Getting to Cong
How to reach Cong by train, bus, taxi, car, or bicycle.
Rail: there is no station in Cong
Cong has never had a railway station and does not appear in Irish Rail's own station list. The nearest is Claremorris, 33 km and about 34 minutes away by road, on the Dublin Heuston to Westport and Ballina line. Castlebar is 38.6 km and Galway 41.6 km. That would normally make Cong a car-only village, except that one bus route solves it: TFI Local Link Galway's route 431 calls at Claremorris Train Station Road and runs through to Cong in 36 minutes, seven days a week. If you are coming from Dublin by train, Claremorris is the change.
- Nearest station
- Claremorris (station code CLMRS), 33 km by road, about 34 minutes' drive
- Line
- Dublin Heuston to Westport and Ballina, via Athlone and Roscommon
- Connecting bus
- TFI Local Link Galway route 431 calls at Claremorris Train Station Road and reaches Cong in 36 minutes
- Other stations
- Castlebar 38.6 km, Galway 41.6 km, Westport 43 km. None of them has a direct bus link to Cong the way Claremorris does
- In the village
- No station, no line, no former station building. The canal is the closest Cong ever came to a transport project
Tips
- •Southbound 431 departures from Claremorris Train Station Road are 06:07, 09:45, 13:20 and 17:45 Monday to Saturday, and 08:30, 13:00 and 17:30 on Sundays and public holidays, reaching Cong at 06:43, 10:22, 13:57 and 18:25, and 09:07, 13:37 and 18:07.
- •Northbound the 431 leaves Cong at 08:11, 12:25, 16:15 and 19:53 Monday to Saturday, and 11:40, 15:50 and 19:46 on Sundays and public holidays, reaching Claremorris Train Station Road 36 minutes later.
- •Check your train against the 431 before booking. Four buses a day means a missed connection is a long wait, and the last one out of Cong is early evening.
Bus: two routes, two different stops
Cong is served by two bus routes and they use different stops about 125 metres apart on Main Street, which catches people out. TFI Local Link Galway route 431 runs Claremorris to An Cheathru Rua via Ballinrobe, Cong, Clonbur, Cornamona and Maam Cross, and its Cong stop is the Spar shop. Bus Eireann route 422 runs Castlebar to Headford via Ballinrobe, the Neale, Cong, Cross and Glencorrib, and its Cong stop is named after the Crowe's Nest pub at Ryan's Hotel. Between them they give the village a genuinely usable service for a place this size, including Sundays.
- Route 431 ( T F I Local Link Galway)
- Claremorris to An Cheathru Rua. Four journeys each way Monday to Saturday, three on Sundays and public holidays. Stop: Cong, Spar Shop
- Route 422 ( Bus Eireann)
- Castlebar to Headford. Three journeys each way every day including Sunday. Stop: Cong (Crowes Nest Pub)
- Route 422 southbound
- Castlebar 06:10, 11:45 and 17:45, reaching Cong at 07:00, 12:36 and 18:38 Monday to Friday, then on to Cross, Glencorrib and Headford
- Route 422 northbound
- Cong 07:55, 13:26 and 19:25 Monday to Friday, reaching Castlebar at 08:47, 14:15 and 20:18, calling at Mayo University Hospital one minute before Castlebar
- Tickets
- Leap Card and the TFI Go app are accepted on route 431. Standard Bus Eireann fares and Leap on the 422
Tips
- •The two operators' Cong stops are not the same stop. The 431 uses the Spar at the top of Main Street; the 422 uses the Crowe's Nest further down. Know which route you are waiting for.
- •Route 422 calls at Mayo University Hospital, which is the nearest emergency department, one minute before Castlebar.
- •There is no Sunday gap on either route, which is unusual for rural Mayo and worth planning around.
- •Neither route reaches Galway city directly. The 422 gets you to Headford, from which Galway city buses continue.
Taxis
No taxi company is based in Cong itself. Operators in Ballinrobe, Headford and Galway cover the village, and if you are relying on one after the last bus, book it in advance rather than expecting to find one.
- In the village
- No operator based in Cong
- Nearest
- Ballinrobe, 17 km, and Headford, 16 km
- Advice
- Arrange the return leg when you book the outward one
Tips
- •The last route 431 out of Cong is 19:53 Monday to Saturday and 19:46 on Sundays; after that you need a car or a pre-booked taxi.
