Tag Archives: Galway

Sep17

A wee day out to Galway

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Wednesday, 06-May-2026


The drive out to Galway was lovely. Long, quiet, and a great chance for me to embrace the highway hypnosis while listening to some good music.

I’d scheduled a few meetings with various musicians and music shops, so this wasn’t just a pleasure trip… but I’d ensured there was adequate time between each meeting in case they ran over – so I was fully expecting a bit of time to relax, grab some food, and enjoy my time in a town I’d heard so much about.

Now… This may just be my general frustration shining through, but… Frankly, I wasn’t particularly enthralled by Galway, I’m sorry to say.

It was neat! It was pretty! I took some cool photos, and enjoyed the time outside and out of Dublin!

But… It was touristy.

If I’m being fully candid, Galway felt like every small tourist town I’d been to in the US – the little Cape Cod towns, or the Oregon beach towns, where you visit for a few days and enjoy the tourist shops on the main drag… because the main drag is all there really is.

Now, I’m sure I was missing something, and that I was in a more negative headspace than normal… my meetings didn’t go particularly well, so I wasn’t the most positive person you’ve ever met. But the lunch I got was mediocre, and I walked out of the first coffee shop I stopped in to after they wouldn’t let me sit at a table unless I ordered a full sit-down meal (at a coffee shop. Not a restaurant, a coffee shop. With a walk-up counter like every other coffee shop)

So… yeah. Galway. Kinda pretty. A bit disappointing.

I visited, I got through my meetings, and I drove home. Got Burger King on the way home, which was the best meal of the day.

C’est la vie.


But upon my return, there were adorable love notes waiting for me… so you know what? I’ll take the whole annoying visit as a reminder that I have the best I could ask for already waiting at home for me.

Jan24

Limerick, the Cliffs of Moher, and Galway

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Saturday, 26-Oct-2024


Brian and I have been adventuring while he’s here! I had a week off from classes, and while I did have quite a bit of reading to catch up on… I was able to carve a few days off for us to get out of town and into the adventure.

After Oweynagat Cave, we took to the road again – this time, going a bit further out from my fair city of Dublin, all the way to the West Coast of the Emerald Isle. We started out early, taking a beautiful sunrise walk through Stephen’s Green on the way to pick up our rental car before hitting the road toward Limerick, where we aimed to grab some lunch.

A farmer’s market was an absolutely lovely surprise, and so fortified with snacks and mushrooms we hit the road again to the gem of the West Coast – the Cliffs of Moher!


We arrived in the rain – not a surprise, thankfully, and so after a quick armoring of rain gear we were well fortified against the weather and heading out toward the cliffs.

It.

Was.

Gorgeous!

I could try to describe, but… I took pictures. I’ll let them speak for themselves.


After the cliffs, we headed back onto the road, forging our way North toward dinner in Galway. The road met all the expectations and hopes that Ireland suggests; every turn was another glorious view, and every look out the window gave us a vista worth photographing.

Frankly, it made it a bit tough to make quick progress, and Galway saw us arrive a fair bit after dark… not a challenge this time of year, to be fair. It went well, though – we parked, wandered a bit, and even saw a huge art installation of a travelling newt before we settled in for a quick Guinness stew.

https://videopress.com/v/mec2aQX3?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true


The rest of the evening saw us driving home by headlights – taking our time, enjoying the music, and reveling in the mystique and fantasy of the Irish countryside.