NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE OLD TOWN
Galway offers the most easily accessible slice of Ireland’s west coast. Until the recession hit in 2008, it was also the fastest growing city in Ireland. And it’s still its most international city, as one out of every four residents was born outside of Ireland. With 76,000 people, this is Galway County’s main city, a lively university town and the region’s industrial and administrative center. As it’s near the traditional regions of Connemara and the Aran Islands, it’s also a gateway to these Gaelic cultural preserves.
While Galway has a long and interesting history, precious little from old Galway survives. What does remain has the interesting disadvantage of being built in the local limestone, which, even if medieval, looks like modern stone construction. Galway’s reason for being was its ideal position on a large, placid bay, centrally located for trade with all other points on the west coast, as well as beyond to continental Europe.
What Galway lacks in sights it makes up for in ambience. Spend an afternoon just wandering its medieval streets, with their delightful mix of colorful facades, labyrinthine pubs, weather-resistant street musicians, and steamy eateries. Galway also offers tourists plenty of traditional music, easy train connections to Dublin, and a convenient jumping-off point for a visit to the Aran Islands. After dark, blustery Galway heats up, with a fine theater and a pub scene that attracts even Dubliners. Visitors mix with old-timers and students as the traditional music goes round and round.
Galway merits two nights and a day. The city’s sights are little more than pins upon which to hang the old town, and can be seen in just a couple of hours. The real joy of Galway is in its street and traditional music scene. On your first night, stroll from Eyre Square through old Galway, seeking out a pub with music. On the next day, visit the Aran Island of Inishmore, or consider day trips to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher, or the Connemara region, which are all doable by car or with a bus tour (all of these destinations are covered in other chapters). At night, return to Galway to enjoy another music-filled evening.
Note for Drivers: Instead of day-tripping, you can visit a number of these sights on the way into or out of Galway. If you’re driving north from Dingle to Galway, you can visit the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren en route (see here for route tips). If heading to Northern Ireland from Galway, you can tour Connemara on the way (see here for a plan).
The center of Galway is Eyre (pronounced “air”) Square. Within three blocks of the square, you’ll find the TI, Aran boat offices, a tour pickup point, accommodations (from the best cheap hostel beds to fancy hotels), and the train station. The train and public bus station butt up against the Hotel Meyrick, a huge gray railroad hotel that overlooks and dominates Eyre Square. The lively old town lies between Eyre Square and the river. From Eyre Square, Williams Gate leads a pedestrian parade right through the old town (changing street names several times) to Wolfe Tone Bridge. Nearly everything you’ll see and do is within a few minutes’ walk of this spine.
The well-organized TI, located a block from the bus/train station, has regional as well as local information (Mon-Sat 9:00-17:00, closed Sun, Forster Street, tel. 091/537-700, www.discoverireland.ie). Pick up the TI’s free city guide with its simplified town map.
Trains and most buses share the same station, virtually on Eyre Square (which has the nearest ATMs). The train station can store your bag (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, closed Sat-Sun). To get from the station to the TI, go left on Station Road as you exit the station (toward Eyre Square), and then turn right on Forster Street.
Don’t confuse the public bus station (in same building as the train station) with the coach station (a block away, across the street from the TI), which handles only privately owned coaches. Citylink buses from Dublin and Dublin’s airport, as well as regional day-tour buses, use the coach station.
Drivers staying overnight at a College Road B&B can park there for free (each has a small lot in front). For daytime parking, the most central and handiest parking garage is under the recommended Jurys Inn Galway in the town center (€2.20/hour, €30/24 hours, Mon-Sat 8:00-1:00 in the morning, Sun 9:00-18:00). Otherwise, you’ll have to buy a pay-and-display ticket and put it on your dashboard (€2, 2-hour maximum).
