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Town in Connemara, Ireland
Photo: Jonathan Billinger, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Oughterard is a small town in County Galway, on the shores of Lough Corrib 26 km northwest of Galway city. It's on the edge of the Connemara hills and has accommodation and other visitor amenities; it's a commuter town for the city and its own population in 2022 was 1800. Although it's best known in film for the stone bridge seen in The Quiet Man, Oughterard and its denizens also inspired The Irish RM, published from 1899 and televised 1983-85.
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Well preserved 16th-century tower house in a picturesque setting by the shores of Lough Corrib.
Brigid was a Celtic goddess of spring, who morphed into the Christian St Brigid of Kildare (451-525 AD). These are botanic gardens heavily dosed with Celtic mythology.
These were active 1851-1865, mining galena: lead sulphide, from which the lead is easily extracted. The ores also yielded silver and a little gold. Entry to the mines is by guided tour: it's on a farm where they also demonstrate sheepdog handling.
Great little bar and restaurant, often has live trad music.
Comfy welcoming place on main road.
Quiet spacious B&B south of town.
Grand little B&B east edge of town.
Pleasant relaxing B&B by lough.
Upscale hotel in a Victorian sporting lodge, first-class cooking. Open April-Oct.
See Galway for long distance routes. From the city, highway N59 runs west to Oughterard and Clifden.
Read in the guideThe bus will take you along N59, you need your own wheels for anywhere else.
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Charlestown · International · NOC
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