Connemara, I have decided, is my favourite place in the world. Frequent visits have been the most wonderful outcome of the years of enforced domestic travel, and despite what anyone might say about the weather, I love it at every time of year, from the stunning winter light chasing across the Maumturks to the glorious bursts of sunshine on the sea. Or to quote Tim Robinson, “when the weather is good, or interestingly bad”.
The food scene changes as frequently as the weather. With a tourist season of just a few months, it is a challenge for artisan producers and small scale traders to earn a sustainable living. But there’s plenty happening in Clifden this summer. Michael and Hannah Nagle have recently opened Oifig an Fish in what was the former post office in the town, a smart room with outside tables and promises of great fish, crab on polenta sticks and croquettes. It will be open daily for July and August, dropping to six days a week after that. If you’re a lobster fan, don’t miss their afternoon two-hour special when the only item on the menu will be a large lobster for two, with chips and two glasses of Champagne for €65. Check their Instagram for exact times.
Just a stroll away is Steam, Claire Griffin and Alan King’s daytime cafe in the Station Yard with covetable outdoor tables. It is the place for an open sandwich of Cleggan crab on brown bread, salads and sweet treats. The Lamplight on Market Street has changed hands, so is now more about all day dining. The compact wine bar is no more, but you can still pick up a few select bottles.
New to the town is Coyle’s grocer, on Market Square, where Alice Coyle has a space in the post office on the square. Laura Hayden, who worked in Two Pups and then ran her own truck, is the barista there, so the coffee, from Calendar, is top notch. You can enjoy it with delicious eclairs from Phoebe’s Kitchen (the owner, Anna Van Hest, also trades from a food truck in Inagh Valley). Coyle’s is the place to buy organic salad leaves, vegetables and plants from An Garraí Glas, there’s a freezer with Dexter beef and lamb from John O’Toole’s organic farm and sourdough from Laura O’Donovan’s So-Doh bakery in Renvyle.
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More good news comes with the opening of Clifden Fish, on Bridge Street, a new shop run by Louis Martin and his brother Abel from Île-de-Groix (an island off the coast of Brittany), who are familiar to regulars of the Friday market in Clifden. They sell the lobsters, crab and fish they catch on their boat, Inish Groe, and are open seven days a week. If you’re self-catering and looking to do a bit of fancy al-fresco dining, order their seafood platters with shellfish and crustaceans for takeaway. Just add a couple of bottles of chilled Chablis and you’re all set.
Letterfrack
Also offering a takeaway service is Norah’s Kitchen, where Adrian Cahill and Melanie Massey run a click and collect service with pick-ups at Connemara Hamper on Market Street in Clifden and Ellis Hall in Letterfrack village. For outdoor dining, Mike and Janet Laffey’s Connemara Woodfire in Letterfrack has a large covered patio (seating 100) where you can tuck into pizzas from their Valoriani wood-fired oven, as well as beef and lamb burgers. Their children, Christian and Ruby, are now very much involved in the business, which also includes takeaway. Also not to miss in Letterfrack is the delightful Books at One in a former Quaker workshop run by Vincent Murphy and Mary Ruddy. It feels like a secret. Grab a book, a coffee and a slice of cake and enjoy the quiet of the courtyard out the back.
Ballynahinch Castle
Heading out towards Recess, you’ll find Ballynahinch Castle. This is my favourite hotel in Ireland. It seems to encapsulate everything I love – that relaxed feeling you get the minute you walk through the door, a roaring fire, a discrete reception area, a stunning collection of Irish art and the Fisherman’s Pub, a few steps down across the rugs and patinated red tiles. The 700-acre grounds are magnificent, with endless walks and exceptional fly fishing. It’s been a good season for salmon, apparently, a few had been landed the weekend I stayed. Not my forte, so a walk around the walled garden was a delight.
Apart from the quietly luxurious surroundings, the food in Ballynahinch is better than ever. Danni Barry, the chef who won a Michelin star for Eipic in Belfast (since closed) has been heading up the kitchen for the past two years, making great use of the garden’s produce and locally landed fish. Her approach to the menu in the Owenmore restaurant (named after the river the restaurant overlooks) reflects how people want to dine when they’re on holidays. Rather than a tasting menu, it’s a four-course approach with notable dishes including cured scallops with garden rhubarb and pickled cucumber, Cleggan lobster with an amazing potato foaming sauce, barbecued quail, and fresh halibut with a savoury jus. Macerated strawberries with lovage ice cream was a delicious end to our meal.
