August 30-Sept 3 - Galway

Sarah says we really must see Galway - plus she left some things there she's hoping we can retrieve.

Galway, says Sarah, is a small town that is very Irish, not a cosmopolitan city like Dublin.  Here we will find the finest pubs and scenery and she wishes we would bring her along. 

In fact her list of things to do went like this:

1. Bring me along

2. Stay more than a couple of days

3. Go to my old apartment and try to get my camera lens and hard drive

But seriously
1. Galway - city with Irish character and Sarah knows the best pubs
2. Cliffs of Moher
3. Aran Islands

Here's the rest of her advice
If you want to get out of the big city and experience Ireland, Galway is the best. It's got all the green and Irish culture. I'd fly into Dublin, and rent a car (that's what my parents did). It's about a 3 hour drive to Galway. House Hotel is cute, or there's actually a nice Days Inn right in the middle of 'downtown' you can do a day trip to the Aran islands and bike or walk around. Cliffs of Moher is also popular, it's beautiful, but the Aran Islands are a hidden gem. Idk if they're available/open during the fall, but I would check it out. For pubs in Galway - the Quays for awesome live music, Kings Head for a casual sit-and-drink type of place (every pub has life music!), Monroes is a classic traditional Irish dancing and music place.

I would definitely spend a day in Galway just wandering and exploring (I believe there is a free walking tour, or you can just walk down the coast to Salthill) and a day trip from Galway to the Aran Islands (one of my favorite places, and you can be as active as you want with the bike renting, or 'personal tour van') or the Cliffs of Moher. From Galway, you can do a whole bunch of day trips into the Irish country side, either with a tour group or in a rented car. :)

So the trip starts on August 29, flying to CDG in Paris, then plane to Dublin. Driving from Dublin to Galway, around 2 1/4 hours.

So, it's going to be this 3 bedroom apartment in the Latin Quarter near the Spanish Arch area and close to the main downtown.

Plan to spend some time seeing Galway, enjoying the area around the apartment, restaurants and pubs. Visit Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands.

Preliminary plan
August 30, walk in Galway, visit pubs, sleep - Tigh Coili Pub
August 31,
Sept 1, in Galway - Ard Bia for meal
Sept 2 Cliffs of Moher and Wild Atlantic Way south, Kinvara - maybe John Prine will be in town!
Sept 3 - Farmer's Market 8AM for breakfast, check out and drive down Wild Atlantic Way
             Tarbert, ferry to County Kerry and to Listowel


My cousin's notes

For music in Galway, of the 5 listed on this page:  http://www.galwaytourism.ie/ptop-5-traditionalmusicpubs.html my favorites are Tigh Coili, and the Crane Bar.

Tigh Coili is at the top end of shop street, the main walking lane that you’ll be staying quite close to.

Shop Street is really great, cool bars and shops line both sides of it. Neachtains pub on that street is nice too, although not usually a music pub, as is The Quays pub.

There are many street performers as well. And at busy times, the lane can be really tight with people, so watch your pocket!

My good friend Pat Bracken used to perform with his puppets up near Tigh Coili. He died a few years ago, and you can see a plaque dedicated to him on the outside of a building near there. (if you are looking at Tigh Coili, from Shop street, the building with the plaque is on the right.) He was a brilliant stone carver as well, and many of the carvings on the buildings there were carved by Pat (jewelry shop signs, etc.)

My favorite restaurant in Galway is a place called Ard Bia at Nimmos, which is just under the Spanish Arch. Really beautiful food, great breakfasts too. Try to get a seat near a window so you can see the swans swimming in the River Corrib, where it meets Galway Bay. And just on the other side of the river there is the area called the Claddagh, once a small fishing village, and the birthplace of the famous Claddagh ring. http://www.ardbia.com

Also, when I was in Galway last summer I had a fantastic meal at a small Italian Restaurant called Venice, at 20 Abbeygate Street Lower. Not too far from the train station. It is owned by an Italian family, and the chef will tell you it is the best Italian food in Ireland. So I decided to believe him, and ate there twice.

there are a few good theaters in Galway, including Town Hall, and the Druid. Always good to check what’s on in those places. And, if you ever see a show featuring a performer called John Nee, AKA Little John Nee, go see it without hesitation. He lives near Galway, and performs there often, and everything he does is brilliant.

There’s a nice walking path that follows the river, from the Spanish Arch area up toward the cathedral. It passes by the Salmon Weir bridge, where salmon returning from the bay to their spawning grounds up river will jump up the weir there. I’m not sure what time of year they do it, maybe you’ll be lucky.

Also. look for the farmer’s market while you're there, its in a lane behind tig coili. And look for a booth run by Dermot O’Mara, who lived in St. Paul for years and started Irish on Grand (his sister Maeve runs it now). Hs moved back to East Galway to be an organic farmer. He’ll be selling vegetables under the name Sunny Meadow Farm. Tell him Nick sends his regards.