Dunmore

Dunmore in northeast County Galway combines a long-standing town festival with striking examples of medieval architecture. There is also a golf course and a Fairy Trail established in 2018. This gives you a choice when planning your trip between the festival experience, historic buildings and other activities—without reducing Dunmore to a single theme.

Festival with Market and Family Sports Day

The Dunmore Annual Festival usually takes place in the town every year during the first week of August. It has been held for more than 50 years and continues to this day. If you want to experience Dunmore at this time, the festival is a specific reason to plan your stay around these dates. The programme includes a family sports day on the Monday of the bank holiday weekend.

The Traditional Market Day is also part of the festival. Local crafts and homemade produce are on offer, and the programme also includes butter-making and a blacksmith demonstration. The market and demonstrations connect the festival with craft and culinary traditions. For families, the sports day may be a different attraction from the market stalls: you can take into account which aspect of the festival interests you most when choosing when to travel.

Church and Castle Remains as Historic Discoveries

Dunmore Abbey is a Late Gothic church with a rectangular plan, nave and chancel. A three-storey tower added in the 16th century marks the division between the two parts of the building. The church is the only surviving building of the former Augustinian monastery. Anyone interested in the history of the town will find a tangible connection here between the surviving church and the former monastic complex.

Dunmore Castle stands on a small hill 1 km north of the historic town. What remains is the shell of a rectangular, five-storey keep. Its ground plan measures 14 m × 8.2 m; its markedly splayed base is another distinguishing feature. The castle’s location north of the town and its precise measurements help distinguish its remains, both in terms of location and structure, from Dunmore Abbey. Dunmore therefore offers two different historical points of interest: the church of the former monastery and the surviving form of a keep.

Golf Course and Fairy Trail

Dunmore Demesne Golf Club is a 9-hole parkland golf course in Dunmore, County Galway, founded in 1998. Golf thus adds another reason to stay, alongside the festival and historic buildings. If you are looking for holiday accommodation in Dunmore, you can plan your stay around whichever of these interests is most important to your trip.

Another special feature is the Fairy Trail on the Bog Walk. It was established in 2018, with the involvement of the festival committee, Dunmore Tidy Towns and children from Dunmore. The children created fairy doors, fairy houses and shop buildings. The trail’s origins also make it interesting as a community project: it is not only about the individual figures and buildings, but also about the participation of local children.

Discover More Places

More places to explore as you plan your trip: Cleggan, Gowlaun, Loughrea, Corrandulla, Letterfrack, Lettermore, Gort and Athenry.

For the broader travel overview: Galway.