On Friday, we packed up our backpacks and got on a train from Dundalk (near Carlingford) to Dublin, then Dublin to Galway, all the way in the west of Ireland. It was a cool train and we made friends with two of the security officers. We whipped past quiet country fields where sheep and cows casually went about their business, not even lifting their head as the train rumbled by. When we arrived in Galway, it was the late afternoon and but the city was revving up for the weekend and we were excited to be in another new place.
Called the cultural capital of Ireland, Galway is a city for young, eager, vibrant people. The main lay, Shop Street, is all pedestrian and filled with pubs, small stores, and street musicians. Small streets off of the main one had little secrets of their own, leading down to the Galway Bay, local markets, or tucked-away shopping malls with big stores such as Topshop.
After we checked into Barnacles Hostel for our first night, we made our way around Shop Street to find some dinner. We had signed up for a pub crawl later in the evening and were excited to explore some more. By the time we got back to the hostel after dinner, we only had twenty minutes to get cute before we headed out for the evening – but we pulled it off well ;)
On the pub crawl, we visited four pubs and ended at a club. Starting at The Skeff, the group made its was around Galway, tasting different drinks and pub atmospheres. The Skeff was relaxed and had a large drink menu; we tasted our first Baby Guinness shot and started making friends in the group.
We met two guys from Vancouver, Canada; two girls from Brazil; two girls from Munich, Germany; an ex-Marine Californian; and a trio of Catholic schoolteachers from England (one of whom was actually Irish but just lived in England). With such an international group, excitement was abound. We talked to everyone about their travels, and they began to inspire us to go places – in fact, we were seconds away from hopping a plane to Lisbon right then! The Canadian guys had been to twenty-two European countries in three months! What should stop us four from doing a similar trip in the future as well?
After the Skeff, we went to McSwiggans, known for their pints of Guinness and, naturally, the site of mine and Doug’s first Guinness; a not-for-profit Gaelic-speaking pub, where we learned some Irish dancing and how to count to ten in Gaelic; and Coyote’s, an American-style bar with mechanical bull riding in the back… and don’t think we passed that up! We ended at the club Karma, which was better than any American club I’ve ever been to because it wasn’t creepy and there was room to freakin’ dance! Stu and I raved about this place – why can’t there be clubs like that here in the U.S.?
The next day being Saturday, we walked all over Galway stopping at The King’s Head for a lunch of fish & chips. We didn’t realize there was a big soccer, oops, football, game on, but halfway through lunch, the entire place filled up with fans watching the match on a big projection screen. We enjoyed the football scene for a while before excusing ourselves outside again and wandering down to the water.
Past where the boats were in the bay, we found ourselves seated on a long rock wall next to a wide tidal beach looking straight out at the Atlantic Ocean. This was Doug’s first time ever seeing the Atlantic (being from California and all). Here we sat and rested, getting the ocean breeze to cool us off from the unusually warm day, and read our books.
On this trip:
I read On the Road by Jack Kerouac and “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
Stu read Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks and I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
Doug read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Alan read One Day by David Nicholls (and later Safe Haven)
Then, we walked back into town and stopped at a little café called Goya’s tucked away in a little courtyard for some tea and coffee. Stu’s cousin, Bernadette, was coming to pick us up so we could stay a few nights at her house outside of Galway in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. On the way to her house, we got dinner at a cute, modern restaurant. Alan and I got seafood chowder, which was creamy, filling, and delicious. Damn, all that good Irish cream…
Before we got to Bernadette's house, we stopped at Ashford castle. It's an old castle that has been turned into a five-star hotel. A lot of famous people have had their weddings there - and for good reason! The ground are meticulous and it is very fairytale glamourous :)
Once we arrived at Bernadette’s house, I was so tired, I fell right asleep after a quick shower and missed the evening; but it was some seriously needed sleep after our big day, and lack of sleep after the pub crawl.
The next day, Sunday, we slept in and had more tea and toast (our standard Irish breakfast, although not traditional). We decided to have a lazy day, which was easy in Bernadette’s cool, cozy house. She and her husband, Peter, had newly built it, so it was “new Irish” but big windows and a cute sunroom with views of the green countryside kept it leprechaun-approved. Doug and I went on a walk around Bernadette’s area. Another unbelievably sunny and warm day, we meandered through fields, aimlessly followed some sheep, and strolled down the road until we could go no further (well, we could go further, but we would end up on someone’s front step).
Bernadette later drove us to an old abbey where, according to legend, Saint Patrick began his pilgrimage to the top of the mountain Croagh Patrick so as to convert Ireland to Christianity and banish all the snakes from the island. It was a cool old church, which is saying a lot since I usually don’t appreciate churches much.
Monday, our last day with Bernadette, she generously drove us all the way down to the Cliffs of Moher which are a spectacular sight!
On our way back, we stopped in the small town of Doolin, famous for its music and pubs, eating dinner at O’Conner’s before returning to Galway where we spent the night in Kinlay House Hostel.
Our last night in Galway – so sad! We went out to some pubs, including The King’s Head and Taaffe’s. This time at The King’s Head, there was live music, a funny duo that played mostly cover American songs from the ‘80s… Stu fell in love with one of the guitarists.
There was also live music at Taaffe’s, but it was traditional Irish music, fiddle, accordion and all. The place was packed – standing room only at one point – but we stayed and enjoyed the old-school atmosphere.
Tuesday, we returned to home base Carlingford, had one of Julia’s big home-cooked dinners, and faded slowly off to sleep.
