CONNEMARA

Connemara pony stallion with dapple-gray coat. region of County Galway, Ireland, west of Galway city and Lakes Corrib and Mask. It is an ice-scoured, rock-strewn country, mostly covered with peat bog. Between the town of Galway and Kilkieran Bay, more than 20 miles (30 km) to the west, the land rises gradually from the coastal lowland northward to more than 1,100 feet (335 m); this area is traditionally called Iar (West) Connaught. The largest of the many islands in the bay, Lettermore, Gorumna, and Lettermullan, are linked with the mainland by road. True Connemara begins west of Kilkieran Bay and has a varied coastline and many islands, peat bogs, and lakes. It is known for its austerely grand scenery, Connemara ponies (see photograph), and tweeds. North of the ClifdenGalway road are the sharp-peaked quartzite ranges of the Twelve Bens and Maumturks, with many summits of more than 2,000 feet (610 m). The population of the economically poor region is concentrated in a narrow coastal belt in which the cultivable land was built up from sand and from seaweed and other manures, with the fields protected by high stone walls. Clifden, the region's only town, was the terminus of a light railway from 1895 to 1935 and was once a small port. Roundstone is a small village and seaside resort. Pop. (1981) 19,519. Connemara pony stallion with dapple-gray coat. breed of pony native to the Connemara area of Ireland, used as general riding ponies for adults and children and as jumpers and show ponies. Docile, hardy, and surefooted, they have compact bodies and range from 13.2 to 15 hands (about 54 to 60 inches, or 137 to 152 cm) tall. Most colours are found. Thoroughbred and other blood lines have been introduced to modify the breed. In the United States, Connemaras are registered with the American Connemara Pony Society. See the Table of Selected Breeds of Ponies for further information.