Cong
Cong is a village that is on the boarder of County Galway and County Mayo, it is the home of luxury hotel Ashford Castle. Built in 1228, Ashford Castle is a tourist attraction in itself and has hosted weddings to the rich and famous including Pierce Brosnan and Rory Mc Illroy. Cong was the filming location of the famous Oscar winning John Ford film “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara. The picturesque village has been unchanged with its cute little shop fronts, traditional Irish pubs, ruins of an old castle. Many fishermen come to visit the Cong river that flows through it the village for its Salmon. Many tourists visit Cong to see the famous scenes of The Quiet man, the cottage from the film and the statue of the famous characters Sean Thornton and Mary Kate Danaher. Cong is a beautiful village to visit and is a 40- minute drive from Maldron Hotel Sandy Road Galway and can be accessed to from the N84.
Spiddal
Spiddal is a Gaeltacht village on Galway Bay. Spiddal has a broad range of shops, restaurants, pubs and craft shops in the village. During the summer, you can catch a trad session in many of the local pubs and hear the sound of Irish music playing before you walk in the door. Ros na Rún is a long running Irish language soap that is broadcasted on TG 4 and filmed in Spiddal. The set of Ros na Rún is located on the left as you drive into Spiddal from Galway City. You can see the shop fronts, pub fronts and house fronts of the set. Spiddal village looks across Galway Bay where you can catch a beautiful sunset during the summer. Escape from Galway city and enjoy the 30-minute drive on the R336 road.
Dunguaire Castle
Dunguaire Castle is a 16th century built tower house located in Kinvara on the south-eastern shore of Galway Bay. The castle was used in the 1969 Walt Disney film Guns in the Heather but was known as Boyne Castle and was also featured in 1979 in North Sea Hijack. It was built by the Ó hEidhin clan. The castle features a 75-foot tower and a defensive wall that was used to keep out and prevent attack on the castle and its grounds. The tower and wall have been restored in recent years. The name of the castle derives from Dun of King Guaire who was the legendary King of Connaught. Dunguaire Castle is a 30- minute drive from Maldron Hotel Sandy Road and can be accessed on the N16 onto the N18 and N67.
Lough Corrib
If you have a keen interest in fishing or angling and want to do some on your trip away, Lough Corrib is the perfect place for you to visit. It is the 2nd largest island on the island of Ireland and was the place of the first canal built in Ireland in the 12th century. Oscar Wilde’s father William wrote a book about the boasts that pass Lough Corrib called Friar’s Cut into the sea. Wildlife that live at Lough Corrib include hawks, birds, frogs, bats and otters. Most of the lake is in County Galway with a corner north east of the lake in County Mayo. Lough Corrib is believed to have 365 islands, one for each day of the year. Lough Corrib is beautifully set with its woodland, mountain and greenery surroundings and peaceful atmosphere. Lough Corrib is a 45- minute drive from Maldron Hotel Sandy Road Galway and can be accessed on the N59 from Galway towards Moycullen.
Maldron Hotel Sandy Road Galway is the perfect place to base your stay if you are looking for a little bit of adventure during your visit. The hotel is a prime location for a speedy access to all points of roads to and from Galway. After your busy day relax and enjoy a 3 course meal in the Olive Tree Bistro or a quiet pint in the Point Bar.