With a wealth of historic castles, houses and monuments, Galway East resounds to the
echoes of the past...
Welcome to Galway East Wayfinding; two projects designed to showcase the built heritage of Galway East. We invite you to explore and discover the rich fabric of old Ireland and Galway East by foot and/or by car by enjoying our trails or simply by listening to the story of the trails from the audio files below.
Some of the finest ecclesiastical and architectural landmarks in Ireland are found in Galway East, including Ross Errilly Friary, Kilmacduagh and Clonfert Cathedral, and the Galway East Wayfinding projects are designed to allow visitors to the region access information and history relating to these sites.
This project has been developed by Galway County Council with funding from Failte Ireland and in association with Galway East Tourism. All narration by Dr. Peter Harbison.
The Ecclesiastical Driving Trail is made up of two separate driving routes which between them cover the entire East County Galway, and take in 21 of the regions oldest, best preserved and most famous religious sites.
The first driving route, which comprises a 150 mile circuit that passes through Athenry, Tuam, Kinvara and Gort, visits sites including Kilmacduagh near Gort, Ross Errilly Friary near Headford, and the magnificent old Friary at Abbeyknockmoy. Click on the links below to download the audio files and brochures.
Ecclesiastical Driving Trail - Blue Route | Audio [49MB] | Brochure [2MB] |
The 2nd route is a slightly shorter 100 mile circuit that takes in the towns of Loughrea, Portumna and Ballinasloe, and visits sites including Clontuskert Abbey outside Ballinasloe, Kilconnell Church, and Clonfert Cathedral.
Ecclesiastical Driving Trail - Red Route | Audio [41MB] | Brochure [2MB] |
As well as being available for free download from this web-page, the audio-narrative which accompanies these driving tours has been produced on CD; meaning they can be listened to in-car as you drive between the various sites.
The CDs are available in Galway Tourist Office and Athenry Heritage Centre, as well as some other locations in Galway East. For more information on where you can pick up the free CDs and brochures, contact Galway East Tourism directly.
Every site on each of the driving tours has been mapped, and the co-ordinates logged: these have been printed in the brochure, meaning that if you are driving the trail with the aid of Sat-Nav, you will be able to enter the coorindates of the sites you wish to see and be directed straight to them.
The Architectural Walking Tours focus on the architectural histories of the six main towns in Galway East : Athenry, Tuam, Loughrea, Portumna, Ballinasloe, and Gort. The tours are self-guided and comprise a brochure with illustrated map, and an audio narrative which are available for free download from this website. Click on the links below to download the standalone illustrated walking maps, audio files, and detailed brochures.