T
he province of Connaught lies in the West of Ireland with its coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. The counties of Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Galway and Roscommon make up this geographically diverse region with the Atlantic Ocean to its westerly boundary and the midlands of Roscommon to the East. It is the least populated with a population of just over 400,000. Historically, Connaught has retained its rich Gaelic heritage and today still has communities where the Irish language only is spoken amongst themselves but English is the primary second language. These regions are collectively called the Gaeltacht. The remote Aran Islands off the mainland of County Galway are also part of the Gaeltacht. The primary business centre of Connaught, and most densely populated area, is the thriving city of Galway to the south of the province although Sligo City, Carrick on Shannon, and Boyle are all fine business and shopping centres in their own right.
Connaught has some of the most beautiful and unspoilt countryside to be found in Ireland, including the spectacular mountainous landscape of Connemara, the lock gates and river banks of the Shannon Waterway, the famed Galway Bay and the historic glens of County Leitrim. Couple these with the beautiful Ashford Castle in Mayo near to Cong where the film ‘The Quiet Man ‘ was enacted and the natural serenity of Lough Key Forest Park in Roscommon and a tour of this region is a must for all. For those interested in a religious experience Mayo is famed for Knock Shrine where on the 21st August, 1879, at about 8 o’clock, Our Lady, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist are reputed to have appeared. The apparition was seen by fifteen people whose ages ranged from six years to seventyfive and included men, women and children. The shrine has become so popular in modern times that the Ireland West International Airport was built especially in 1985 to cater for pilgrims and visitors to Connaught. The county also features the pilgrimage site
known as Croagh Patrick.Croagh Patrick, which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo, is considered the holiest mountain in Ireland. The tradition of pilgrimage to this holy mountain stretches back over 5,000 years from the Stone Age to the present day without interruption. Croagh Patrick is renowned for its Patrician Pilgrimage in honour of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. It was on the summit of the mountain that Saint Patrick is said to have fasted for forty days in 441 AD and the custom has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation. Croagh Patrick is 5 miles from the picturesque town of Westport and its conical shape soars majestically above the surrounding countryside with magnificent views of Clew Bay beneath. So, whether its water activities on the Atlantic coastline cruising on the Shannon Waterway, religious pilgrimages, chilling out amongst an unspoilt landscape or driving along roads where motoring is still a plesaure, Connaught has it all.
CONNAUGHT Into the West