Day 6 - Clifden, Kylemore Abbey, Twelve Bens Mountains

The Twelve Bens Mountains region

We started our day with a scrumptious breakfast at the Ardmor House, then drove to Clifden on the edge of the Connemara National Park, a region of bogs and rugged coastlines. It was a 19th century marketing town, has two church spires that dominate the sky, and is framed by the Twelve Bens Mountains. It is full of quaint shops.

We proceeded from Clifden to Kylemore Abbey. It is nothing short of stunning! The lake setting reflecting the abbey and the slopes of the Twelve Bens behind it could nearly take your breath away. It is a Gothic Revival mansion orginally built in the 1840's for the Mitchell Henry family. They also owned a large area of land around the mansion including orchards and walled gardens, which are still maintained. When the family sold the property during WWI, the Benedictine nuns took it over and now run it as a private girls' boarding school. Not all areas are accessible to guests, but the gardens and several rooms of the Abbey are always open. (Only one garden picture included today; a few others from the abbey are included in "Flowers" entry.)

We left the abbey and drove back to Galway on the other side of the Connemara National Park. This area is ruggedly beautiful, the way many people picture Ireland. The 1952 John Wayne movie, "The Quiet Man" was filmed in this region.