WELCOME TO THE BARDS DEN, AND CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK, LETTERFRACK, CONNEMARA, IRELAND.

A CONNEMARA HOSTEL FOR ALL SEASONS. 

A UNIQUE CONNEMARA HOSTEL, TRADITIONAL BAR,
AWARD WINNING BAR FOOD AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT.
We are the oldest Connemara Hostel and one of the oldest Hostelries in The West of Ireland. We are located in the middle of the seaside village of Letterfrack at the entrance to Connemara National Park. When looking for a Connemara Hostel, we offer 12 comfortable modern cosy spacious ensuite rooms, a fully liscenced restaurant, and a traditional bar. All in the middle of the seaside village of Letterfrack in spectacular West Connemara at the entrance to Connemara National Park

"STARS IN OUR BARS" COMES TO THE BARDS DEN IN MARCH                                                                       

Calling all aspiring musicicians, artists and entertainers. A national talent competition called STARS IN OUR BARS, sponsored by Diagio, Smithwicks and VFI will commence in March 2010. More details from The Bards Den on 095 41042. Also The Connemara Blog on www.bardsden.com . Also from Facebook when you become a friend of Bards Den. You will be able to get updates on all three. The winners will proceed to provincial finals and national finals where substantial prizes are awarded to the winners.                                                                                                                                                                   

WORK IN CONNEMARA AT THE BARDS DEN. SEE SITUATIONS VACANT  

FORTUNE AND FATE HAVE MADE
CONNEMARA NATIONAL PARK AND THE BARDS DEN
NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURS.
Situated next door to The Bards Den, Connemara National Park covers some 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. Some of the Park`s mountains, namely Benbaun, Bencullagh, Benbrack, and Muckanaght, are part of the famous Twelve Bens or Beanna Beola range of mountains. Connemara National Park was established and opened to the public in 1980. The Bards Den was established around 1820 and the bedroom wing was also opened to the public in 1980. Much of the present Park lands formed part of the Kylemore Abbey Estate and the Letterfrack Industrial School,the remainder having been owned by private individuals. The southern part of the Park was at one time owned by Richard (Humanity Dick) Martin who helped to form the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals during the early 19th centuary. The Park lands are now wholly owned by the state and managed solely for National Park purposes. The Bards Den is privately owned and managed to ensure that your experiences of the National Park, Letterfrack and Connemara are memorable and enjoyable.
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NEW FOR 2010 IN CONNEMARA HOSTEL LETTERFRACK.
SPEND €35.00 PP ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE - ROOM FREE.

Offer until 30/06/2010. 2 or more people. Any number of days. 

THE CONNEMARRA NATIONAL PARK
Visit Connemara National Park and enjoy the mountains, walks, history, fauna, flora, and spectacular vistas that open up around every copse and over every hillock. The panaromic views from the top of The Diamond are the highlight of any holiday. DNFYC.

The Bard at the Bards Den in Connemara Hostel will give a Pint of Guinness and a Bowl of Homemade Seafood Chowder, to residents of Connemara Hostel at The Bards Den who present a current photo of themselves at the top of the Diamond.

Flora
Western blanket bog and heathland are the predominant vegetation types to be found in the park. The boglands, situated in the lowlying areas, are normally very wet, while higher up the mountains, a drier community of mountain blanket bog developes. Heather covers the mountain sides, with ling, cross-leaved heath and bell heather all very common. Probably the most abundant plant in the Park is purple moor grass, responsible for the colour of much of the landscape throughout the year. Insectivorous plants form an integral part of the bog community. Sundews and butterworts trap and digest insects with their leaves to gain nutrients which are in short supply in the bog soil. Rare plant species from the colder areas of Europe and the Artic may be found high up in the mountains, such as roseroot, purple and starry saxifrages, lesser twayblade and mountain sorrel. Conversely, plants from Spain and Portugal are also found in the Park, notably pale butterwort, St Dabeoc`s heath, which is a member of the heather family and St Patricks cabbage.

Fauna
The Birdlife of the Park is varied. Meadow pipits, skylarks, stonechats, chaffinches, robins, and wrens are just some of the common songbirds in the Park. Birds of prey are often seen, usually kestrel and sparrowhawk, with merlin and peregrine falcon making regular visits. Winter brings an increase in the numbers in the Park of some species native to Ireland such as woodcock, snipe, starling, song thrush and mistle thrush, augmented by visitors from other parts of Ireland and abroad as well as winter migrants from northern Europe such as redwing and fieldfare. Rabbits, hares, foxes, stoats, shrews and bats are often observed. In recent years both pine martin and non native mink have been seen, the latter being a threat to native wildlife species. The largest mammals in the Park are the Connemara Pony and Red Deer both easily found, the ponies in the paddocks and the deer further afield in the Park. 

CONNEMARA WALKING CLUB INAUGURATED IN THE BARDS DEN
Set up in January 2009. Mission Statement - "To Walk Connemara for Fun".
Use the Hostel, Bar and Restaurant as a base and avail of the restorative magic
of a hot shower, creamy Guinness and homemade chowder after a day
exploring the magic of Connemara. A unique Connemara Hostel experience.
To become a member email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

More soon.

THE BARDS DEN CONNEMARA HOSTEL IS PET FRIENDLY.

FREE BIKE HIRE FOR CONNEMARA HOSTEL RESIDENTS.
SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF BICYCLES.
FREE MAPS FOR OUR HOSTEL CYCLISTS AND WALKERS.

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