Crowd Control: Expect huge crowds—and much higher prices—during the Galway Arts Festival (mid to late July, www.galwayartsfestival.com) and Galway Oyster Festival (late Sept, www.galwayoysterfest.com). The Galway Races are heaven for lovers of horse racing and hell for everyone else (summer races in late July-early Aug, fall races in mid-Sept and late Oct, www.galwayraces.com); prices double for food and lodging, and simple evening strolls feel like punt returns.
Markets: On Saturdays year-round and Sundays in summer, a fun market clusters around St. Nicholas’ Church (all day, best 9:00-14:00).
Bookstore: Dubray Books is directly across the pedestrian drag from Lynch’s Castle (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Thu-Fri until 21:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, 4 Shop Street, tel. 091/569-070).
Laundry: Galway Dry Cleaners is close to the recommended B&Bs on College Road (drop-off service, Mon-Sat 9:30-17:30, closed Sun, on Bothar Ui Eithir, 2-minute walk uphill from TI, tel. 091/568-393).
Bike Rental: On Yer Bike rents bikes to tool around flat Galway town. Consider a pleasant ride out to the end of Salthill’s beachfront promenade and back (€10-15/day, Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 12:00-18:00, shorter hours off-season, 42 Prospect Hill, tel. 091/563-393, mobile 087-942-5479, www.onyourbikecycles.com).
Taxi: Give Big-O-Taxis a try (tel. 091/585-858).
Guided, one-hour double-decker bus tours compete for your euros. They depart from the northwest end of Eyre Square (opposite end of the square from the huge Hotel Meyrick), have similar schedules and prices, and make the dozen most important stops, including the cathedral, Salthill, and the Spanish Arch. These large coaches can’t penetrate some of the winding medieval back streets, but you can get off, explore, and hop back on later. Galway City buses are blue (€10, April-Sept daily at 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, and 15:30, tel. 091/770-066, www.galwaybustours.ie). City Sightseeing buses are red (€12, April-Sept daily at 10:30, 12:00, 13:30, and 15:00, tel. 091/562-905, www.lallytours.com).
There are many walking tours in this town full of stories waiting to be told. Most are flexible in their start time and location (call ahead to confirm). Galway Walking Tours are led by Fiona Brennan, who takes her guests on leisurely 1.5-hour explorations of the city (€10, mobile 087-290-3499, www.galwaywalkingtours.com, fiona@galwaywalkingtours.com). Liam Silke comes from one of Galway’s oldest families and portrays Galway’s town crier as he leads 1.5-hour tours (€10, departs at 11:30 from TI, tel. 091/588-897, mobile 086-348-0958, www.walkingtoursgalway.com, info@walkingtoursgalway.com). Galway Walk and Talk Tours operate with the motto that “a walker has plenty of stories to tell” (€10, departs at 10:30 from TI, mobile 087-690-1452, www.walkandtalk-tour.com).
Sheena Dignam’s Galway Food Tours take you on 2.5-hour strolls that introduce you to eight “culinary hotspots,” including the marketplace. You’re encouraged to graze along the way (as a replacement for lunch). Stops run the gamut from sushi to doughnuts, with traditional yet creative options between (€35, Thu-Sun at 11:30, meet in front of McCambridge’s food and wine shop, 38 Shop Street, mobile 086-733-2885, www.galwayfoodtours.com).
Good day-trip options from Galway include the Aran Islands, the Burren and Cliffs of Moher, and the Connemara region. Multiple Galway-based companies offer day tours.
Galway Tour Company runs bus tours all over the region, including to the Burren, Cliffs of Moher, and Connemara (office located just a few doors down Forster Street from TI, toward Eyre Square, tours depart from private coach station on Fairgreen Road—across from TI, tel. 091/566-566, www.galwaytourcompany.com, info@galwaytourcompany.com). If Galway Tour Company is booked up, try similar Lally Tours (tel. 091/562-905, www.lallytours.com) or Healy Tours (tel. 091/770-066, mobile 087-259-0160, www.healytours.ie). All three companies offer discounts if you book two separate tours. Drivers take cash only; to pay with a credit card, book in advance. For details on what these tours cover, see here for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher and here for Connemara.
