01 · Ireland · County Galway

Connemara National Park

Bog, heath and the Twelve Bens on Ireland's west coast – with Diamond Hill above Letterfrack.

Connemara National Park: landscape and origins

Diamond Hill is why most people come: a short, steep path up a summit with views over bog, sea and mountains.

Both Diamond Hill trails start at the visitor centre. The lower route follows an old bog road, steps and boardwalks to Big Rock and back down – 3 km (1.9 mi) with 90 m (295 ft) of climbing.

The upper route continues to the summit. From the top you look out over the Twelve Bens, Tully Mountain and Kylemore Abbey; on the far side, boardwalks lead back to the visitor centre.

Beyond these trails there are no waymarked paths. The mountains are not high, but according to the NPWS they are very demanding: bog and wet grassland below, exposed bedrock and scree higher up.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

The park in numbers

Start: visitor centre, Letterfrack
Upper Diamond Hill: 3.7 km (2.3 mi) loop
Lower Diamond Hill: 3 km (1.9 mi), 90 m (295 ft) climb
Difficulty at the top: strenuous
Surface: stone, gravel, boardwalks
Entry: free
Bikes: not allowed

Visiting Connemara National Park: bog, heath and the Twelve Bens

About 2,000 hectares

Mountains, bogs, heaths, grassland and woodland in County Galway, according to the NPWS. Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght belong to the Twelve Bens.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Open since 1980

The park was established and opened to the public in 1980. Its lands once belonged to the Kylemore Abbey Estate, the Letterfrack Industrial School and Richard “Humanity Dick” Martin, who helped found the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Category II

Like all Irish national parks, Connemara has an IUCN Category II rating; most of it lies within the Twelve Bens/Garraun Special Area of Conservation.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Visitor centre

In the former farm buildings of the industrial school: café, toilets, playground, picnic areas and education centre. Evening lectures on Wednesdays are free.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

Green Flag Award

Since 2018 the park has held the international award for well-managed parks and green spaces.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – history (Kylemore, industrial school, Marconi) ↗

Field book 03 · TicketsNone of it costs anything in Connemara.Field book 01 · WhenThe park is always open, the building is not.Field book 02 · Getting thereThe entrance is 200 m beyond the village.

02 · Places

Map: Letterfrack, Diamond Hill and the Twelve Bens

Visitor centre, peaks and nearby towns, every point referenced in OpenStreetMap.

Photo: Karie Kuiper ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Place in the park

Diamond Hill

The viewpoint hill above Letterfrack.

Upper trail: 3.7 km (2.3 mi)
Lower trail: 3 km (1.9 mi)

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

View from Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park over green slopes, lakes and hills on a sunny day — Photo: Katherine Kenneally ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

Place in the park

The view from the summit

Twelve Bens, Atlantic and Kylemore Abbey.

In view: Twelve Bens, Tully Mountain, Kylemore Abbey

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Place in the park

The Twelve Bens

Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack and Muckanaght belong to the park.

Benbaun: 725 m (2,379 ft), highest in County Galway
Trails: none waymarked

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Place in the park

Connemara ponies

An old breed, bred in the park.

Herd since: 1980s
Information sessions: July and August

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Place in the park

Kylemore Abbey

The park's neighbour and former owner of part of its land.

Location: outside the park
From Diamond Hill: visible

NPWS: Connemara National Park – history (Kylemore, industrial school, Marconi) ↗

Map

10 places on the map

Visitor centre, peaks and nearby towns, every point referenced in OpenStreetMap.

Open map3D terrain · details and photos for every place

Mountains & rock4
Arrival1
Surroundings5

03 · Out and about

Hikes & routes: four trails from the visitor centre

From a stroll to a waterfall to the top of Diamond Hill.

Photo: Katherine Kenneally ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

“No entry fee, no parking ticket – just a hill and the Atlantic beyond it.”
Connemara National Park · view from Diamond Hill

Hikes & routes: four trails from the visitor centre

Ellis Wood, 0.5 km

Easy loop over stone steps and boardwalk through the woods to a waterfall; it ends at the audio-visual theatre.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Sruffaunboy, 1.5 km

Easy, with views of Diamond Hill, Ballynakill Harbour and Tully Mountain, past the pony paddock; a steep descent at the end.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Lower Diamond Hill, 3 km

Moderate, 90 m (295 ft) of climbing on an old bog road, steps and boardwalk to Big Rock, with views of the Atlantic.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Show on the map

Upper Diamond Hill, 3.7 km

Strenuous, on well-maintained stone and gravel paths to the summit and back over boardwalks; at the top a panorama of the Twelve Bens and Kylemore Abbey.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Show on the map

Off the trails

There are no other trails. If you want to go deeper into the park, you need experience, a map and a compass; Ordnance Survey sheet 37 covers the park.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Show on the map

Killary Fjord Boat Tours · Boat trip · 1.5 hours · outside the park

Killary Fjord: catamaran cruise from Leenane

An hour and a half on Ireland's only fjord, 15 km (9 mi) between steep mountains, on the all-weather catamaran Connemara Lady with seats inside and on the upper deck – 20 km (12 mi) from the national park.

