West Coast Ireland Tour Highlights
✅ Cliffs of Moher & The Burren – Stand atop Ireland’s iconic sea cliffs and explore the Burren’s lunar limestone landscapes, home to wildflowers, dolmens, and ancient legends.
✅ Doolin Music Village – Experience the heart of Irish traditional music in Doolin’s famous pubs, where fiddles, flutes, and storytelling fill the air each evening.
✅ Aran Islands Adventure – Sail across the Atlantic to Inis Mór, explore the prehistoric Dún Aonghasa fort on the cliff edge, and discover daily life in a Gaelic-speaking island community.
✅ Galway City – Wander medieval streets filled with music, colour, and culture in Ireland’s bohemian capital of the West.
✅ Connemara & Kylemore Abbey – Journey through Connemara’s mountains and bogs to visit the romantic lakeside Kylemore Abbey and its Victorian gardens.
✅ Westport Heritage Town – Enjoy the charm and hospitality of County Mayo’s most picturesque town, famed for live music and warm welcomes.
✅ Strokestown House & Famine Museum – Step inside a grand Georgian estate and learn about Ireland’s Great Famine through powerful stories and original documents.
Day 1: Dublin -> Doolin via the Cliffs of Moher & The Burren
Travel from Dublin through scenic countryside to the awe-inspiring Cliffs of Moher, then cross the limestone landscapes of The Burren before settling in Doolin, where traditional Irish music fills the night.
Day 2: Aran Islands & Galway City
Ferry to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands, to explore the prehistoric fort of Dún Aonghasa and experience island life in the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht. Return to the mainland and enjoy a guided evening walk through Galway’s vibrant streets and pubs.
Day 3: Connemara, Kylemore Abbey & Westport
Discover the wild beauty of Connemara National Park, visit romantic Kylemore Abbey, and trace traditional life in Gaelic-speaking villages before arriving in Westport, a lively heritage town known for its friendly locals and music-filled pubs.
Day 4: Strokestown House & Return to Dublin
Visit the elegant Strokestown Park House and its moving Famine Museum to understand Ireland’s 19th-century history, then enjoy a relaxed drive back to Dublin through the peaceful midlands countryside.
Day 1: Dublin – Cliffs of Moher & The Burren – Doolin (Overnight in Doolin)
Your west coast adventure begins with a morning departure from Dublin, heading west in a comfortable private vehicle. As city streets give way to rolling countryside, your guide offers an overview of Ireland’s western regions and points out sights en route. Mid-morning, we’ll pause in Adare, often called Ireland’s “prettiest village,” for a short break. Stroll past Adare’s iconic 19th-century thatched cottages and Trinitarian Abbey ruins as your guide explains how this charming village was once a medieval manor of the Earl of Dunraven. It’s a perfect spot to stretch your legs and grab a coffee while soaking in some local colour before continuing the journey.
By early afternoon, arrive at County Clare’s dramatic Cliffs of Moher, one of the world’s great natural wonders. Rising 214 metres (700 feet) above the Atlantic, these sheer sandstone and shale cliffs stretch 8 kilometres along the coast. We’ll start at the cliff-top viewing trail near O’Brien’s Tower. As you step up to the edge (safely behind the barrier), feel the ocean breeze and take in panoramic views: waves crashing on the rocks far below, puffins and seabirds wheeling over the water, and on a clear day, the Aran Islands and mountains of Connemara visible on the horizon. It’s a sight that truly takes your breath away. Your guide will share the cliffs’ geology and ecology – how they formed over 300 million years and are home to tens of thousands of seabirds – as well as local folklore. One favourite legend is the story of Áine, a fisherman’s daughter said to haunt the cliffs looking for her lost beloved who fell to his doom; as you gaze into the briny deep, you can almost imagine her sorrowful spirit among the mists. You’ll have ample time to walk the safe cliff path to take photos and absorb the majesty of Moher. We can also pop into the environmentally-designed Visitor Centre built into the hillside, where exhibits and an immersive video show offer a deeper understanding of the cliffs’ formation and the wildlife that thrives here (keep an eye out for information on Cornelius O’Brien, the 19th-century local benefactor who built O’Brien’s Tower and first made the cliffs a tourist attraction). The combination of raw natural beauty and storytelling makes the Cliffs of Moher an unforgettable highlight from day one.
