The village
Kinvara (Irish: Cinn Mhara, ‘head of the sea’) sits at the sheltered head of Kinvara Bay, on the southern side of Galway Bay. It was a working port through the 19th century: turf arrived by Galway hooker from Connemara, and the boats that carried it are still part of the village’s maritime history and celebrated each August. It is a small place, and you can cross the centre on foot in ten minutes.
If you have only an hour, walk along the harbour from the pier out towards Dunguaire Castle and back. It is short, and it hands you the whole scene at once: the tower house on its rock, the hooker boats at their moorings, and the grey line of the Burren across the water.
Dunguaire Castle
One thing to know before you plan around it: Dunguaire Castle’s operator says the castle is temporarily closed. You can see the 16th-century tower house from public ground. Check the operator’s site for a reopening notice before making plans for an interior visit.
It is why most people stop. The tower house went up in the early 16th century – traditionally 1520 – built by the Ó hEidhin (O’Hynes) family on a rocky outcrop that may once have held the stronghold of Guaire Aidne, the 7th-century king of Connacht the castle takes its name from. In the 20th century it came to the poet-surgeon Oliver St John Gogarty, who restored it and filled it with literary guests; W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory and George Bernard Shaw all passed through. Before it closed, visitors could tour the great hall, chapel and upper rooms, and the setting is much the same from the shore today.
History
The land around Kinvara carries a lot of history for a small place. The modern parish roughly follows the medieval territory of the Ó hEidhin, chiefs of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne, and the village grew up around Dunguaire and the early-13th-century church of St Caimín, now a ruin in the ‘School of the West’ style.
Two moments stand out. In 1831 a large Terry Alts crowd – part of a wave of agrarian unrest – gathered at Abbey Hill in County Clare, between Kinvara and New Quay, before breaking up as Crown troops closed in. And in 1916, the first shots of the Easter Rising in County Galway were fired outside the curate’s house on the Green Road.
The farmers’ market
The village holds a farmers’ market seasonally. Check the Kinvara Farmers’ Market listing for current dates and times before you go. Markets of this kind usually mean seasonal produce, cheese, honey, seafood and craftwork, and they are a good reason to time a visit around them.
Traught Beach and the shore
Traught Beach, south of the village, is a sandy strand on the shore of the bay where waterfowl and seals turn up and, now and then, dolphins. Check local signs on site for bathing conditions, lifeguard cover, dog rules and facilities, as these vary by season.
The harbour itself is a gentle walk from pier to castle, and the best vantage for watching the hookers work the bay.
Food and drink
The waterfront has pubs known for trad sessions and seafood, and a handful of cafés and small restaurants round out the village for coffee and lunch. The line-up shifts season to season, so it is no harm to check what is open before you count on a particular one.
Festivals
- Cruinniú na mBád is held in August: Galway hooker boats gather in the bay for races and a couple of days of music, the closest the old turf trade comes to living memory. Check the date for the year you visit.
- Fleadh na gCuach, the Cuckoo Fleadh, has brought trad bands and workshops to the pubs in spring. Check whether it is running before you plan around it.
Mills and kilns
Kinvara has a cluster of old industrial buildings around the shore, best seen from public roads:
- Rinneen Flour Mill, a tidal mill dating from 1804.
- Rinneen lime kiln, a corbelled kiln of about 1900 and a rare survival.
- Kinvara Mill, a two-stage windmill of about 1790, roofless but striking on its hilltop.
- Tawnagh Mill, a derelict tidal mill beside a salt marsh that is good for wading birds.
Enjoy them from public roads, respect any signs and do not enter private land.
Day trips
Kinvara makes a sensible base for south Galway and north Clare. The Burren is on the doorstep, and the Cliffs of Moher, Poulnabrone Dolmen and Aillwee Caves are all within reach by car. The Cistercian ruins at Abbeyknockmoy lie north of the village and pair well with a coastal day.
Getting there and around
- Bus: Bus Éireann route 350 serves Kinvara between Galway City and Ennis. Check the timetable for both directions.
- Car: take the N67 from Kilcolgan; about 45 minutes from Galway.
- Accommodation: there are B&Bs, guesthouses, cottages and a hotel in and around the village and along the shore.
- Parking: check local signs for parking in the village and at the shore, and come early on market days and summer weekends.