Clifden, Ireland May 2023

 Clifden, Ireland May 2023

May 8 & 9th, leaving Westport behind next we headed toward Clifden. We had many scenic stops along the way. We spent two nights at the Dun Ri Guest House, just a short walk away from the shops, restaurants and pubs and a pretty cascade. 

May 8, a walk close to the hotel, we saw the cascades , the river and the wildflowers. There was a sheep farm and more flowers. 

May 9th, we visited the Connemara National Park. Below are park images of the pond, the visitor center, a walk on the Ellis Wood Nature trail, a pretty waterfall and a White or Pied Wagtail. 

May 9th, the Kylemore Abbey is the oldest Irish Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920. The Kylemore Abbey is held under the Kylemore trust and continues it mission as a Benedictine Monastery holding Kylemore and it's spiritual mission in trust for the Irish nation. The Benedictine Nuns are still running education and retreat activities on the estate. 

The Benedictine community has restored the Victorian Walled gardens. The gardens include a kitchen garden and a flower garden. It is open to the public for tours and nature walks. 

The actual Kylemore Castle was built as a private home in 1868 for Mitchel Henry. Below are some of the 70 rooms in the castle. In 1920 the Benedictine Nuns purchased the castle and property. 

On the Kylemore Abbey estate and grounds is also a Gothic Church

Pretty stained glass windows in the church.

A trail along side the lake, we saw this little waterfall.  The birds were singing but were hiding in the tree tops. 

The nature trail is a nice scenic walk from the castle down to the Gothic Church. 

This was a busy day on our tour, we left Clifden on the next morning which was May 10th. We headed to our next place to stay in Doolin. We stopped at Galway, I will be posting it about soon.  Thanks for visiting.