Day 7 - Connemara Region, Kylemore Abbey, Galway

Sunday we took a Sunday Drive.

Calvin said it was a figure eight, I roughly mapped it on google maps, the man wasn't kidding.





Our first stop was at the Connemara Marble Visitor Center.

Across from the marble store there is a building with a collection of stuff, mostly old, that we browsed it while waiting to get into the marble store.

Calvin treated us to one of his many hidden talents, he can play the Bodhrán, the same Irish drum we saw played at the Irish Steps show.







At the Marble store, we were treated to a short lecture on the mining of marble in Ireland, it comes in various colors but the green marble is unique in the world.  It is quite beautiful, of course there was some jewelry to be purchased by the girls.

We drove on deeper into the Connemara Region which is more gorgeous scenery, filled with lakes, rivers, bogs and mountains.

We made our way to the Connemara National Park. At the park is the Kylemore Abbey, built in 1868 by Mitchell Henry, and a miniature Cathedral, he built in memory of his wife.

It has been home to the Irish order of Benedictine nuns since 1920.

The site is huge, and includes an 8 acre walled garden, however it is still off season so it was not in full bloom.

After strolling the gardens we walked the one mile back to the main visitor center.  The trees along the walk are majestic, some just huge others like this very interesting, why doesn't it fall over?

The Kylemore Abbey was under renovation and was a week away from opening, so we did not get to go inside, but it is spectacular from the outside.

We walked by the Abbey onto the miniature cathedral, a Gothic church, built as a lasting testament to the love of Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret.

This little church is beautiful inside and out, it has acoustics that draw performers from around the world.

















It turns out that there was a choir group from Seattle Washington visiting the Abbey, they were all young people, about 100 in numbers and we were fortunate enough to be present when they sang.  It really was something special. I took several videos but could not upload the best one due to its size, but this one gives you the idea.

We also visited the mausoleum where Margaret is buried.

The weather was spectacular and we had a nice lunch outside in a great setting.

As we left the Connemara Region, Calvin took us to the far western part of the island, where the locals only speak Irish.  It was just fascinating. I have never seen so many stone fences in my life.

He dropped us off and we walked down one of the local streets until we arrived at the local pub, unfortunately it was closed.











It was really something to see how these people live, the earth gives them nothing but stones, and they just keep stacking them.

We drove along the coast back to Galway, it was a great day for a Sunday drive.

Calvin dropped us back on Shop street in Galway and we sought out 'The King's Head' for a drink and dinner, it is one of the oldest pubs in Galway.















We had a few pints of Guinness and a light dinner. It is an awesome pub, however it is famous and they do charge a bit more than most places in Ireland.

We returned to the hotel and had a after dinner drink before retiring for the evening. It was another spectacular day in Ireland.