For details on the ferry to the Aran Island of Inishmore, from Rossaveal (20 miles from Galway), see here.
EYRE SQUARE AND THE MEDIEVAL “LATIN QUARTER”
Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas
Walking from Eyre Square down the pedestrian (and tourist) spine of old Galway to the River Corrib takes you past the essential sights in town. I’ve connected these sights in an easy downhill stroll.
Galway is dominated by its main, park-like square. On a sunny day, Eyre Square is filled with people just hanging out. In the Middle Ages, it was a field right outside the town wall. The square is named for the mayor who gave the land to the city in 1710. While still called Eyre Square, it now contains John F. Kennedy Park—established in memory of the Irish-American president’s visit in 1963 when he filled this space with adoring Irish for one of his speeches, a few months before he was assassinated (a JFK bust near the kids’ play area commemorates his visit). Though Kennedy is celebrated as America’s first Irish-Catholic president, several US presidents were descended from Protestant Ulster stock (even Barack Obama is part Irish).
Walk to the rust-colored “Hooker” sculpture, built in 1984 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the incorporation of the city. The sails represent Galway’s square-rigged fishing ships (“hookers”) and the vessels that made Galway a trading center so long ago. The Browne Doorway, from a 1627 fortified townhouse, is a reminder of the 14 family tribes that once ruled the town (Lynch’s Castle, nearby, gives you a feel for an intact townhouse). Each family tribe had a town castle—much like the towers that characterize the towns of Italy, with their feuding noble families. So little survives of medieval Galway that the town makes a huge deal of any remaining window or crest. Each of the 14 colorful flags lining the west end of the square represents a different original Norman founding tribe.
• From the top of Eyre Square, walk down Williams Gate—a street named for the old main gate of the Norman town wall that once stood here. The spine of medieval Galway, the road changes names several times (to William, Shop, High, and Quay streets) as it leads downhill to the River Corrib. (As you stroll, remember that this is Galway’s tourist slalom—with about 80 percent of its tourists and tourist traps.) After about three blocks you’ll see a bold limestone “town castle” on your right.
Now a bank, this limestone tower, Galway’s best late-15th-century fortified townhouse, was the home of the Lynch family—the most powerful of the town’s 14 tribes—and the only one of their mansions to survive. More than 80 of the mayors who ruled Galway in the 16th and 17th centuries were from the Lynch family.
• Continuing another block downhill, you’ll veer half a block to the right off the main pedestrian flow, to the big church.
This church, the finest medieval building in town (1320), is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors. Columbus is said to have worshipped here in 1477, undoubtedly contemplating a scary voyage. Its interior is littered with obscure bits of town history—fine windows, historic tombs, lots of limestone—all described in a handy 23-point flier (€2 suggested donation). Consider attending an evening concert of traditional Irish music in this atmospheric venue (see “Nightlife in Galway,” later).
An open-air market surrounds the church most Saturdays year-round and also on Sundays in summer.
• Returning to the pedestrian mall, carry on another block and a half downhill. Look for The Quays pub on your left.
This pub was once owned by “Humanity Dick,” an 18th-century Member of Parliament who was the original animal-rights activist. His efforts led to the world’s first conviction for cruelty to animals in 1822. It’s worth a peek inside for its lively interior.
• Head down the lane just before the pub, about 50 yards, to the big glass windows on the right...
A big glass wall shows the excavation site of the Hall of the Red Earl. Wall diagrams and storyboards explain that these are the dusty foundations of Galway’s oldest building, once the 13th-century hall of the Norman lord Richard de Burgo (free, closed Sun).
Across the lane is the Druid Theatre. This 100-seat venue offers top-notch contemporary Irish theater. Although the theater company is away on tour more often than not, it’s worth checking their schedule online or dropping by to see if anything’s playing tonight (€20-30 tickets, Chapel Lane, tel. 091/568-660, www.druid.ie).
