Aughnanure Castle and Connemara Day Tour: A Glimpse into Ireland's Medieval Past

Discover Ireland’s medieval past and rural heritage on a full-day Connemara tour. Explore Aughnanure Castle, enjoy a Sheepdog Show, and visit charming villages.

Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Aughnanure Castle - Visit this 16th Centurty Irish castle and learn about the part that it played during the time of English rule over the region. Hear tales of the notorious fighting O’Flaherty’s as you explore their castle which is still standing today, almost 500 years later…
    Admission included
    Please note this time is approximate
  • Maum…
What's Included
  • Hotel pick-up (contact the operator directly at least 24 hours before the tour to request)
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Local Guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Connemara, Sheepdog Event, and Ancient Castle Day Trip - Discover the Best that Ireland’s West Side has to Offer
Enhance your Galway journey with our unique Connemara day expedition, meticulously planned to dive deep into the Irish culture and historical background.
Aughnanure Castle: Step back in history with an informative tour of this 16th-century…

Location
HYDE Hotel
Forster Street
We meet outside the HYDE Hotel, Forster Street, at 10.15am. Look out for the Lally Tours Team in their blue jackets!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(95 Ratings)
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Jensen_t
Aug 4, 2025
A must go tour and experience!! - The bus driver was very informative and with a small group it was so fun! So much fun for history lovers and to see the scenery driving thru the mountains of Connemara. Joe’s sheepdog demo was awesome! Very informative and lovely, you can see he takes care of all of his animals very well and lovingly. You get opportunities thru the drive and tour to take pictures at beautiful scenic places and areas that you may have not been aware of before, we got to take amazing pics at the Killary Fjord! Long day but 100% worth it and an amazing must do tour, it’s been almost a year and I still talk about it!
Review provided by Viator
Sara
Jul 27, 2025
An experience we’ll never forget! - Our guide Richie was fantastic! Connemara was breathtaking, Aughnanure Castle was fascinating, and the sheepdog demo is perfect for dog/animal lovers. I highly recommend booking!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelingtexastwin
Jul 22, 2025
- Michael was very knowledgeable and friendly. We loved the dogs and puppies! We also loved the beautiful wild countryside.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krs90
Jul 21, 2025
Had a lovely day - This was a very informative and lovely trip and i liked that we had a smaller group size - easier not to lose people and to get around places faster. Really enjoyed the sheep dog demo and the animals were awesome. That was my favorite part. But the rest was cool too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q2802tzmichaelb
Jul 15, 2025
Fairy tale castle, and we saw a cat. - This was my favorite tour in an incredible week of touring Ireland. Our driver Michael was amazing, and Nigel, the tour guide at the castle, was one of the most knowledgeable, best guides I've ever had the pleasure of learning from. Plus, we saw a cat, so my wife was thrilled.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathleen_r
Jul 14, 2025
Beautiful day trip to the countryside. - The Aughnanure Castle was one of the highlights of our trip. After a short bus trip we arrived at the castle and were handed off to a docent who may be one of the best storytellers in the business. He captivated our small group (even our 11, 9 and 7 year old kids) while he told us the history of the castle. After we had the background we were free to explore and had plenty of time to climb the levels of the castle and run around the grounds. The trip to Connemara was relaxing and beautiful. We stopped for a few photo ops and counted sheep on our way to the Killarney Harbour and the fjord. We had a couple of options for lunch at the fjord before heading to the sheepdog demo - the highlight for the kids! It's an amazing thing to watch those dogs in action. We were at that stop for about a half hour or so and had the opportunity to pet the dogs, the sheep and even a couple of goats on the property. It was all fun and interactive.
Review provided by Viator
Janet
Jul 11, 2025
Great Way to Begin Our Visit - Michael was an excellent driver and guide. He gave us opportunities to get out and stretch our legs, take photos, and provided information for each tour stop. Our guide at the Aughnanure Castle was very knowledgeable and really engaged our group. Our favorite part was the sheepdog demonstration. The trainer and dogs were amazing. We even watched the trainer sheer a sheep. This tour was an excellent way to begin our visit to Ireland.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
659alexas
Jul 10, 2025
Amazing experience! - We absolutely loved our tour guide Michael and couldn’t believe what an amazing job. He did sharing funny stories and information every step of the way while driving us through the most beautiful countryside with breathtaking views. We LOVED the sheepdog demonstration and all of the towns we went to. It was perfect for the whole family!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_p
Jul 7, 2025
Fun with Sheep - Our host was knowledgeable and didn't run anyone over! The Sheepdog demo was the bomb! Thank you so much!
Review provided by Viator
Adam_f
Jul 18, 2025
Operator canceled the afternoon before the morning of the tour - As it turns out while we must give 24 hours notice that we want to cancel the tour providers can do so with less than 24 hours. And that is what happened to us. To be fair the tour operators offered us two other tour options but neither would have worked for us due to timing and already having booked one similar and, with less than 24 hours notice (which was during time we were already doing another tour so we weren’t looking for a cancellation) we couldn’t make the change so they also offered a refund which is the option we had to take. All that to say if you don’t fancy potentially having your tour canceled because too few people signed up then I would not recommend this one.
Review provided by Viator
From $115
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).