Galway Girl

Compared to Dublin, Galway was a breath of fresh air. It had all of the charm and character that we were expecting from Dublin but failed to find. Our first night we took advantage of the costal city and enjoyed a fresh sea food platter, complete with shrimp, smoked salmon, smoked tuna and battered and fried cod. We topped the night off at the at the Tigh Fox for traditional live music and Irish Whiskey. The entire bar was full of locals who knew the words to every song and danced enthusiastically. The band accepted Jared’s request for “Country Roads” and the song got the entire bar, as Jared would say, “Bumpin’ and rowdy.”

The next day we took a rough Ferry ride out to Inishmore, one of the 13 Aran Islands. The seas were so rough that at one point I could have sworn my window became completely submerged in water. Fortunately, we made it to the other side, albeit slightly queasy. Inishmore is a small island with only about 800 people. We biked around the island, which was up hill at all times with Gale Force winds at our front, honest truth. We stopped at a little thatched roof cottage café for some homemade soup and Irish brown bread (probably my new faviourite thing). We had our lunch beside an open fire to help warm up. We then made a short hike up to the 400-500 B.C. fort, Dún Aonghasa, perched on the edge of the island cliffs. After exploring the fort, we stopped on the way back to the ferry for a warm Irish coffee.

The following day, we headed out to the Connemara National Park. We drove though the Inagh and Maam Valley and saw sheep roaming the hill sides leading up to the Connermara mountains. Our first stop was the Kylemore Abbey, a former palace with English gardens. It was converted into an Abbey after the first world war by the Benedictine Nuns. We then headed to the Killary Fjord where the Spanish Armada harboured it ships while offering support to Ireland during an early rebellion. Here we also got a glimpse of Irish folklore, a fairy tree. Apparently the tree is supposed to grant wishes if you tie a ribbon to it; although, some of the ribbons looks suspiciously like ladies’ underwear. We then headed to the small village of Leenane and on our way there, our guide pointed out the remnants of potato farms and gave us a brief history on the potato famine. Cong was the last village we stopped in. This village is completely surrounded by water and with the winter rains several of the streets were flooded. In the town, we explored the old Cong Abby that dates back to the early 1000’s. Our last stop was the Ross Errilly Friery, a Monastery that was attacked and raided 7 times. It is one of the best preserved medieval Monasteries in Ireland. We finished the day at another Irish pub for some live music and a couple of pints, our favorites being Galway Hooker and Cute Hoor (gotta love Irish puns!).