• Finally, walk to the end of the pedestrian mall, cross the busy street, and follow it to the Wolfe Tone Bridge, where you’ll find two gray stone monuments (each about as tall as you are). Above the bridge, a sign says Welcome to Galway’s West End. You just walked the tourist gauntlet. (Across the river and to the right is a trendy foodie zone.) Stand between the two stone monuments.
The monument (closest to the bridge) was given to Galway by the people of Genoa, Italy, to celebrate the 1477 visit here of Christopher Columbus—Cristoforo Colombo in Italian. (That acknowledgment, from an Italian town so proud and protective of its favorite son, helps to substantiate the famous explorer’s legendary visit.) The other memorial is dedicated to sailors lost at sea.
• Don’t cross the bridge. Instead, stroll left downstream to the old fortified arch.
Overlooking the River Corrib, this makes up the best remaining chunk of the old city wall. A reminder of Galway’s former importance in trade, the arch (c. 1584) is the place where Spanish ships would unload their cargo (primarily wine).
• Walk through the arch and take an immediate right. Go past the stone steps to the far corner of the embankment over the river.
Enjoy this river scene. On either side is a park—a constant party on sunny days. (It’s ideal for a picnic of fish-and-chips from the recommended McDonagh’s chipper, near the end of the pedestrian mall.) Across the river is the modern housing project that replaced the original Claddagh in the 1930s. Claddagh was a picturesque, Irish-speaking fishing village with a strong tradition of independence—and open sewers. This gaggle of thatched cottages functioned as an independent community with its own “king” until the early 1900s, when it was torn down for health reasons.
The old Claddagh village is gone, but the tradition of its popular ring (sold all over town) lives on. The Claddagh ring shows two hands holding a heart that wears a crown. The heart represents love, the crown is loyalty, and the hands are friendship. If the ring is worn with the tip of the heart pointing in, it signifies that the wearer is taken. However, if the tip of the heart points out, it means the wearer is available.
Survey the harbor. A few of Galway’s famous square-rigged “hooker” fishing ships are often tied up and on display. Called “hookers” for their method of fishing with multiple hooks on a single line, these sturdy yet graceful boats were later used to transport turf from Connemara, until improved roads and electric heat made them obsolete. Beyond that, a huge park of reclaimed land is popular with the local kids for Irish football and hurling. From there, the promenade leads to the resort town of Salthill.
• Your town intro walk is finished. Just behind the Spanish Arch is a stony riverside warehouse called Nimmo’s that contains Ard Bia, one of the best restaurants in town. And just beyond that (see the name towering overhead) is the...
Fragments of old Galway are kept in this modern museum. Check out the intact Galway “hooker” fishing boat hanging from the ceiling. The ground floor houses the archaeological exhibits: prehistoric and ancient Galway-related treasures such as medieval pottery, Iron Age ax heads, and Bronze Age thingamajigs. The first floor sheds light on Galway’s role in the Irish struggle for independence in the early 1900s. The top floor is devoted to “sea science” (oceanography).
Cost and Hours: Free, Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00, closed Sun Oct-March and Mon year-round, handy café with cheap lunches, tel. 091/532-460, www.galwaycitymuseum.ie.
Opened by American Cardinal Cushing in 1965, this is one of the last great stone churches built in Europe. The interior is a treat and is worth a peek.
Cost and Hours: Free, open to visitors daily 8:30-18:30 as long as you don’t interrupt Mass, church bulletins at doorway list upcoming Masses and concerts, located across Salmon Weir Bridge on outskirts of town, tel. 091/563-577.
Visiting the Cathedral: Inside, you’ll see mahogany pews set on green Connemara marble floors under a Canadian cedar ceiling. The acoustically correct cedar enhances the church’s fine pipe organ. Two thousand worshippers sit on three sides facing the central altar. A Dublin woman carved the 14 larger-than-life Stations of the Cross. The carving above the chapel (left of entry) is from the old St. Nicholas church. Explore the modern stained glass. Find the Irish Holy Family—with Mary knitting and Jesus offering Joseph a cup of tea. The window depicting the Last Supper is particularly creative—find the 12 apostles.