After the cliffs, we’ll take a scenic drive through the surrounding Burren region – a UNESCO-recognised Global Geopark famed for its otherworldly limestone landscape. The Burren (from the Irish Boireann, meaning “rocky place”) is a vast plateau of karst pavement, where greyscale slabs creased with fissures stretch to the horizon. As we meander along coastal Burren roads, your guide points out unusual Arctic-alpine wildflowers blooming in the grikes (crevices) – depending on season you might see spring gentians or burren orchids, part of the Burren’s unique ecology where Mediterranean and alpine plants grow side by side. We’ll stop at Poulnabrone Dolmen, a striking Neolithic portal tomb over 5,000 years old set amid the limestone flagstones. Walk up to this ancient burial monument – its massive capstone balanced on slender upright stones – and hear your guide explain its history: how the remains of about 30 people from Ireland’s Stone Age were found beneath it by archaeologists. The dolmen’s Irish name means “Hole of the Quern Stones,” hinting at its millennia of secrets. Standing in this silent, otherworldly terrain with only wind and the call of skylarks, you can easily imagine the lives of Ireland’s first farmers and the rituals they held at sites like this. It’s a moment that beautifully blends culture and nature – a prehistoric structure amid a stark natural backdrop.
By late afternoon, we arrive in the small seaside village of Doolin, renowned as Ireland’s traditional music capital. Check in to your cosy family-run B&B or inn – your hosts will extend a warm County Clare welcome, often in Irish (“Céad míle fáilte” – a hundred thousand welcomes). This evening, you can experience authentic west coast culture in Doolin’s famous pubs. After dinner (perhaps try some fresh Atlantic fish and chips or hearty Guinness stew), we recommend visiting Gus O’Connor’s Pub or McDermott’s Pub, where local musicians gather nightly. Settle in with a pint of stout as fiddles, flutes, and bodhráns strike up lively jigs and reels. Your guide will happily translate the meaning of a Gaelic folk song or point out the uillean (elbow) pipes if they’re being played. In this friendly atmosphere, you’re likely to chat with locals – fishermen, farmers, and storytellers – all proud to share about life in Clare and maybe a tall tale or two about the cliffs or fairies of the Burren. It’s an intimate immersion into Ireland’s musical heritage and a heart-warming end to your first day. (Driving distance Day 1: approx. 270 km / 170 miles)
Day 2: Doolin – Aran Islands (Inis Mór) – Galway City
Today combines the raw beauty of the Aran Islands and the charm of Galway City, offering deep insights into Gaelic culture. After a full Irish breakfast in Doolin (don’t miss the locally made soda bread and seaweed scones!), stroll down to Doolin Pier to catch the morning ferry to Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands. As we set sail on the Atlantic, enjoy views of the receding Cliffs of Moher from the water – an impressive perspective on the sheer walls you stood atop yesterday. The Aran ferry crossing takes about 45 minutes; keep an eye out for seabirds and perhaps dolphins riding the ferry’s wake. Your guide will brief you on Aran life and language: these islands are part of the Gaeltacht where Irish Gaelic remains the everyday tongue, and traditional ways of farming and fishing still thrive.
Disembarking at Kilronan village on Inis Mór, you’ll notice road signs and shop names in Irish (Fáilte go hInis Mór – Welcome to Inis Mór). Here, we’ll have a local island guide join us with a minibus (or bikes if you prefer cycling) to explore the island’s highlights. Heading west on the coastal road, pass dry-stone walls zigzagging across green fields sprinkled with wildflowers and grazing hardy ponies. Our destination is the iconic Dún Aonghasa fort, a prehistoric clifftop stronghold perched on the island’s western edge. To reach it, we hike about 20 minutes uphill along a rocky path, surrounded by dramatic karst scenery and endless ocean views. Feel the wind freshen as we near the Atlantic cliffs – then suddenly we’re at the entrance of a massive semicircular stone fort, its thick dry-stone walls curving right to the cliff brink. Walking through the fort’s inner wall, your guide reveals Dún Aonghasa’s secrets: built around 1100 BC and used for millennia, this site likely served as a ceremonial and defensive centre for Aran’s early inhabitants. Inside, peer over the sheer cliff (safely, lying down if you wish) at waves pounding 100 metres below – an exhilarating vantage point that truly makes one feel at the edge of the world. Your guide might demonstrate how the fort’s Chevaux-de-frise defense works: hundreds of jagged upright stones surrounding the walls to thwart invaders (essentially an ancient barbed wire). Standing amid the fort’s limestone ruins with the vast Atlantic stretching to the horizon, you can almost imagine Iron Age fires burning and chieftains gathering here. It’s a powerful experience of nature and culture fused, made richer by the legends your guide shares – like the local belief that Dún Aonghasa is named after Aonghus, an ancient Fir Bolg king of Aran.
