Touring Ireland your nose will certainly be stricken by a very persistent and widespread scent, absolutely distinctive and unique: it's turf, the fuel most widely used around the country, mainly because Ireland actually lies on a bog for most of its territorial extent. Pleasure or pain for tourists...

The green gold of Connemara: this is the name given by the locals to the marble of Connemara, a variety whose origins date back to the Precambrian, about 600 million years ago. This marble is a very ancient one, extremely resistant to scratches and stains: this characteristic makes it suitable for m...

Though known as Galway Shawl (Seál na Gaillimhe in Irish) these heavy garments, worn by the women all over Ireland, were designed and manufactured in Paisley, Scotland. They were then shipped to the Galway Woollen Mills which added the fringe (scóga).

The pattern of the shawl and the way to...

The Galway Hooker (húicéir in Irish) is a traditional boat distinctive to Galway Bay and Connemara coasts. This beautiful craft, sturdy and yet elegant and agile, has now become an accepted icon of the cultural heritage of Connemara. Specially developed to sail in the insidious waters of rugged Co...

When talking about the typical Irish cottage, one immediately thinks of those whitewashed, small buildings with a thatched roof, the front door divided into two and turf smoke coming out of the chimney in lazy spirals, spreading the typical scent all around ... a picture of warmth and coziness, sure...

The term Sean nós means "old style" and indicates both a traditional singing and a dance, typically performed in western Ireland. These artistic expressions are "minimalist", that is, it's possible to perform them without musical accompaniment, or also on a musical background played by a few instr...

Touring in the West of Ireland, it happens very often to see driving directions, car number plates and signboards of shops written in a completely different language from English and that has little to do with it: the Irish Gaelic. The Article 8 of Irish Constitution states that this is the national...

Either people interested in history and traditional architecture or lovers of nature and landscapes can't miss a visit to Dan O'Hara Heritage Centre, approximately 8 km. from Clifden on the N59 leading to Galway. The center is well equipped and offers a tour by foot or on board of a picturesque wa...

The beautiful scenery of Connemara has been a source of inspiration to many artists from the late 19th century on, such as Paul Henry, the great Irish painter who has beautifully depicted in his works the charming wilderness of this region. Actually, this area well represented a part of the country...

The Great Famine - an Gorta Mór - that affected Ireland between 1845 and 1852 wiped out about one million inhabitants and it almost led to emigration 1,750.000 people, causing social, economic and political upheaval whose consequences are still fel...