Next, poke your head into the side chapel with a mosaic of Christ’s resurrection (if you’re standing in the nave facing the main altar, it’s on the left and closest to the front). Take a closer look at the profiled face in a circular frame, below and to the right of Christ—the one looking up while praying with clasped hands. It’s JFK, nearly a saint in Irish eyes at the time this cathedral was built.
This bridge was the local “bridge of sighs.” It led from the courthouse (opposite the church) to the prison (torn down to build the cathedral). Today, the bridge provides a fun view of the fishing action. Salmon run up this river most of the summer (look for them). Fishermen, who wear waders and carry walking sticks to withstand the strong current, book long in advance to get half-day appointments for a casting spot.
Canals multiplied in this city (once called the “Venice of Ireland”) to power more water mills.
This small resort town packs pubs, discos, a splashy water park, amusement centers, and a fairground up against a fine, mile-long beach promenade (Ireland’s longest). Watch for local power walkers “kicking the wall” when they reach the western end of the promenade to emphasize that they’ve gone the entire distance.
At the Atlantaquaria Aquarium, which features native Irish aquatic life and some Amazonian species, kids can help feed the fish at 13:00 (fresh water), 15:00 (big fish), 16:00 (small fish), and 17:00 (naughty kids fed to piranhas). They can cuddle the crustaceans anytime (€12, Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun until 18:00, touch tanks, The Promenade, tel. 091/585-100, www.nationalaquarium.ie).
For beach time, a relaxing sunset stroll, late-night traditional music, or later-night disco action, Salthill hops.
Getting There: To get to Salthill, catch bus #401 from Eyre Square in front of the AIB bank, next to the Meyrick Hotel (3/hour, €2).
Documentaries and films such as The Magdalene Sisters and Philomena have highlighted the 20th-century plight of unmarried, pregnant Irish women who were incarcerated and put to work doing laundry as virtual slaves. Viewing premarital pregnancy as one step short of prostitution, various Catholic orders operated these infamous “Magdalene laundries.” (No such stigma applied to the men involved.) Across from the TI (at 47 Forster Street), a modest and easy-to-miss statue stands on the site of one such facility, operated by the Sisters of Mercy, which opened in 1824 with a capacity of 110 young women, and closed in 1984 with 18 inmates remaining. It’s estimated that upwards of 10,000 women passed through the Magdalene laundry system. Magdalene survivors claim that they were held against their will, forced to work without pay, and physically abused…and their children were sold for adoption. The Irish government apologized in 2013 for turning a blind eye to the mistreatment of these “fallen women,” who were imprisoned out of sight, often with the consent of their shamed families.
Galway, like Dingle and Doolin, is a mecca for good Irish music (nightly 21:30-23:30). But unlike Dingle and Doolin, this is a university town (enrollment: 12,000), and many pubs are often overrun with noisy students. Still, your chances of landing a seat close to a churning band surrounded by new Irish friends are good any evening of the year.
Touristy and student pubs are found and filled along the main drag down from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch, and across Wolfe Tone Bridge (along William Street West and Dominick Street).
Across the Bridge: A good place to start is at Monroe’s, with its vast, music-filled interior (check website for trad music schedule, Dominick Street, tel. 091/583-397, www.monroes.ie). Several other pubs within earshot frequently feature traditional music. The Crane, near Monroe’s, has trad sessions nightly at 21:30 downstairs, a variety of other music upstairs, and Celtic Tales storytelling sessions on Thursdays from May to October (€10 for storytelling at 20:00, other sessions free, 2 Sea Road, tel. 091/587-419, www.thecranebar.com).
