Castle on the lake
An iconic view.
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An enchanting stone castle on a lakeshore in the heart of Connemara, at the foot of a wooded mountain, and one of the most photographed sights in Ireland. It was built in 1868 by the wealthy London doctor Mitchell Henry as a home for his family and his wife Margaret. In 1920 it was bought by Benedictine nuns who had fled Belgium during the First World War and became an abbey and a school. It is still an abbey today but has become one of Ireland's best-known attractions, with its main restored rooms open to visitors. A short walk away stands a small neo-Gothic church that Henry built in memory of his wife after her death, and the carefully restored Victorian Walled Garden is split by a stream into a flower garden and a kitchen garden, with a free shuttle bus to reach it. Adult tickets are about €18 and cover the house, church, garden and trails, per visitor guides. It's about 90 minutes' drive from Galway and pairs well with the neighbouring Connemara National Park.
An iconic view.
Walled and restored.
In miniature.
Connemara, County Galway, about 80 km north-west of Galway
The house, the Gothic church, the Victorian Walled Garden and the shuttle to it, for about €18 per adult, per visitor guides.