After the hike back, enjoy lunch at a Kilronan café or pub – perhaps a steaming bowl of Aran Island seafood chowder or a homemade vegetable soup and brown bread. Don’t be surprised if you hear conversation entirely in Irish around you; the islanders are friendly and often switch to English to welcome visitors, but preserving their language is a point of pride. You might pick up a few Irish phrases here (your guide and the locals will gladly teach you greetings like “Go raibh maith agat” – thank you – to practice). Before boarding the afternoon ferry, you’ll have a bit of free time to browse Kilronan’s craft village for a souvenir – Aran sweaters are a speciality, those thick wool jumpers with cable patterns that originated here. Each pattern traditionally told a family story; your guide can explain the symbolism if you’re curious (for example, the cable stitch represents a fisherman’s ropes and hopes for a good catch).
In late afternoon, we ferry back to mainland Clare. We then drive about 1.5 hours north along the coast into Galway City, arriving by early evening. Check in to your centrally located hotel or guesthouse – you’ll be staying in Galway’s vibrant Latin Quarter, within walking distance of lively streets and the Spanish Arch by the River Corrib. After a refresh and perhaps a light dinner, step out for a guided evening stroll through Galway’s medieval streets. Feel the bohemian buzz as street musicians play on Shop Street and buskers sing in front of brightly painted pubs. Wander through the stone arch of the Spanish Arch, part of Galway’s 16th-century harbour wall, and hear how merchants from Spain once traded wine and salt here – giving the city its cosmopolitan nickname “City of the Tribes” (after the 14 merchant families who ruled Galway in medieval times). We’ll also pass St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church (dating to 1320 and visited by Christopher Columbus in 1477, according to legend) and Lynch’s Castle on Abbeygate Street (an ornate stone town-house where the term “lynching” allegedly originated after Mayor Lynch hanged his own son for murder in 1493 to uphold justice). Galway is rich with such stories, and your guide will share them in a light, engaging way as you wander.
Galway is renowned for its arts and music scene, so to cap the night, feel free to follow your guide’s suggestions for live music venues. You might visit Tigh Neachtain, a cosy pub lined with stained-glass windows where local musicians strike up traditional tunes, or pop into The Crane Bar in the West End, famous for impromptu sessions of Irish-language sean-nós singing. In summer months, you might catch an outdoor show by talented buskers – perhaps a fiddler and accordionist duo drawing a crowd under the streetlights. Whether you choose a pint of creamy Guinness or a cup of tea, you’ll feel the welcoming spirit of Galway all around. Back at your hotel, rest well – tomorrow brings more of the west’s natural splendour. (Day 2 ferry + driving: approx. 70 km / 45 miles by road, plus 2 x 45 min ferry crossings. Overnight in Galway.)
Day 3: Galway – Connemara (Kylemore Abbey & National Park) – Westport
Today is devoted to the wild beauty of Connemara, County Galway’s rugged peninsula famous for its mountains, lakes, and deep-rooted Irish culture. After breakfast, depart Galway City heading west into Connemara’s patchwork of peat bogs and granite peaks. Our first stop is at the Spiddal Craft Village in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) area just outside the city. Here, you can watch artisans at work – perhaps a jeweller shaping Celtic knot designs or a weaver on a handloom – and browse their wares. Your guide will highlight a few Irish words on the storefronts (like siopa priontaí for print shop) as an introduction to Connemara’s strong Gaelic heritage. Spiddal’s seaside setting is lovely, and if the tide is out we might take a quick walk on Trá na mBan (Ladies Beach) to see locals harvesting seaweed, a traditional practice now part of a health-food revival.