4.6 out of 5 stars535 reviews on GetYourGuidefrom €27as of 4 Oct

1.5 hours
From Nancy's Point, Leenane
Bar on board
Wheelchair accessible

Departure Nancy's Point, Leenane, Co. Galway; on board 15 minutes before departure.

According to the list of inclusions, the trip covers the sightseeing cruise; food and drinks are not included and are available at the bar and galley. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.

View tour ↗Ad · partner link · checked 4 Oct 2026

Provider's product photo · GetYourGuide

Ad · we may earn a commission if you book through this partner link – at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the atlas. Offer details checked 4 Oct 2026. See official ticket information.

Nature in Connemara: bog, ponies and a young wood

Connemara ponies

Since President Erskine Childers presented a herd to the State in the 1980s, the park has bred the ponies; they and other heritage breeds stand in the paddock on the Sruffaunboy trail.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Cladoir sheep

The old sheep breed was believed extinct; in 2020 DNA tests found significant Cladoir ancestry in 56 of 65 animals. A breeding programme aims to bring them back.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Removing rhododendron

The invasive Rhododendron ponticum crowds out heath and bog; rangers remove it over the winters.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

A new wood

In 2020 the New Found Woodland was planted on 0.81 hectares – oak, birch, rowan, pine and other native trees – named after the twinned Terra Nova National Park in Newfoundland.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Marconi in Letterfrack

In 1911 Guglielmo Marconi rented a room in the school infirmary and worked here on the first full duplex radio; aerials ran as far as Diamond Hill.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – history (Kylemore, industrial school, Marconi) ↗

Field book 04 · Where to stayThere are no campsites in the park, only wild camping by the rules.Field book 05 · RulesFew rules, but firm ones.

04 · Before you go

Places nearby

Photo: Beni Arnold ↗ · CC BY 2.0 ↗

Field book 07 · Sources6 sources, checked 4 Oct 2026

Field book · Connemara National Park

checked 4 Oct 2026

Connemara at a glance · PDF, 2 pages ↓

00My visit

Nothing saved yet. Every place card has a pin, and so does every place on the Map. What you save collects here, with days, notes and a preview you can share.

01Opening hours and best time to visit: visitor centre Wednesday to Sunday

The park is always open, the building is not.

Visitor centre: Wednesday to Sunday

Since 1 July 2026 the visitor centre has been closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except bank holiday Mondays. It opens 9:00 to 17:30.

NPWS: visitor notice on visitor centre opening days (29 Jun 2026) ↗

Park daily

Trails, café and other services remain open on Mondays and Tuesdays, according to the NPWS.

NPWS: visitor notice on visitor centre opening days (29 Jun 2026) ↗

Closed at Christmas

The visitor centre is closed on 25 and 26 December.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Ponies in summer

In July and August there are regular Connemara pony information sessions at the stables.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

Climate through the year

Weather and climate in Connemara National Park

Most comfortable months by the climate data: June to September. Average daytime highs of 15 to 16 °C, lows of 11 to 13 °C, 95 to 122 mm of precipitation a month. The wettest month is December (152 mm), the driest April (79 mm).

All monthly values as a table

Monthly averages 2001–2020, NASA POWER model
Month	High °C	Low °C	Precipitation mm
January	8.5	5.9	143
February	8.1	5.3	112
March	8.9	5.6	100
April	10.7	7.0	79
May	12.8	9.1	92
June	15.0	11.4	95
July	16.2	12.9	113
August	16.3	13.2	122
September	15.4	12.2	112
October	13.1	10.2	129
November	10.6	8.0	151
December	8.9	6.4	152
Year			1,400

Modelled values, not a weather station: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) for a grid cell of about 55 × 40 km around the map point Diamond Hill (Binn Ghuaire) (53.55° N, 9.91° W), with an average cell elevation of about 50 m. Averages for 2001–2020. Higher ground and valleys can differ markedly.

Source: NASA POWER, climatology 2001–2020 ↗ · retrieved 4 Oct 2026

02How to get there: on the N59 to Letterfrack, by bus from Galway or Clifden

The entrance is 200 m beyond the village.

From Galway: 82 or 93 km

Via the N59 to Recess and through the Inagh Valley it is about 82 km (51 mi), via Clifden about 93 km (58 mi).

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

From Clifden: 15 km

On the N59 towards Westport; before Letterfrack a sign on the right points to the national park (9 mi).

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

From Westport and Leenane

Via the N59 to Letterfrack: from Westport about 53 km (33 mi), from Leenane about 20 km (12 mi).

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

By bus

Bus Éireann (route 419) and Citylink (route 923) run from Galway and Clifden to Letterfrack, Bus Éireann 423 from Westport.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

Day trip from Galway

If you would rather not drive, take a day trip with three hours in the park; a checked offer is listed below.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours · Day trip from Galway · 9 hours

From Galway: Connemara and Connemara National Park day trip

From Galway via Claddagh, Salthill and Screeb waterfall into the Inagh Valley, through Clifden and along the Sky Road, then three hours in the national park with its four trails and Diamond Hill – or at Kylemore Abbey if you prefer. Back through the Inagh Valley and via Recess.

