Connemara National Park

We left Dublin by rental car and drove (on the left side of the road!) right through to the island's west coast, to the beautiful region of Connemara. In the afternoon we reached Connemara National Park and made a hike. As we climbed Diamond Hill, an amazing scenery presented itself to our eyes.

This is the view to the mountains. Their tops look like sanded from the glaciers of the last ice age.

And this is the view to the sea, with charming bays, peninsulas and islands.

We saw a black bird of prey, wild Mountain goats and beautiful flowers.
 
This delicate orange flower is abundant here, it is a type of Montbretia, an invasive garden escape. It grows everywhere in Connemara on the sides of the roads. Together with the equally abundant Fuchsia magellanica (not native either) that grows up to man-high shrubs full of red flowers, the waysides here have a most splendid appearance.

A place of almost surreal beauty.