Continuing westward, we drive through Maam Cross, the crossroads at Connemara’s heart, and notice scenery growing ever more dramatic. Purple-hued mountains and quartzite peaks encircle us – these are the Twelve Bens and Maumturk ranges. We’ll detour down a quiet bog road toward Roundstone, where golden bog pools mirror the sky and stacks of drying turf (peat) dot the roadside. Your guide, perhaps drawing on childhood memories of cutting turf, explains how peat has been used for centuries as domestic fuel in rural Ireland. Pause at a safe spot to step onto the springy bog – feel the spongy earth and inhale that faint smoky-sweet scent of peat. This is Connemara’s lifeblood, and you’ll likely spot a local farmer up to his ankles in a turf trench, slicing sods with a sléan (turf spade) as generations before him did. It’s a memorable hands-on cultural insight (don’t worry, your guide will provide plastic over-boots if it’s mucky and you want a closer look at the turf!).
Around midday, arrive at Kylemore Abbey, nestled on the wooded shore of Pollacapall Lough. This picturesque grey-stone neo-Gothic manor – now a Benedictine nuns’ abbey – is one of Ireland’s most photogenic sites. We’ll tour the opulent rooms open to visitors, hearing how it was built in 1868 by Mitchell Henry as a romantic gift for his wife Margaret, who tragically died young. Your guide will point out details like Margaret’s monogram entwined in the castle’s woodwork and share the touching story of the Kylemore Church, a miniature cathedral built in her memory that you can see across the lake. After touring the Abbey’s interior and Victorian walled gardens (where nuns still grow vegetables and flowers), consider grabbing lunch at the on-site café – perhaps taste the fresh baked scones with Kylemore’s own raspberry preserve, a local treat. As we depart, take in the iconic view from across the lake: the abbey’s reflection in still waters backed by Connemara’s mountains. It’s an image you’ll likely remember forever.
Next, we venture through the wilds of Connemara National Park. We’ll pass Letterfrack (once a Quaker settlement) and drive a portion of the famous Sky Road toward Clifden if weather permits, for sweeping Atlantic panoramas and a view over Clifden Bay. Your guide might recount the story of Alcock and Brown, who in 1919 crash-landed their plane in a bog near here after completing the world’s first non-stop transatlantic flight – a monument stands on the moor commemorating this feat. In the afternoon, we cross into County Mayo, following the coast via Louisburgh with stunning vistas over islands and perhaps a peek at Croagh Patrick (Ireland’s holy mountain, where St. Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days). If time allows and interest beckons, we can stop at the National Famine Memorial near the mountain’s base: a haunting sculpture of a “Coffin Ship” with skeletal figures, commemorating those who perished or emigrated during the Great Famine of the 1840s – a poignant cultural site that your guide will contextualise with tales of local famine-era experiences.
By late afternoon, we arrive in Westport, a charming heritage town on Clew Bay known for its friendly atmosphere and Georgian architecture. Check in to your hotel or guesthouse near Westport’s tree-lined Mall riverfront. This evening, you have the chance to enjoy County Mayo’s hospitality. Westport is famed for nightly music – perhaps visit Matt Molloy’s Pub, owned by The Chieftains’ flutist Matt Molloy, where you’re almost guaranteed an upbeat session of traditional music in the cosy back room. As you settle in among locals tapping their feet, your guide can explain the background of a lively reel or the meaning of a humorous Irish song being sung. If you’d rather a quiet evening, take a stroll around Westport’s elegant Octagon square and along the Carrowbeg River listening to its burble – a lovely way to absorb the quaintness of the town. Enjoy dinner at your leisure (Westport has excellent seafood chowder and Achill Island oysters, reflecting Mayo’s sea bounty). With both magnificent scenery and rich cultural encounters, today encapsulated the “culture & nature” theme perfectly – from bogland traditions to the beauty of Kylemore and the fun of an Irish music-filled town. (Day 3 driving: approx. 250 km / 155 miles. Overnight in Westport.)