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The breakfast at Ballynahinch is notably good too, with a large leg of ham always on the cold buffet and an enviable number of hot dishes (you could fill up for the day). The menu in the Fisherman’s Pub has a relaxed approach, the perfect place to have a day two meal with chowder, mussels, catch of the day and herb roasted chicken.
Order a picnic to bring with you and head off for a drive. A good place to start is Ballyconneely, where there is a beautiful small beach, a fish market run by Pat and Kevin Conneely on Bunowen Pier on Saturdays, and a new cafe at Graham and Saoirse Roberts’s Connemara Smokehouse. They serve food between noon and 3pm, and the Connemara Smokehouse tasting plate is the thing to order, with their organic smoked salmon, honey roast smoked salmon, gravadlax, smoked mackerel and organic smoked mousse. The Wednesday tours are no longer running, but you can visit the shop and see the video in the discovery area, watch Graham filleting the smoked salmon and buy their products. It is possible to book a private experience for a group. If fish is not your thing, Sweet Nothings, also in Ballyconneely is the perfect spot for delicious vegetarian and vegan eats.
Roundstone
The next place to hit is Roundstone, which is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. It’s far from a secret, with Gurteen Beach and Dog’s Bay nearby. If you’re looking for a table in O’Dowd’s Seafood Bar and Restaurant, they take bookings by phone for tables from 5pm onwards; you will be seriously taking your chances as a walk-in. For daytime dining, check out Bogbean cafe with its lovely outside tables and menu of sausage rolls, sandwiches and home-made cakes.
Cleggan is worth a visit, even if you don’t plan to take the ferry to Inisboffin. Eva Caulwell and Tom Mullan’s delightful Little Fish Café is open once again this summer with additional outside tables. Get there early for the lobster rolls, buffalo prawns and fish and chips. There are also vegetarian options.
Food trucks
Food trucks have added much to the dining experience in Connemara, the most famous being Misunderstood Heron by Killary Fjord. It’s as popular as ever for its Killary mussels, chicken and white bean stew, pasties and sweet treats. You will find delicious crab rolls at Snappy Snappy on the N59 outside Letterfrack, and there is also a Mexican food truck to cater for non-fish eaters. After closing for a short while following the untimely passing of John Ward, Dooncastle Oysters at Streamstown Bay is back open. Oysters, fish and chips, calamari and the most wonderful lobster are on the menu, and picnic tables mean you can eat in comfort.
Nearby is Renvyle House, which feels delightfully old-school, with Tim O’Sullivan’s classical French approach to cooking and a hotel that embraces families and generations, right down to the resort feeling of the outdoor heated swimming pool.
O’Sullivan’s Grocer in Oughterard is the place to visit to stock your shelves. The sourdough, focaccia and pastries are right inside the door, the fridges are full of cheeses and pantry items and there is also a good selection of wines. Look out for Sullivan’s on Wheels this summer, Sainaíl O’Sullivan and Harry Peake’s new airstream food truck, which will be popping up at festivals and available for private hire, serving stone-baked pizza and pizza pockets.
If you are heading to Inis Mór for the day, take the ferry from Rossaveel Harbour. The south of Connemara is considerably quieter than the West, but you’ll find some lovely places to eat, in particular, Diarmuid Ó Mathúna’s charming Pota cafe. Not to miss daily specials include the potted crab and items from the micro bakery. To stock up on salad leaves, vegetables and plants, drop into the shop at An Garraí Glas nearby, where Aonghus Ó Coistealbha runs an honesty box system. Further up the road near Screebe House is The Green Bee honesty box, where you can buy raw honey, jams and freshly laid eggs.
If you’re with a large group and interested in a food tour, they can be booked with Ó Coistealbha in An Garraí Glas, Gabriel Faherty of Aran Goat’s Cheese on Inis Mór, and Margaret Leahy on Irish Artisan Food Tours.
Heading back from Connemara, it’s worth stopping in Spiddal where you’ll find all day dining at Builín Blasta and Bláth Fiáin, a recently opened bistro.
Corinna Hardgrave was a guest of Ballynahinch Castle
