Connemara

Every single trip that the hubs and I take to Ireland includes at least one drive out to Connemara in the West of country, and I never tire of its beauty, serenity, fresh food, and clean air. Connemara’s landscape is diverse from rolling hills to ominous mountains made of stone, from calm, glass-like bays and lakes to raging waves and rugged coastline. My husband spent his childhood weekends and summers here, and as a result he and his family know every lovely bit of it which makes going off the beaten path and disappearing from the world for the day a very easy task.

Dog’s Bay

Roundstone Bay

Ballyconneely- The little black spot about 1/3 from the left is a seal’s head! We watched him swimming around for quite awhile, and he was SO cute.

We almost always stop at the same lunch spot, O’Dowd’s in Roundstone. We actually went here RIGHT before we got engaged at nearby Mannin Beach. The food is always fresh and delicious and well, the view:

We shared a few different plates.

Seafood chowder made with prawns, salmon, crab, mussels, and haddock

Freshly baked brown scones with creamy Irish butter

Pan fried haddock with lemon

Local smoked salmon with salad

O’Dowd’s is warmed by a small but roaring turf fire and is a very cozy place to rest while on a journey around Connemara.

Roundstone was made famous by the film, The Matchmaker. You may recognize the pier from some of the scenes in that adorable film!

On the car ride back to Galway, I struggled to keep my eyes open with all of that fresh air and good food. I did manage to stay awake to snag another photo of a rainbow.

Can you see why I love Ireland? 🙂

Pssssst Did you enter to win my raffle yet? The prizes, a $100 gift card to Williams Sonoma or a (me) & goji  custom mix, the beneficiary of the ticket prices? The ALLY Foundation. Each ticket is $10, and they can be “purchased” by making a donation here:

http://firstgiving.com/meghanmalloyteamally