Driving: the R345 and R346, and where to leave the car
Most people arrive in Cong by car, and from Galway the usual run is the N84 to Headford, the R334 to Cross, then the R346 which becomes the R345 into the village, about 42 km and 43 minutes. From Westport it is about 43 km via Ballinrobe. The village itself is four short streets and its parking is free but limited, so in July and August the sensible move is to use the larger car park on the northern edge of the village by the canal rather than circling Main Street. One quirk worth knowing: the road in from the Cross direction passes through the Ashford Castle gates and across the golf course if you are heading for the equestrian centre or the falconry school, which is the estate's own signposted approach rather than a shortcut.
- From Galway city
- 41.9 km, about 43 minutes, via the N84, R334 and R346 or R345
- From Westport
- 43 km, about 44 minutes, via Ballinrobe
- From Ballinrobe
- 17.3 km, about 26 minutes
- From Headford
- 15.6 km, about 24 minutes
- From Clonbur
- 6 km, about 6 minutes
- From Dublin
- 248 km, about 3 hours
- Parking
- Free on-street on Abbey Street and Main Street, plus a larger free car park on the northern edge of the village near the Dry Canal
Tips
- •Village parking fills by late morning in high summer. Use the canal car park and walk in; nothing in Cong is more than five minutes from it.
- •The Ashford Castle visitor car park inside the estate gates is for people with a booking, not a public overflow.
- •The roads west toward Clonbur and Cornamona are narrow, unlined in places and busy with walkers and cyclists off the forest tracks.
Cycling: the Guinness tracks
Cong's off-road cycling is a leftover of the Ashford estate. The Guinness family cut tracks and tunnels across their land so they could move about without using the public roads, and those tracks now carry the forest routes between Cong and Clonbur, signed for mountain bikes in places. On road, the village is a natural base for circuits of Lough Mask, Lough Corrib and the Lough Nafooey, Cornamona and Maam loop. The local club, Cunga Cycling Club, runs events through the year.
- Off-road
- Forest tracks through Cong Wood and Ballykine, including the 12 km return route to Clonbur
- On-road circuits
- Lough Mask, Lough Corrib and the Lough Nafooey, Cornamona and Maam loop
- Bike hire
- The village community guide says bikes can be hired locally but names no operator; ask at your accommodation
Tips
- •The forest tracks are unsurfaced and stay wet; a gravel or mountain bike rather than a road bike.
- •The route through to Clonbur crosses into County Galway partway along.
From the Airport
Live options for reaching the village from the nearest airports. Times and fares are a guide and can change with traffic or operator schedules.
Ireland West Airport KnockNOC
63 km away- Duration
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Fuel and any car hire
63.4 km by road. The closest airport to Cong and the simplest arrival if you are hiring a car.
- Duration
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Agree the fare in advance
There is no operator based in Cong; book through a Claremorris or Castlebar firm, or ask your accommodation.
Shannon AirportSNN
120 km away- Duration
- About 1 hour 40 minutes
- Cost
- Fuel and any car hire
119.8 km by road. The airport John Ford's cast and crew flew into in 1951.
Dublin AirportDUB
248 km away- Duration
- About 3 hours
- Cost
- Fuel, car hire and the M50 toll
248 km by road. The M50 eToll is not paid at a barrier; pay it online by 20:00 the following day.
- Duration
- Allow 5 hours end to end
- Cost
- Train fare plus a Local Link fare
Airport bus to Dublin Heuston, train to Claremorris on the Westport or Ballina line, then route 431 from Claremorris Train Station Road to Cong in 36 minutes. Check the bus times before you book the train: there are only four a day.
Operator: Irish Rail and TFI Local Link Galway
Parking
Parking options in and around Cong. On busy weekends, arriving early is recommended.
Abbey Street and Main Street, Cong
On-street parking in the village is free and unmetered, and it fills by late morning in July and August.
Cong village car park (by the Dry Canal)
The larger car park on the way out of the village toward the canal. This is the sensible place to leave a car for the abbey, the woods and the Quiet Man walking tour.
Ashford Castle visitor car park
Inside the estate gates and signposted. Ireland's School of Falconry directs booked guests to park here and walk about 15 minutes to the school. It is not a public car park for the village.
Planning the wider trip?
Our country-level primer covers national rail, intercity buses, airports, the Leap Card, and whether you actually need a hire car for your trip around Ireland.
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