cows, sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens, donkeys, rabbits and much more.

Play facilities include - 2 purpose built play villages / Huge sand dunes with slides / Large sand pit with play boat / Nest swing / 2 timber obstacle courses / Huge strawbale maze / Regular swings, toddler swings / Zip wire / 2 types of pedal go karts (suitable for younger and older kids & adults) / Indoor disco / huge obstacle bouncy castle.

Loughwell Farm Park take play safety seriously with all play equipment meeting strict EU standards. There is also a lovely tea room with homebaking a specialty! Have your party at Loughwell Farm Park. Come early and stay all day!

Explore the amazing marine life of the West coast of Ireland at the Lahinch Seaworld Atlantic Aquarium, where you can see and experience many beautiful and unique undersea species of this part of the world. Splash your way through our swimming pools or relax in our sauna, jacuzzi and steamroom. The kiddies play area, "Sammy Sharks", offers hours of endless fun for 2 to 10 year-olds and for the whole family there's the Café Sicillian providing delicious fresh food, tea, coffee and more. For those heading to the beach in front of the aquarium, why not visit Neptune's Shop which provides everything your family would ever need for a trip to the sea, such as buckets and spades, inflatables, swimsuits, suncream and much more. All in all, the ultimate all weather leisure and activity location.

Kylemore Abbey, known as Ireland’s most romantic Castle is located in Connemara, Co. Galway and is the most visited attraction in the West of Ireland. The Abbey is situated beside an idyllic Lake and is backed by steep mountains providing a postcard perfect view. Originally built in 1867 as a romantic gift, Kylemore Abbey and the surrounding mountains and lakes are steeped in history including engineering initiatives, model farms, tragedy, royal visits, gambling debts, a hideaway during Ireland’s troubled history as well as excellence in education.

Home to the Benedictine Nuns since 1920, much of the Kylemore estate has been restored to its former glory and is open to visitors all year. Visitors can also browse in the Craft shop and retail centre, viewing our unique Kylemore Abbey Pottery as it is produced in our Pottery Studio or relax over coffee in the Restaurant whilst sampling the freshly home-cooked delights.

Between Recess and Letterfrack and nestled at the base of Duchruach Mountain it is regarded as one of Ireland's most romantic buildings. The Abbey is the monastic home of the Irish Benedictine Nuns and a renowned international girls' boarding school. One of Ireland's most popular attractions.

Ireland's School of Falconry gives you the chance to fly a hawk around the spectacular grounds of Ashford Castle. Catering for all ages and abilities, we specialise in teaching falconry sessions using our beautiful Harris hawks. Our aim is to share the pleasure and excitement of falconry, a fascination that has enthralled people for 4,000 years. An experience of a lifetime, bring your camera!

Galway City Museum reopened on 16th April 2007 with the launch of its permanent exhibition. Among the highlights on show is a rare 17th century altar piece, the new location of the statue of Pádraic Ó’Connaire and the Galway City hooker boat, named 'Máirtín Oliver' by the general public.

Experience life in a 16th century castle. Explore the surrounding indigenous woodland and take time for a picnic by the castle. Facilities include guided tours, exhibitions, woodland paths, a picnic area and light refreshments. Dunsandle Castle and Woods are open to the public Wednesday to Sunday, May to October 10am to 6pm.

Dartfield Horse Museum and Park is located in Kilrickle, East Galway. It boasts impressive exhibits dedicated to the history of Irish horses, dogs and Connemara ponies. The museum features all aspects of Irish country life from 1800 & 1900, Veteran cars, nature trails, farm walks, pony rides, cafe and gift shop. For groups of 20+ there is clay pigeon shooting, archery, team games and much more