Day 4: Westport – Strokestown House – Return to Dublin
After a hearty breakfast in Westport (perhaps try some local black pudding – a breakfast staple – if you haven’t yet), we begin our return journey to Dublin, traveling through the gentle landscapes of Ireland’s midlands. This final day still holds an insightful cultural visit: a tour of Strokestown Park House & Famine Museum in County Roscommon. Departing Westport, we pass through Castlebar and scenic lakeshore villages, with your guide pointing out Lough Cullin and Lough Conn in Mayo’s lake district to the north as we drive by. Crossing into County Roscommon, we reach Strokestown Park by late morning.
Strokestown Park is an impeccably preserved Georgian estate that offers a vivid window into 18th- and 19th-century Irish life, from the landed gentry to the tenants during the Great Famine. First, we’ll tour the grand Strokestown House: entering through its columned Palladian façade, step into lavish drawing rooms with original furnishings, crystal chandeliers, and marble fireplaces. Your guide – alongside a local house guide – will tell the intriguing (and sometimes scandalous) stories of the house’s former owners, the Pakenham-Mahon family. See the exact dining room table fully set as it was in the 1840s and the heirloom piano in the music room, imagining the aristocratic lifestyle on the eve of Ireland’s hardest times. Then the tone shifts as we move into the National Famine Museum located in the estate’s stable yard. Here, through informative displays and preserved letters, you’ll trace the harrowing experience of the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1849) from both landlord and tenant perspectives. One poignant exhibit is an eviction letter sent from Strokestown’s landlord to starving tenants – reading those original documents in the very location they were penned is chilling. The museum’s collection actually stemmed from trunks of papers found in the mansion detailing how 1,000 tenants from this estate were evicted or emigrated on “coffin ships” to Canada, many perishing on the voyage. Your guide will sensitively discuss how the Famine devastated communities like those in Mayo and Galway you visited, providing important historical context to the cultural resilience you’ve witnessed on the tour. Though somber, visiting the Famine Museum is a profoundly enlightening experience, underscoring the endurance of Ireland’s people – it adds depth to the joyous music and rich traditions you’ve enjoyed, highlighting what the Irish overcame to keep their culture alive.
After a reflective stroll around Strokestown’s walled garden (perhaps noting how even the grand estates couldn’t escape Famine effects – many fell into debt and decay), we’ll have lunch at the museum café or a nearby village. Your guide might suggest trying some boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake, in quiet remembrance of those who suffered from lack of potatoes – a thoughtful culinary tribute to how far Ireland has come.
Refreshed, we continue east for the final leg to Dublin, about a two-hour drive. You can relax and enjoy the pastoral views of counties Longford and Meath, or chat with your guide about any lingering questions – whether about Gaelic phrases you picked up, wildlife you spotted, or Irish customs you’re curious about. As we approach Dublin late afternoon, your guide may offer suggestions for making the most of your remaining time in Ireland’s capital or beyond. Arriving back in Dublin, you’ll be dropped off at your hotel or a convenient central location of your choice. Though the tour has reached its end, you’ll return with wonderful memories of Ireland’s west – from standing on Aran’s cliffs listening to the Irish language carried on the wind, to tapping your foot in a Doolin music pub as fiddles played, to breathing the mossy air of Connemara’s hills and hearing the echo of history in stately homes and ancient abbeys.
Tour’s End: This West Coast Culture & Nature tour has given you a personal, in-depth encounter with the heart and soul of Ireland’s Atlantic coast. In four days, you’ve experienced the unspoiled nature of rugged cliffs, remote islands, and wild bogs, and the living culture found in its villages, music, and historic sites. We hope you found the journey as rewarding as we did guiding you – from the professional insights at each site to the welcoming, friendly interactions with locals throughout. As we say in Ireland, go raibh míle maith agat (thank you very much) for choosing Gateway to Ireland Tours. Slán abhaile – safe home – and we look forward to welcoming you back for your next Irish adventure!
(Day 4 driving: approx. 220 km / 135 miles. Tour ends in Dublin by late afternoon.)