Derrigimlagh to Dog’s Bay – Coastal Beauty: County Galway

This lonely stretch of coastal road in Connemara is full of beauty, brash and bold. It is rocky outcroppings, sandy beaches, and friendly ponies.

Starting from Clifden, you follow the R341 down along the coast, and eventually make it to Roundstone. Make sure to gas up first, as petrol stations are rare. You may want to pack a picnic lunch for the beach.

There are several hamlets along the way with silly names – Derrigimlagh, Ballyconneely, Mellowmooneens, Foorglass, Doohulla. However, the views are anything but amusing. They are stunning! There are a few commercial holiday cottages, and I recall a sign that advertised pony treks on the beaches – but other than that, this seems to be a mostly forgotten corner of the island. Keep to the coastal road, and explore the area. There are shades of the Burren here and there in the rocky landscape, but the fine sandy beach bottoms belies that karstic landscape.

Oh, and if you are into radio history, there is a site where the first transatlantic radio station was housed by Marconi, on the Derrigimlagh Bog.

We spent a lovely morning driving along this road and ended up having lunch in Roundstone – a well-spent part of our day!

• Irish Jaunt: Driving Connemara

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Written by Christy Nicholas

Christy is an artist, accountant and traveler with a love for Ireland and hopes to move there someday. A variety of her artwork and travel reports are available at www.greendragonartist.com. Christy’s Tips | Website