20/06/2026
Info on this years bus tour! 🎫🎫🎫⤵️⤵️
Very excited about this years Annual Ballygar Carnival Bus Tour. We will be going a bit further afield this year, visiting 3 wonderful sites is East Galway, all with connections to the O'Kelly 'Lords of the Manor of Screen', who were of Skrine, near Athleague, and Aughrane, near Ballygar. We will visit Kilconnell Abbey, founded by William Buí O’Kelly, son of Malachy O’Kelly, in 1353. The O'Kellys of Castle Kelly, Ballygar, were buried here from the late Medeival Period to the late 18th century. I received a desription of where this tomb is located from my late great friend Patrick Kelly (a descendent of this family), and we will locate the tomb as part of the tour, a kind of treasure hunt! We will then visit the Priory of Saint Mary, Clontuskert Abbey, an Augustinian priory, founded c. AD 800 by Saint Boedan (Baedán, Baetan), in the kingdom of Uí Maine (Hy-Many). A priory of the Canons Regular, was founded here for the Arroasian Order by the Ó Ceallaigh in c. 1180, it was dissolved in 1562. The ancient O'Kelly inauguration site is located beside this Abbey and I will go through a wonderful desciption of an inauguration given to me by Patrick Kelly. We will be viewing this site from the car-park of the Abbey nearby. Ancestors of the O'Kellys of Aughrane were Chiefs of Hy-Many and were inagurated here. Our last stop will be at the the Battle of Aughrim site. Colonel Charles O'Kelly of Aughrane, his son Denis, and his brother John, all fought at Aughrim and survived the battle, and the Williamite War, they are buried in Kilconnell Abbey, united again with many of their comrades from the battle of Aughrim. Delighted to announce that Dr. Christy Cunniffe will be joining us on this tour, his knowledge of Kilconnell and Clontuskert Abbeys is unmatched and we are very lucky to have him with us to share his extraordinary knowledge. Michael from The Battle of Aughrim 1691 has arranged a great tour for us and I am really looking forward to learning all about the bloodiest battle in Irish History and seeing the weaponry used in the battle. We will be going in one coach only this year, distance and cost will limit us to one bus I'm afraid, so early booking is recommended, this tour sells out very quickly. Due to the big demand for tickets for this event they have been released for sale already, please see the following link for details: https://www.universe.com/events/a-bus-journey-through-the-ages-ballygar-carnival-2026-tickets-H3PMJ7?utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e233_tv2_tp1_a1demo0dtd11md&fbclid=IwY2xjawSj1nRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeQR-L0XGLZGUcViBbCGybRuMfCbvGvhQNEBMjEgVUejUusdb7pOnETD6l-cQ_aem_BqT3KEzyEz3i6mOfFX_wqw The Carnival takes place on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. See ye there!!! PC