On the Main Drag: Pubs known for Irish music include Tig Cóilí, featuring Galway’s best trad sessions (Mon-Sat at 18:00 and 22:00, Sun at 14:00 and 21:00, intersection of Main Guard Street and High Street, tel. 091/561-294); Taaffe’s (nightly music sessions at 17:30 and 21:30, Shop Street, across from St. Nicholas Church, tel. 091/564-066); and The Quays (trad music most nights at 21:30, sporadic schedule, young scene, Quay Street, tel. 091/568-347). A bit off the main drag, Barr An Chaladh is a scruffy little place offering nightly trad or ballad sessions and more locals (3 Daly’s Place, tel. 091/895-762).
Instead of a pub, you can also attend a concert or performance.
Trad on the Prom: This fine, traditional, music-and-dance troupe was started by Galway-born performers, who returned home after years of touring with Riverdance and the Chieftains. Their show—so popular that it’s lasted for more than a decade—is a great way to enjoy live step dancing and accomplished musicians in a fairly intimate venue (€30, mid-May-Sept only, shows at 20:30 on Tue, Thu, and Sun—call to confirm, and best to reserve ahead online; at Leisureland Theatre beside Salthill Park, 30-minute walk west of town along the Salthill promenade or short ride on bus #401 from Eyre Square; tel. 091/582-860, mobile 087-674-1877, www.tradontheprom.com).
Tunes in the Church: The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas is a mellow, medieval venue with great acoustics, hosting a rotating lineup of accomplished trad musicians. The 1.5-hour concerts are fun for early birds who don’t want to stay up to catch the same great players in a local pub later that night (€15; June-July Mon-Fri at 20:00, daily in Aug; where High Street and Shop Street intersect, mobile 087-962-5425, www.tunesinthechurch.com).
There are three price tiers for most beds in Galway: off-season, high season (Easter-Oct), and charge-what-you-like festival and race weekends (see “Crowd Control” on here).
Note: With easy train access from Dublin, Galway is a popular weekend destination for rambunctious stag and hen parties. If you want a good night’s sleep on a Friday or Saturday, steer clear of hotels with bars downstairs or nearby; instead, opt for a smaller B&B or guesthouse (I list several, though these are becoming harder to find as they struggle to compete with bigger hotels).
$$$$ Park House Hotel, a plush, business-class hotel, offers the best value for a fancy place. Ideally located a block from the train station and Eyre Square, it has 84 spacious rooms and all the comforts you’d expect (expensive full Irish breakfast, elevator, pay parking, great restaurant, helpful staff, Forster Street, tel. 091/564-924, www.parkhousehotel.ie, reservations@parkhousehotel.ie).
$$$$ Hotel Meyrick, filled with palatial Old World elegance and 97 rooms, marks the end of the Dublin-Galway train line and the beginning of Galway. Since 1845, it has been Galway’s landmark hotel...JFK stayed here in 1963 when it was the Great Southern (at the head of Eyre Square, tel. 091/564-041, www.hotelmeyrick.ie, reshm@hotelmeyrick.ie).
$$$$ Jurys Inn Galway has 130 American-style rooms in a modern hotel, centrally located where the old town hits the river. The big, bright rooms have double beds and huge modern bathrooms (breakfast extra, elevator, lots of tour groups, pay parking, Quay Street, tel. 091/566-444, US tel. 800-423-6953, www.jurysinns.com, jurysinngalway@jurysinns.com).
¢ Kinlay Hostel is a no-nonsense place just 100 yards from the train station, with 224 beds in bare, clean, and simple rooms, including 15 doubles/twins. Easygoing people of any age feel welcome here, but if you want a double, book well ahead—several months in advance for weekends (private rooms available, elevator, baggage storage, on Merchants Road just off Eyre Square, tel. 091/565-244, www.kinlaygalway.ie, info@kinlaygalway.ie).
