Overview
Tully barely registers as a village, with no town centre and nothing to pay into, and that is rather the point. It sits on the Renvyle Peninsula in north-west Connemara, County Galway, with the Twelve Bens rising behind it and the Mweelrea range in County Mayo across the water. The name comes from the Irish Tulaigh, ‘hill’, for the low rise that slopes down towards the sea. What it has is a beach, a pier and the walking, with longer Connemara trips an easy drive away.
History
Tully has never been more than a townland of coastal farming and fishing, and it has stayed largely off the tourist trail. The surrounding peninsula carries a longer story: Renvyle Castle, a ruined tower house on the shore, and the 19th-century Anglo-Irish estate that became the Renvyle House Hotel, once home to Oliver St John Gogarty and a retreat for W.B. Yeats.
What to see and do
- Trá na mBan (Ladies’ Beach) – a small sandy strand near the village.
- Teach Ceoil (Music House) – the village’s centre for traditional music, song and dance, with summer Seisiún performances and classes. Check Connemara West or the local branch of Comhaltas for the next programme before planning your evening.
- Renvyle Castle ruins – a short drive to the tower house ruins above the sea.
- Renvyle House Hotel – the historic hotel on the peninsula; check its own website for what it offers.
The village also sits on the Connemara loop, so you can head west towards the fishing village of Cleggan or east towards Killary Fjord and Leenane.
Wildlife
The Renvyle Peninsula is a recognised Important Bird Area. Early mornings are good for oystercatchers, kittiwakes and storm-petrels, and spring migration brings guillemots and razorbills to the cliffs, with the occasional peregrine. In summer the dunes near Ladies’ Beach hold butterflies, the small tortoiseshell among them. Tully Pier has rock-pools that keep children busy, with the Mweelrea range across the bay.
Nearby day trips
- Connemara National Park at Letterfrack has the Diamond Hill trails, which look out across Ballinakill Bay to Tully Mountain. It is the place to go for a longer marked walk.
- Kylemore Abbey – the Gothic-revival abbey on its lake, a short drive from Letterfrack.
- Ballinakill Bay – a sheltered bay north of Tully, quieter than the main beaches.
Practical information
Getting there
Leave the N59 at Letterfrack and follow signs for Renvyle and Tully. For a trip by bus, check the current connections to Letterfrack and arrange onward travel to Tully before setting out.
Where to stay
The Renvyle House Hotel has rooms over the Atlantic, and the peninsula has B&Bs and self-catering cottages. In July and August, book ahead.