Page 8 of Touring Ireland by Car by Car Rental Council of Ireland

the village visit the modern sculpture which features the work of international sculptors continue east along the n70 to the heritage town of kenmare walk along henry street with its interesting shop fronts and archways visit the heritage centre which outlines the history of the town and its famous visitors kenmare is the departure point for boat trips around the islands and inner kenmare river from kenmare travel north n71 to killarney killarney is ireland s oldest and most popular tourist destination and has an extensive range of visitor attractions and sporting amenities day 1 galway ­ westport 196 kms /122 mls start your tour from galway city r336 west to connemara and you will drive through the beautiful towns and villages of spiddal inverin costello screeb gortmore carna toombeola ballynahinch and clifden n59 the capital of connemara alternatively travel north-west of galway n59 to the pretty village of oughterard with views of lough corrib along the way continuing through the rugged countryside of connemara to clifden from clifden drive north n59 to letterfrack kylemore abbey and on to leenaun in co mayo at the head of the killary harbour and fjord the only one in ireland from leenuan you can drive north r335 through the mountains and delphi valley and along doolough lake to louisburgh follow the road east along the south shore of clew bay to westport stopping at croagh patrick ireland s holy mountain a place of christian pilgrimage westport is a wonderfully presented town with a wide range of accommodation restaurants and visitor facilities making it a must see destination on your west of ireland tour ballycroy national park along the way if time permits it is worth driving west into the erris peninsula in the mayo gaeltacht irish speaking region this area is renowned for its scenic beauty agriculture and fishing are the main industries and it s a great place to buy wild smoked salmon enjoy walks on long sandy beaches and even go sea angling in one of the local angling boats a really special treat is a boat trip to the inishkea islands off the coast which are a wildlife reserve driving east then take the coastal road r314 towards ballycastle and enjoy the wild coastal views to sligo and donegal a must do is a visit to the céide fields in co mayo a 5000 year old farm settlement brought to life in the award winning visitor centre operated by the national heritage agency to finish off the circle drive back towards galway r315 with views of lough conn and through the towns of castlebar claremorris and tuam the inishowen 100 gets its name from the approximate distance in miles of the signposted drive which officially starts in bridge end co donegal on the inishowen peninsula it is possible to take the lough swilly car ferry service from rathmullan on the fanad peninsula to buncrana and start the tour from there or take the n13 followed by the r238 from letterkenny to inishowen buncrana has a 5km long sandy beach with the ruins of buncrana castle dating from the 16th century and o doherty castle which are both worth a visit from buncrana drive north r238 to mamore gap which offers breathtaking views of the northerly coastline and a descent of 800 feet continue on the inishowen drive through the village of dunaff fort dunree military musesum is perched majestically on a rocky outcrop overlooking lough swilly this heritage museum is well worth a visit in the old fort hospital there is a wildlife exhibition detailing the large variety of flora and fauna associated with this beautiful area continue through clonmany and ballyliffin where you will find fine beaches sea angling and golf doagh island visitor centre and famine walk is located just outside ballyliffin this unique outdoor museum tells the story of life in this area in the 1970 s going back to the famine in the 1840 s there are singers musicians and dancers during june july and august then drive onto carndonagh where there are some ancient monuments it is worth visiting r238 malin where a 10 arch stone bridge crosses trawbreaga bay then follow the inishowen 100 sign and the signs for malin head ireland s most northerly point with a wild sea ravaged coast and stunning seascapes continue around malin head past the meteorological station wee house of malin is signposted left and is a short detour to a hermit s rock cell cut into a cliff beside a cottage ruin then drive towards culdaff a resort village follow the inishowen 100 sign from culdaff along a narrow road with marvellous views continue to greencastle where the inishowen maritime museum and planetarium is located continue onto moville r241 as you continue driving south r328 via redcastle and muff derry city can be seen in the distance follow the burnfoot and bridg end signs r238 back to the point of departure near buncrana or drive onwards to londonderry or letterkenny malin beg county donegal sometimes wild enough to thrill the most intrepid wind-surfers the roads which encircle the lake offer endless viewing points routes r463 r352 r493 r494 the twin towns of ballina and killaloe lie in a valley at the southerly tip of the lake between the arra mountains and slieve bernagh their rock is so tough that it forms a natural dam in the valley of the shannon and that is why the lake lies upstream of them a beautiful cathedral is located here and is worth a visit there is also a stone inscribed in the ancient irish ogham script the old lock-keeper s house by the bridge has been rebuilt as a heritage centre and boat trips up the lake operate from nearby the lake drive goes northwards r463 up the shannon passing a great earthen mound known as brian boru s fort you will come to the first great bay and can relax at the neat picnic place beside an old jetty this is the part of the lake most loved by people engaged in water sports and on a fine day the bay is full of canoes and windsurfers the road then rises to leave the lake and go through the hillside village of ogonelloe before descending towards scarriff bay less than a kilometre down the hill from ogonelloe is one of the loveliest viewing points on the whole lake drive ireland west coast country tour duration 2 days shannon region lough derg drive 1 day tour killaloe ballina 117 kms 73 mls 12 13 north west region the inishowen 100 route 1 day tour bridge end londonderry letterkenny 165 kms 100mls mulranny day 2 westport ­ galway 280 kms 175 mls the following day you can explore achill island taking the road n59 to newport mulranny and follow the atlantic drive around the curraun peninsula explore achill island by taking the road to keel and up to dooagh visit the slievemore deserted village and take a stroll on one of the many sandy beaches for which achill is renowned leaving achill return towards mulranny and drive north n59 to bangor erris with a visit to the malin head ballina dunaff head ballyliffin the west of ireland is steeped in history and heritage and has stunning landscapes with a mixture of coastal beauty rambling hills mountains and lakes bridge end lough derg located in the shannon region is surrounded by mountains and has a shoreline of marvellous complexity with bays large and small and a scattering of islands the surface is sometimes mirror calm giving perfect reflections of clouds and mountains and

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