4.7 out of 5 stars719 reviews on GetYourGuidefrom €50as of 4 Oct

Departure Outside the Kinlay Hostel, Merchants Road, Galway.

According to the list of inclusions, the tour covers the air-conditioned coach and a local guide; food and drinks, admission fees and hotel transfers are not included. The park itself charges no entry. You spend the three hours either in the national park or at Kylemore Abbey. Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.

View tour ↗Ad · partner link · checked 4 Oct 2026

03Tickets & entrance fees: park, visitor centre and parking free

None of it costs anything in Connemara.

Check official fees ↗

Free entry

“Entry to the park and visitor centre is free of charge”, says the NPWS. That applies to the park and the visitor centre.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Free parking

“There is no charge for parking.” The car park at the visitor centre is for day visits only; camper vans may not stay overnight.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Show on the map

Open all year

The park is open all year. The grounds close during orange and red weather warnings.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Kylemore Abbey is not part of it

The abbey lies outside the park boundary; it is a separate destination and not part of the national park.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – history (Kylemore, industrial school, Marconi) ↗

Show on the map

04Where to stay: Letterfrack, Clifden or wild camping

There are no campsites in the park, only wild camping by the rules.

Wild camping by the code

Allowed in the more remote parts: at least 400 m from roads and buildings, move on after two nights, no fires. Around the visitor centre there is an exclusion zone; the nearest camping area is about two hours' walk away.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Groups by permit

Groups of ten or more camp only with a permit.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Camper vans

The car park is for day visits only; for the night the NPWS recommends the local camper van sites.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Show on the map

05Rules in Connemara National Park: dogs, bikes, fires

Few rules, but firm ones.

Dogs on a lead

Dogs are welcome but must stay on a lead.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – nature and conservation (Connemara ponies, rhododendron, new woodland) ↗

No bikes on the trails

Cycling is not permitted on the walking trails.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

No fires

Fires of any kind are not allowed in the park, including when wild camping.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Closed in severe weather

The grounds close during orange and red weather warnings.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

06Frequently asked questions: Connemara National Park

Is there an entrance fee for Connemara National Park?

No. According to the NPWS, the park and visitor centre are free, and parking costs nothing too.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

How long is the Diamond Hill walk?

The Upper Diamond Hill Trail is 3.7 km (2.3 mi) and strenuous, the Lower Diamond Hill Trail 3 km (1.9 mi) with 90 m (295 ft) of climbing. Both start at the visitor centre.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

When is the visitor centre open?

Since July 2026, Wednesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 17:30, and on bank holiday Mondays. The park itself is open every day.

NPWS: visitor notice on visitor centre opening days (29 Jun 2026) ↗

How do I get to Connemara National Park?

Via the N59 to Letterfrack: 15 km (9 mi) from Clifden, 82 to 93 km (51 to 58 mi) from Galway. Bus Éireann (419) and Citylink (923) buses run from Galway and Clifden.

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS): Connemara National Park – area, entry, opening, getting there ↗

Can you camp in Connemara National Park?

Only wild camping, in the remote parts and following the NPWS code: at least 400 m from roads and buildings, no fires. Camping is not allowed around the visitor centre.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – walking trails, hill walking, wild camping ↗

Is Kylemore Abbey part of the national park?

No. Parts of the park once belonged to the Kylemore estate, but the abbey lies outside it.

NPWS: Connemara National Park – history (Kylemore, industrial school, Marconi) ↗

07Where the information comes from

National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS).

How current is this information?

Researched 4 Oct 2026. Not a live status. Dates apply only to the year stated. A successful automatic fetch is not an editorial confirmation; outdated automatic values are hidden and replaced by the source link.

Current information from the park ↗

Image and map credits

Stage, overview Photo: Beni Arnold ↗ · CC BY 2.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Place · Diamond Hill Photo: Karie Kuiper ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Place · The view from the summit Photo: Katherine Kenneally ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Place · The Twelve Bens Photo: dconvertini ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Place · Connemara ponies Photo: johanvanbetsbrugge ↗ · CC BY 3.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Place · Kylemore Abbey Photo: Stipa Jennifer ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt
Quote Photo: Katherine Kenneally ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗ · verkleinert, WebP, Darstellungszuschnitt

Location sources: All points come from OpenStreetMap and are referenced individually by object number. Their position relative to the park was checked against the OpenStreetMap boundary of Connemara National Park (relation 4119052): the visitor centre, Diamond Hill and Muckanaght lie inside; by this boundary Benbaun lies just outside, although the NPWS counts it as part of the park; Letterfrack, Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, Leenane, Recess and Tully Mountain lie outside. Markers do not imply that access is permitted. Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Coastlines of the chapter map: Natural Earth.

End of the field book · Park authority ↗