Connemara – September 20, 2025

Galway Bay was shrouded in fog this morning as viewed from our fourth-floor apartment in the Salthill district of Galway. By 9:30 the fog had lifted, the sky was blue and we were underway to explore the Connemara region of County Galway – north and west of the city.

Connemara is known for its rugged scenery and while this is accurate, the hills have a soft, rounded character with a variety of colorful hues. The hills are virtually free of trees so there is no timber line.

Our out-of-the-car experience was at the Kylemore Estate and Abby. The building is interesting as a neo-gothic structure but the really interesting part is the story behind it, involving a torrid love affair, a home for a persecuted religious order and a sad and tragic family conclusion,

Mitchell Henry, a wealthy doctor from Manchester, England (his dad built the family fortune as a manufacturer), fell in love head over heals with Margaret. They honeymooned in Connamara in true 1940s, fell in love with the place and, in 1868, he built Margaret Kylemore Castle. Mitchell became a Member of Parliament for County Galway from 1871 to 1885. He employed over 100 local people to build and maintain the castle and fought for the rights of his Connemara constituents.

The castle covers 40,000 square feet, has over 77 rooms, 33 bedrooms and four bathrooms. It was run by a staff just like on Downton Abby.

Tragically, his wife died in 1874 from a fever she contracted while touring in Egypt. Mitchell withdrew from the castle but built a chapel and family mausoleum where Margaret is interred.  Eighteen years later, their daughter died in a vehicular accident near the castle. Their son married an American socialite and gambled away all his money. Mitchell died in 1910 at the age of 85, “bereft of his fortunes” (i.e., broke) and was nonetheless granted his wish to be buried with Margaret at Kylemore.

The parallel story involves Benedictine nuns and their lives of persecution. The original group of nuns were evicted from England in 1598 by Henry VIII. They landed in Ypres, Belgium and lived there until WWI. Their Abby was bombed by the Germans, the nuns were rescued by the British Army and ended up purchasing what became Kylemore Abby in1920. They ran a Catholic school for many years but were forced to close it when religious teachers were banned due to the pedophile scandals. It remains a Benedictine abby and they run a nonsectarian school, supported in partnership with Notre Dame University in the States.

David promised us lunch by 1 PM if we spent no more than 90 minutes at Kylemore. We raced from one end to the other (there’s a large garden in addition to the Abby and Chapel) in pouring rain in only 120 minutes. We were seated in Clifton by 1:30. Burgers and fish.

Back in Galway we toured the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven & St. Nicholas. Don’t ask me. I just tour here. It’s the last cathedral constructed in Europe, having been built from 1958 through 1965. An enormous stone structure, it is truly awe inspiring. We felt, however, that the sharp angles and preformed stone pieces gave the place a cold, sterile feeling. Maybe the rough edges will be worn down and visitors 500 to 1,000 years from now will feel differently.

Unfortunately, the cathedral has a sandal associated with it. A former bishop’s remains were removed after allegations were proven after his death in 2017. He’s said to have fathered a child he refused to acknowledge and was accused of sexual abuse as well.

Not to dwell on scandals, but David pointed out a building complex that was a Catholic orphanage. It is said that priests from Connemara would go to Dublin and take kids from the streets and bring them to the orphanage. Unmarried mothers were brought to similar places. Children were given for adoption to couples in the US, mothers being told their kids had died. David himself told of being locked in a bathroom and beaten by his priest-teacher. That same priest was sentenced to two years in prison for pedophilia.

And of course religion is the basis for the Troubles between the Catholic Republic of Ireland and the Protestant North Ireland. While the Troubles ended, more or less, in 1998, tensions remain and the eventual reunification of the Irish island remains far from certain.

We stopped for groceries and an ATM at a local grocery store. The rain started as we arrived at the Abby, the wind is blowing and the temps in the mid 50s. We decided that eating in was more to our liking. We’re a little over the halfway point of our trip so a quiet night is what we need. I cooked up some grilled ham-and-cheese sandwiches with hot tea.

Tomorrow, our trip continues northbound to Sligo and new terrain to experience.