Time: 1 hour
Level: Easy

This walk begins in Leenane village walking on the Westport road and past Leenane Cultural Centre. On the left is Killary Harbour. Across the Killary Bengorm rises majestically while Letterbrickaun stands on the right. The parallel patterns seen on some of the steepest slopes of Bengorm are faint traces of old cultivation ridges. It is a long time since these were used, some perhaps dating to the time of the Great Famine of the 1840’s.

Our way descends towards the Glenagevla River and we cross the bridge before turning right. We follow the road into a sheltered valley, on the left is Binn Garbh or the Rough Summit (called the Devil’s Mother on most maps).
As we reach the turn in the road we see the entire valley is protected by a ridge running unbroken from Binn Garbh around to Letterbrickaun. This feature is typical of a glacial valley, scoured and scraped and deepened by the moving ice sheet, which had its origin at the head of the valley under the ridge. The road heads back along the river, through the village of Glanagevla (Gleann na nGeimhleach), or the valley of the prisoners, who or what was captive here is not known). Ahead we again see Bengorm with the Sheeffry Hills behind and to the east. We soon return to the bridge which was crossed earlier and, turning left, begin to retrace out steps towards Leenane.

High on the hillside large walled fields are clearly seen, telling of a past when Leenane was a great sheep centre. These huge pens were used to hold stock brought to the village for the great pattern fairs of the past. Away ahead, and to the right, the Western Way winds its route over the shoulder of the hill.

Leenane Walk - download the Connemara Loop Map & Directions in PDF format.