Visiting Letterfrack
Letterfrack is a small village founded in the mid-19th century by a couple of quakers, a Protestant religious community. During the height of the Great Famine, James and Mary Ellis built a shop, a dispensary, a school, and a few workshops in the middle of these desolate lands to help the local population survive. Letterfrack is a key stop when traveling through Ireland. As the gateway to the Connemara National Park, it also looks out over the Renvyle Peninsula and its striking white sand beaches.
The gateway to Connemara
Letterfrack is home to the Connemara National Park Visitor Centre, which functions as both a tourist office and an exhibition space, featuring extensive information on how peat bogs formed and their environmental importance for local flora and fauna. Several trails into the Connemara National Park start right from Letterfrack, including the hike up Diamond Hill, a distinctive 445-meter peak whose light color and shape recall the cut of a diamond. From the summit, you get sweeping views over the park with the waters of Ballynakill Bay in the background. Not far from the village in the heart of Connemara you will also find Ireland's only fjord, Killary Fjord.
Make time during your stop in Letterfrack to visit the striking Kylemore Castle, tucked into the greenery right on the edge of the lake of the same name. The estate belonged to Mitchell Henry, a wealthy English merchant who lost his wife during a trip to Egypt and built a neo-Gothic church in her memory, essentially a miniature cathedral. Located a few hundred yards from the castle, it features magnificent stained glass windows and columns built from several varieties of marble. The estate was later bought by Benedictine nuns who established a boarding school there. Visiting the site includes access to the Victorian walled gardens. Note that tours of the interior are limited to four rooms out of a total of 66, with the rest remaining private for the community, and the boarding school closed its doors in 2010.
The Renvyle Peninsula
North of Letterfrack lies another natural wonder of the Irish coast: the Renvyle Peninsula, home to wild beaches like Lettergesh, White Strand, and Glassilaun, where scuba diving and snorkeling are popular options.
If you want a workout, climb Mount Tully for views of the coastline on one side and the Connemara mountains, known as the Twelve Bens, on the other.
When to go
To steer clear of persistent rain and gray skies, the best time to visit Letterfrack and the Connemara National Park is during spring and summer when daylight hours are longest, though autumn brings striking russet tones to the boglands.
How to get there
Letterfrack sits right along the N59 national road that loops around the Connemara National Park. Renting a car is the easiest way to get around, though you can also catch a bus from Galway.
