Carna is a small quiet village on the shores of Galway Bay in scenic Connemara; it is a pleasant holiday resort for walkers, cyclists and anglers. The local university (Galway) has a research station (marine biology), but its most noteworthy feature is the presence of the (6th century) St. MacDara's Church and Island, one of the notable holy places of the West of Ireland. Local boats maintained a tradition of dipping their sails three times as they sailed past. There are two small churches associated with St. MacDara, one of which featured on an Irish postage-stamp. There was a pilgrimage to one of them on the 16th July, followed by a regatta. The saint's feast day in mid July is a time when many people make their way to the island for celebration of mass.

This area is renowned for its skilled boat makers and their boats. The best known of these being the Galway Hookers and a small craft called the currach, commonly used along the west coast and in the Aran Islands.

Aughrim | Clarinbridge

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Villages and towns of County Galway