Tag: County Galway

  • I could easily have stayed single but then I would never have seen Kylemore Abbey

    I could easily have stayed single but then I would never have seen Kylemore Abbey

    Caring for my wife through travel.

  • On vacation, make it possible for the road to rise up to meet you

    Margaret and I wanted a good, long hike through the woods on our last full day in Ireland’s County Galway. We drove to Connemara National Park figuring that’s what we’d get. We were wrong. The park’s trail system runs right up the side of a mountain. We started to hike it, but we soon overheated…

  • Stopping along a Connemara highway

    As we drove back to our B&B from Kylemore Abbey, we found ourselves on a minor highway in remote Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Highway R344, to be exact. And the scenery was lovely. We pulled over to take it in.

  • The view at Connemara National Park Canon PowerShot S95 2016 The colors in Connemara were unlike anything we saw elsewhere in Ireland. And that’s saying something, because Ireland is an astonishingly colorful country.

  • At Connemara National Park Canon PowerShot S95 2016 We visited this lovely park briefly. We looked forward to a long hike, but we both assumed it would be through a chilly woods, not up a mountain in direct sunshine on an unusually warm day. As we were dressed for the former, we soon overheated and…

  • The walled Victorian garden at Kylemore Abbey

    When you’re a wealthy family living in remote Irish country in the late 1800s, your estate has to be entirely self-sufficient, providing for all of the family’s needs. Mitchell and Margaret Henry, who built and lived at Kylemore Castle in the lush hills of Connemara, County Galway, created just that on their sprawling estate. They…

  • The chapel at Kylemore Abbey

    Margaret Henry’s unexpected death in 1875 threw her husband, Mitchell, into despair. He found it difficult to spend time at their sprawling Irish estate at Kylemore. Indeed, he seldom returned, spending most of his time in England. Nevertheless, he built this chapel on the grounds as her final resting place. Built in the style of…

  • Typical scene in Connemara, County Galway Canon PowerShot S95 2016 As we drove along a lonely highway on our way to Kylemore Abbey, we stopped a few times just to photograph the views. I didn’t notice until readying this photo for this post that I captured a fellow walking. Do you see him?

  • The tragic story of Kylemore Castle

    Mitchell Henry was in love. And he built this sprawling castle for his young wife Margaret. Nestled into this hillside in the Connemara region of Ireland’s County Galway, Mitchell’s 40,000-square-foot castle not only testifies to a man’s love for his wife, but it also belies the tragic end that befell his family. Mitchell Henry, born…

  • The joy of wrong turns on vacation

    My greatest irrational fear is of getting lost. All those road trips I take? Yeaaaaah, I map them out. I don’t want a wrong turn to lead me astray. One reason I take road trips is to face my fear. Someday I’ll have conquered it enough to head out with minimal prep. I’m not there…

  • Barna Harbor Canon PowerShot S95 2016 This placid scene belies the fact that a strong, cold wind was blowing in off the water. So strong and cold that we stayed but a few minutes here.

  • The view from the castle at Kylemore Abbey Canon PowerShot S95 2016 This time, in color.