tourist attractions galway

Dun Aengus is a fantastic example of a stone fort which is thought to be over 2000 years old! It is perched on top of a cliff edge about 300 ft above the Atlantic Ocean.
The fort is said to have been built by Aonghusa who was a chief of the Fir Bolg - so it translates as the 'Fort of Aonghusa'.
The impressive stone fort has three enclosures to defend against the enemy. If you look closely enough at one of the walls you will notice vetical, jagged rocks pertruding at an angle....

Kylemore Abbey, founded on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The Benedictine Order, who have lived here since 1920, have a long history and were founded in Belgium in 1665. The nuns fled Belgium in WWI and took up home in the former castle in 1920.
The building itself was built between 1863 and 1868 for a Manchester politician by the name of Mitchell Henry. Both he and his wife are buried here. Important fearures of Kylemore Abbey include the...

Dunguaire Castle has, for hundreds of years, stood proudly on the site of the 7th century stronghold of Guaire, the King of Connaught, its majesty dominating the shore of Galway Bay. The castle was built in 1520 by the O’Hynes clan and it gets its name from the ancient fort of Guaire. This restored 16th century tower house sits on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Galway Bay, 300 yards outside the picturesque village of Kinvara.
The Castle bridges 13 centuries of Irish history, from the...

Lynch’s Castle was once the home to the most powerful family in Galway. This incredible limestone building is a fine example of an Irish gothic style. The Lynch Family’s Coat of Arms can still be seen today, as can other proprietors of the house Henry and the Fitzgerald’s of Kildare.
Situated between Shop Street and Abbeygate Street, this castle gives us a rare glimpse of old Galway....

Welcome to the world of Galway Irish Crystal. From the earth's core come the rough makings of one of the world's most captivating creations - crystal. Tempered by fire, the shapes, the patterns and the flawless surfaces mirror the elegance of another era - yet complement the achievements of the present....

Covering some 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands, Connemara National Park is a sight to behold. It's located near Letterfrack in County Galway.
...

Thoor Ballylee Castle is a four storey tower dating back to the 16th century, beautifully situated beside a stream. There was much to enchant William Butler Yeats on his first visit to Ballylee in 1885: the old square castle, the little river and the legend of a most beautiful local woman 'Mary Hynes, the Shining Flower of Ballylee.
He eventually bought the medieval tower, which was built by the Norman de Burgo family, with a cottage and garden for the grand sum of IR35.00 in 1916. The...

The impressive castle at Portumna was the seat of the Clanricarde Burkes, the most important landowners in County Galway. It was completed in 1617 by Richard Burke, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde, but was destroyed by fire in 1826.
The Office of Public Works has been involved in its restoration in recent times. It's a large building, rectangular in shape, with four square towers at the corners. It was one of the first buildings in Ireland with Renaissance features and is also noted for the...

The Eyre Square Shopping Centre is located right in the heart of Galway City Centre on Eyre Square. Its opening hours are from 9am - 6.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. On Thursdays and Fridays it opens from 9am - 9pm. Opening times on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays are 12pm - 6pm....

J.M. Synge, the well-known Anglo-Irish author and playwright, stayed in this cottage every summer from 1898 to 1902. He took the themes of The Playboy of the Western World and some of his other plays from stories heard on Aran....