Roundstone

When we went to Connemara a few weeks ago, we went into Roundstone for lunch one day. Our experience last summer had been pretty awful. We had had a bowl of seafood chowder in a hotel on the main street, and it was vile - a watery, milky soup with thin burnt brown bread. And the waiter just didn't know what to do when we complained. He actually offered to give us another slice of the burnt bread! It was such a disappointment - we just could not find a decent place to eat at lunchtime anywhere in Connemara - food was of poor quality, and expensive, where-ever we went. We felt really ripped off. That no place could be bothered to make decent, simple, good-value food for tourists was such a disappointment. And such a reflection on the rip-off culture in Ireland!

So, this time, we made sure we did our homework before we headed off - 2 people recommended we try O'Dowd's. And we were not disappointed. We stopped in the bar for lunch - Brendan had a vegetable soup, I had a seafood chowder, and we shared a plate of squid. It was all delicious, homemade, and good value, and we were given 2 portions of homemade brown bread. The squid was perfectly cooked - not rubbery

It restored our faith in the Irish tourism industry.

Pictures are winter and summer views across the bay from Roundstone towards the Twelve Bens.