Province

Connacht

The wild west that has not been smoothed for visitors

Connacht is where Ireland stops trying to impress you and just is. Connemara's stone walls and bogs, the Aran Islands where Irish is still the daily language, Sligo's Yeats country, and Mayo's empty beaches. Five counties, the smallest province, and arguably the most honest version of Ireland you will find.

Counties
5
Guides
14
Itineraries
1
Map of Connacht province showing county boundaries

5 Counties

County Galway 13 guides Full Guide

The west's cultural capital. Connemara, Aran Islands, and city pubs.
County Mayo 3 guides Full Guide

Empty beaches, Croagh Patrick, and Achill Island. Deeply underrated.
County Sligo 1 guide Full Guide

Yeats country. Benbulben, surfing, and passage tombs.
County Roscommon Full Guide

Castle country at the heart of the island. Quiet and authentic.
County Leitrim Full Guide

Ireland's least populated county. A hidden corner worth finding.

Latest from Connacht

Destinations10 Days in Ireland: The Complete Itinerary for First-Time VisitorsCounty GalwayItineraries7 Day Ireland Itinerary: The Classic RouteCounty GalwayDestinationsTop Things to Do in Galway: Music, Food and Day TripsCounty GalwayThings to Do5 Day Trips from Galway (2026)County GalwayThings to DoHow to Get Doolin Ferry to Inishmore (Inis Mór) on the Aran IslandsCounty GalwayThings to DoDún Aonghasa | Inishmore, Aran IslandsCounty Galway

Getting to Connacht

✈️
Fly in
Ireland West Airport Knock
🚗
Drive from Dublin
2h 30m to Galway, 3h to Westport
🚂
Rail
Dublin to Galway (2h 30m), Dublin to Westport (3h 20m).
🚌
Bus
Bus Eireann and Citylink. Local Link for rural areas.
Heritage & Ancestry

Connacht's history is one of resilience - 'to hell or to Connacht' was Cromwell's threat, and the province's west-facing counties bore the worst of the Famine. O'Flaherty, Joyce, Conneely in Galway; McDonnell, Gibbons in Mayo - the surnames map to townlands that have barely changed.