Corrandulla: St Brendan’s Church and the Galway destination

Corrandulla can be explored through a specific local landmark: St Brendan’s Church combines a historic foundation with a clearly structured design. The following sections also feature selected natural and cultural destinations in the wider Galway destination.

St Brendan’s Church: history and design

After the Penal Laws were relaxed, the foundation stone for the new St Brendan’s Church in Corrandulla was laid in 1831. The date gives the church a clear historical connection to the area.

The church follows a standard cruciform plan. Its two-bay, two-storey nave opens onto single-bay transepts, which are aligned with the chancel. Other features include a pitched slate roof and a single-bay, three-stage tower on a square plan, attached to the main building at the main entrance. The number of bays describes the layout: two sections in the nave and one in each transept.

A local place for recreation

There is a playground in Corrandulla. As municipal facilities can change over time, check the current situation before visiting.

Nature and trails in the wider Galway destination

At Coole Park, the Family Trail and Seven Woods Trail differ in length. The easy Family Trail is 1.75 km long and leads from the site of the former house through the walled garden to the Autograph Tree. The Seven Woods Trail is 4.5 km long and passes a viewpoint over Coole Lake and extensive wetlands. Comparing the two trails by distance, the Family Trail is the shorter one.

Another trail-length benchmark in the Galway destination is the 6.5 km Diamond Hill Walk in Connemara National Park. It leads to the 445 m summit of Diamond Hill. Portumna Forest Park covers almost 450 hectares.

Cultural destinations in Galway

Dún Aonghasa is over 3,000 years old. The upgraded visitor centre is open year-round, offers guided tours and is at the start of a 1 km walking trail to the cliff-top fort.

Aughnanure Castle is a late medieval tower house on a rocky outcrop above the Drimneen River, near the western shore of Lough Corrib. The Connemara Pony Heritage Centre, opened in November 2025, presents the history, legacy, traditions and culture of the Connemara pony through storytelling, visual exhibitions, digital and traditional images, and films.

Kylemore Abbey began in the 1860s as a lakeside castle commissioned by Mitchell Henry for his wife Margaret. An admission ticket includes the abbey, church, mausoleum, woodland and lakeside trails, and the Victorian Walled Garden. Check the latest ticket information before visiting.

Discover more destinations: Maam Cross, Headford, Tully Cross, Cornamona, Kilkieran, Shantalla, Cloghbrack, Inishbofin.

Back to the wider travel guide: Galway.