Ireland: The Galway Area (Part 1)

A little over a week ago we headed over to Ireland for a week of travel with Megan’s family. I’m going to try to chronicle the trip in three chronological parts: Galway, Killarney, and Dublin.

We elected for the freedom of renting a car and driving around Ireland. This was mostly a good choice. I drove in the mornings and Eric drove in the afternoons. The closest we came to an accident was just a few seconds after I drove off the rental lot, as I started to merge into a lane where I wasn’t expecting a car to be racing up beside me (there are some unfamiliar road markings). The roundabouts were a bit tricky at times, though they kept traffic moving at a much better pace than stoplights. The hardest drive was from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher, as the roads were incredibly narrow and lined with old stone walls and no shoulder. Also, parking in Dublin for more than a few hours just doesn’t work.

We had heard stories about the rainy Irish weather, and we certainly had a few sprinkles here and there. But almost all rain came and went within a few minutes, and Ireland isn’t known for extreme weather (a welcome break from St. Louis). I am glad we had rain jackets, though, as they came in use at least once almost every day.

While I am glad we did a full tour at a big distillery later in the trip, I also think it was smart to stop at a smaller distillery for a tasting. I’m not a big whisky drinker (or drinker in general), but it’s a great way to literally experience local flavor while chatting with someone from the area. We stopped at the Tullamore Distillery and had a great time.

Many of my favorite experiences came from stopping in small towns, either to wander around or to do a specific thing. One of the first was Athlone for Sean’s Bar, the oldest bar in Ireland, where we learned about Irish coffee (coffee with whiskey and a specific amount of whipped foam).

Thanks to various advice and research, we had a number of somewhat random stops along any drive–rarely were we doing nothing but driving for over 30 minutes at a time. One of these stops was at the Irish National Stud, a botanical garden and series of fields where horses were bred and trained. This included a “horse experience”, an interactive game in which we each spent “money” to buy a horse and train it, leading to a final race.

This is already getting a bit long and I haven’t even really talked about Galway, so I’ll end this first part by mentioning the Cliffs of Moher. As difficult as the drive was to get there, it was worth it: The walk along the cliffs offer a series of stunning views. It’s a beautiful hike, and I recommend driving over to nearby Doolin for the fried goat cheese at Gus O’Connell’s afterwards.