West Ireland
West Ireland is a region of Ireland.
Regions
Cities
Cities
Towns
- 2 Ballina
- 3 Castlebar
- 4 Clifden
- 5 Roscommon
- 6 Westport – a town north of Galway. Home to Croagh Patrick, a mountain that is climbed barefoot by pilgrims in July, celebrating St Patrick. About an hour's drive from the town is Achill Island, a very popular surfing destination.
- 7 Carrick-on-Shannon – is the largest town in the county of Leitrim. A smaller part of the town lies in County Roscommon. Parties (including hens and stags) are often to be found and well accommodated in Carrick.
Other destinations
Understand
Talk
Both English and Irish are widely spoken in the West. As with the rest of Ireland, most Irish speakers are found in smaller and more isolated villages, while the cities are dominantly English speaking.
Get in
By car
The M6 motorway from Dublin.
By plane
- Shannon Airport in County Clare
- Ireland West International Airport at Knock, County Mayo
Get around
By bus
Cities and towns
Urban bus networks operate in the following cities:
- Galway - Bus Éireann operate a city network of six routes, with the busiest running every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day.
Regional, Commuter and Rural
An extensive network of regional bus services operate across the region. However, the frequency of routes can vary significantly, from high frequency routes between nearby towns, to rural services running only once a week. The majority of services are public funded and operated by Bus Èireann and Local Link, although in some areas commercial services also play a large role in providing transport.
The main regional bus networks are:
- Bus Éireann operate an extensive network of regional bus services across Ireland. Commuter services are provided along routes into the main cities and towns, while in rural areas there are routes connecting many villages and small towns into their nearest large town or city. Most routes are shown on the Bus Éireann network map. Routes are numbered by region, with the 100's in the east, 200's in the south, 300's in the midwest and southeast, and 400's in the west and northwest.
- Local Link is the brand name for all services funded under the rural transport programme. There are over 1,000 rural bus routes serving nearly all corners of the country. These range from regular scheduled routes running several times a day between nearby towns, to door to door routes running only one day per week. The regular scheduled routes operate like normal bus routes, with fixed routes and timetables, however the door to door routes can vary and may require advance booking, so it's best to inquire with your nearest Local Link office the day beforehand.
Intercity
The main intercity routes operating within the region are:
- Dublin - Longford - Sligo: Bus Éireann Expressway route 23
- Dublin - Longford - Ballina: Bus Éireann Expressway route 22
- Dublin - Athlone - Galway: Bus Éireann Expressway routes 20/X20, GoBus route 720, Citylink routes 760/761/763
- Derry/Letterkenny - Sligo - Galway: Bus Éireann Expressway route 64, Bus Feda route 964
- Ballina - Castlebar - Galway: Bus Éireann Expressway route 52
- Galway - Limerick - Cork: Bus Éireann Expressway routes 51/X51, Citylink route 251
By boat
Aran Island Ferries and Inis Mór Ferries [dead link] operate ferries to the Aran Islands.
By car
Roads outside the larger towns are often narrow and windy. Although this encourages you to slow down and appreciate the wonderful (if a little bleak) scenery, it does mean that getting around will probably take longer than you think.
By rental car
Car hire is available from several agencies in the city and at the airport.
- Avis
- Budget Car Rental Ireland - Locations at both Galway Airport and Eyre Sq in Galway City Center
- Hertz
- Alamo / National
- Dan Dooley
- Enterprise Rent a Car
Several local car dealers operate car rentals. These include:
- Windsor Motors - located at Ballybrit
- Arch Motors - located at Westside
See
Do
- Hill walking. Around the county.