Around Ireland: More Galway

SPECIFICS

Galway in County Galway is on Ireland’s west coast and sits on the River Corrib. With a population of around 83,000, it is the fourth largest city in the Republic of Ireland. It is a city of bridges and canals and strong breezes off the bay. One is never far from the honk of seagulls. The main center, around Eyre Square, is compact and walkable with a number of shopping streets closed to traffic.

Our original plan was to spend our second day in Galway with an excursion to one of the Aran Islands. The weather was lousy the day before, and the prediction for this day was for on and off light rain and temperatures hovering around 58 degrees, so we decided to bag the trip. Light rain here can mean an intense burst of rain for 15 minutes and then a brightening sky. Consequently, we spent all day partly inside but broken up by three separate walks. Said walks were taken between the rainy skies. Once, we got caught in an unexpected short shower.

EYRE SQUARE

Eyre Square, although somewhat small, attracts people throughout the day and evening. Whether to wait for a tour bus, sit on the grass, or gather to hear a street musician, it’s a popular venue. Here you see banners for the tribes of Galway and a seated sculpture of the first modern Irish writer. He initially wrote short stories in Gaelic.

Banners represent tribes or families of Galway
Padraic O Conaire, early author of stories in Gaelic (1882-1928)

CHURCHES

Like many Irish cities, Galway has several large churches. One is the Galway Cathedral (Roman Catholic), and another is St. Nicholas Collegiate Church (Church of Ireland or Anglican). St. Nicholas was built in the 16th century and has been open for worship ever since.

St. Nicholas Collegiate Church
I liked the simplicity of the sanctuary of St. Nicholas

Galway Cathedral, the official name of which is Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, was actually built in the late 1950’s and completed in 1965. With its Renaissance style, it seems to be of a more historic time. The massive green dome dominates the city skyline even from a distance.

Galway Cathedral

OTHER SIGHTS

On this quiet Sunday morning when the sun was shining, we took a lovely walk on a path along the river. Several men were out fishing and across the way was the occasional old stone building.

Sunlit footpath
Corrib River view and arched bridge

Later in the day, we walked through the Spanish Arch and along the Long Walk in the dock area. This arch is part of what remains of a city wall originally built in the 16th century; the name Spanish is probably not connected to Spain. The Long Walk was added much later and intended as further protection for the docks.

The Spanish Arch

FOOD

We have eaten very well here. As you would expect, potatoes feature prominently at both lunch and dinner. Often as chips (fries) or crisps (potato chips) or sliced Lyonnaise style, sweet potato chunks, or just little round potatoes in their skins. A favorite lunch item is a toastie (usually grilled ham and cheese on sourdough), and we each had several. The so-called classic Caesar salad served in Ireland has lardons of bacon in it in addition to croutons, and sometimes thin slivers of Parmesan, but not always.

Breakfast buffets usually included some cold sliced meats and cheeses along with juice and pastries. And you could also order off the cooked breakfast menu, a full Irish breakfast or some eggs, sausage, pancakes, and always smoked salmon. At various evening meals, we enjoyed excellent fish and seafood, everything from turbot and sea bass to cod and hake plus shrimp and crab.

Our final dinner in Galway was at a relaxed place with a tasty menu aptly named the Brasserie on the Corner. The Chief Penguin and I shared the little bites on a seafood board and then tucked into our entrees. He had a perfect stuffed chicken breast with broccolini and mushroom cream while I savored every morsel of my sea bass with Thai red curry sauce. It was a delicious capstone to some wonderful eating adventures.

Irish Chicken Breast
Sea bass with coconut rice and tempura prawns

After all this wonderful food, great sights, and friendly people, we head back home, trading cool days for Florida’s heat and humidity.

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is along the River Corrib.

Around Ireland: Adare & Galway

After our tour of the Dingle Peninsula, we moved on to less dramatic sights. We had a short stop in Adare and then drove on to Galway (mostly divided highway) where we are for two nights. Friday was the first really rain day we have experienced on this trip. It was hard rain some of the time and also cold (high 50’s) and windy. When there was a break and it became just drizzly, we took a walk. One of the natives told us that this type of heavy rain was atypical for Ireland in June.

ADARE

Adare is a village in County Limerick and considered by some to be the prettiest town in Ireland. Its history dates back to 1200, and it is a government designated Heritage Town. What strikes a visitor immediately are the thatched cottages and shops along the main drag.

Row of thatched cottages
Holy Trinity Abbey Church

There is also this historic church, portions of which date from the 13th century, and on the edge of town the remains of Desmond Castle. The town is located on the banks of the River Miague and has a lovely small park.

Adare Park with thatched gazebo

Based on the heavy traffic on a Friday afternoon, it is popular with tourists. In 2027, this area will be the site of the Ryder Cup, a golf tournament between Europe and the United States held every two years.

ON TO GALWAY

The drive to Galway was rainy, and it remained cold, breezy, and mostly rainy the remainder of the day and evening. Once in the city, finding our hotel was a bit challenging due to the small winding streets with tight turns. But we are now nicely located in The Hardiman overlooking Eyre Square, the city’s main green. The official name of this square is the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in honor of his visit here in 1963.

Braving the elements, we took the a first look-see in this neighborhood and then later, we walked to dinner at cozy Oscar’s Seafood Bistro. Many of the nearby streets are pedestrian only and despite the weather, lots of folks were out and about.

We deliberately made an early dinner booking and were glad as the restaurant quickly filled up. Their menu was seafood and fish as stated, but the preparations were slightly different and somewhat more sophisticated. I had some tasty smoked codfish cakes on a yogurt sauce with pumpkin seeds to start, followed by plump and delectable scallops sitting on blue cheese potatoes with some greens and a swoosh of crab bisque. The Chief Penguin had their version of shrimp scampi on a polenta waffle and then also the scallops.

We exchanged pleasantries with a French couple at the next table. Oscar’s is friendly, casual place that’s been successfully doing business for more than 20 years.

Codfish cakes at Oscar’s Seafoood Bistro

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is also of Adare Park.