Barna

And what better way to enjoy great regional food than with the wilds of Ireland on your doorstep. In Barna you’ll be ideally positioned to head out into the spectacular natural scenes that Ireland offers, whether you choose to ascend the mountains and soak in the majestic views across Galway bay or to head out on the water on a fishing boat to cast your line, or even simply enjoy the views from the greens of one of the three nearby golf courses.

Dining in Barna

The restaurants in Barna can boast among them a stunning brace of national food awards, that includes the Restaurant Association of Ireland’s Best Seafood Experience and Sustainable Restaurant of the Year, the Hotel & Catering Review’s prestigious Gold Medal Award for Best Bistro & Brasseries, and Georgina Campbell’s Best Seafood Restaurant in Ireland and “Galway's Top Restaurant”. Here you will also find the only restaurant in Ireland to win The Wine Spectator Award six years in a row.

So if you’re a foodie, Barna is inarguably the destination of choice for the discerning visitor to Ireland’s west coast and well worth going the extra mile to discover.

Culture and Nightlife in Barna

Whilst Barna itself still retains its rural village tranquility, its gradual conjoining with Galway City itself means visitors can also enjoy the livelier delights that this bohemian city of culture and arts has to offer. With its cobbled streets and boutique charm, Galway is a picture postcard seaside city with a vibrant cafe and bar culture.

Galway also plays host to a variety of festivals throughout the year: the Salthill Air Show welcomes the world-famous Red Arrows, whilst the summer calendar is crowded with events for all interests, such as Galway Raceweek, the Galway Arts Festival, the Film Fleadh and the Literary Festival 'Cuairt'.

Nature and Heritage in Barna

Barna overlooks Galway Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, and an area of such beauty that it’s been immortalised in song time and again, most notably perhaps by both Bing Crosby and subsequently The Pogues in their classic “Fairytale of New York”.

The Aran Islands at the mouth of the bay are beautiful strongholds of the Irish language and, for those adventurous enough to explore them, offer an incomparable monastic tranquillity.  

Galway itself is considered the gateway to Connemara, and its renowned and ethereal National Park. In Connemara you will discover nearly 3000 hectares of grasslands, woodland, mountains, heaths and bogs. It is also here that you will discover the magnificent Kylemore Abbey, Ireland’s most romantic castle and the west of Ireland’s most visited attraction.

Enjoy Barna

Barna is a village that has more than its size may suggest. Nationally recognised cuisine, gorgeous coastline and mountain scenery and, with its ever-growing fraternity with neighbouring Galway City, access to one of Ireland’s liveliest and hippest seaside city resorts with all the buzz and excitement that this brings with it.