Connemara National Park

Situated in the West of Ireland in County Galway. Connemara National Park covers some 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. It is dominated by more than fifty magnificent mountains in four ranges: the Twelve Bens, Maum Turks, Partry and Sheffrey.

Diamond Hill, the highlight of the Connemara National Park, with its wood and cut stone path, offers a very safe way to go hill-walking.

Diamond Hill is one of the finest hikes in the country. It commands huge ocean, island and mountain views in all directions.

From its sharp edge summit it looks down on Kylemore Abbey and deep into the Twelve Bens mountain range.

On the slopes of the mountain are the remains of an abandoned 19th century farm and a megalithic tomb built by the first farmers of the area 5,000 years ago and the quainty small village of Letterfrack.

Western blanket bog and heathland are the most common vegetation of Connemara National Park.
Purple moorgrass is the most bountiful plant, creating colorful landscapes throughout the country side. Carnivorous plants play an important role in the park’s ecosystem, the most common being sundew and butterworts trap. Other common plants include lousewort, bog cotton, milkwort, bog asphodel, orchids and bog myrtle, with a variety of lichens and mosses.

Connemara National Park is noted for its diversity of bird life.
Mammals are often difficult to find, but are present nonetheless. Fieldmice are common in the woodlands, whereas rabbits, foxes, stoats, shrews, and bats at night, are often sighted in the boglands. Red deer once roamed Connemara but were extirpated from the area approximately 150 years ago.

You can enjoy the picnic area, children’s playground and tea room, visit the exhibition on Connemara’s landscape, audiovisual show and Connemara ponies or take part in one of the July and August activities: Guided Nature Walks; History and Management of Connemara Ponies; Fun with Nature for Kids.