These B&Bs are homey, reasonably priced, and about a 10-minute walk from Eyre Square (from the train or bus stations, walk up Forster Street, which turns into College Road). The following places are lined up like battleships and all have free parking. They’re quieter than the rowdy weekend scene at bigger hotels in the city center. Although there are other B&Bs on this road, my favorites are the ones where the owner lives on-site (and whose pride of ownership shows). All B&Bs include a full “Irish fry” breakfast.
$$ Petra House is Galway’s best lodging value. Consistently helpful and attentive owners Frank and Joan Maher maintain a peaceful-feeling brick building with nine fresh rooms. It’s homey, lovingly maintained, and topped off by breakfasts I look forward to (family rooms, elegant sitting room, 29 College Road, tel. 091/566-580, mobile 087-451-1711, www.petrahousegalway.net, petrahouse@eircom.net).
$$ Balcony House B&B rents eight pleasant, large rooms (family rooms, 27 College Road, tel. 091/563-438, www.balconyhouse.ie, info@balconyhouse.ie). Teresa Coyne is the mellow lady of the house.
$$ Asgard Guesthouse offers eight rooms and an appealing glass-atrium breakfast room (family rooms, 21 College Road, tel. 091/566-855, www.galwaycityguesthouse.com, info@galwaycityguesthouse.com, Mary O’Flynn).
This college town is filled with colorful, inexpensive eateries. People everywhere seem to be enjoying their food. While there are countless scruffy and touristy eateries along the main pedestrian lane, you’ll eat better by getting a few blocks away from the tourists.
(See “Galway” map.)
Each of these places is within a few minutes’ walk of Jurys Inn at the river. The first four offer fine dining at a good price. Kai and the Universal are about a five-minute walk into the West End from the Wolfe Tone Bridge.
$$$ Ard Bia at Nimmo’s fills an old stone warehouse behind the Spanish Arch. It’s rustically elegant, with beautifully presented dishes from a farm-to-table menu. If parsnip crisps, pickled rhubarb, beetroot risotto, and pan-roasted baby squid sound good, you’ll enjoy this place (open daily, café lunches 12:00-15:30, finer dinners 18:00-21:30, Long Walk Street, tel. 091/561-114 or 091/539-897, run by Aoibheann—pronounced “aye-von”).
$$$ Kai Café and Restaurant is a stylish little place with a candlelit, stone-and-hardwood ambience. A café at lunch and a restaurant at dinner, it serves local foodies quirky, contemporary Irish. This is your kind of place if taste treats like Indian red pepper ratatouille, gooseberry chutney, ox tongue press, and stuffed courgette flowers are your thing. David and Jess Murphy change their menu daily, use organic ingredients, and always serve a good vegetarian dish (daily 12:00-15:00 & 18:30-22:00, reservations required for dinner, 20 Sea Road, tel. 091/526-003, www.kaicaferestaurant.com).
$$$ The Universal gastropub is another hit with Galway foodies. This feels more like a food lover’s pub with an open kitchen, stools at the bar, and eight little tables. Choose tapas or full plates of creative, ingredient-driven cuisine, with lots of craft beers on tap (food served Tue-Sat 18:00-22:00, 9 William Street West, tel. 091/728-271).
$$$ The Seafood Bar at Kirwan’s is a good place in the touristy center for quality seafood in a romantic setting (Mon-Sat 12:30-14:30 & 18:00-22:00, Sun 17:00-21:00, Kirwan’s Lane, tel. 091/568-266, www.kirwanslane.com).
$ McDonagh’s Fish-and-Chips is a favorite among residents. It has a fast, cheap, all-day chipper on one side and a more expensive sit-and-stay-awhile dinner-only restaurant on the other. The restaurant serves the same food, but you’ll pay €4 extra to enjoy a nice table setting and a side of mushy peas. Both have a couple of outside tables right in the Quay Street action (chipper open Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, Sun 14:00-21:00; restaurant open Mon-Sat 17:00-22:00, closed Sun; 22 Quay Street, tel. 091/565-001). If ordering oysters, remember Galway oysters are in season September through April, and Pacific oysters are best May through August.
$$$ Rouge is a French splurge with leather couches and live jazz or mellow music almost nightly. Instead of à la carte, you’ll choose between two set menus (daily 18:00-24:00, reservations wise, 38 Lower Dominick Street, tel. 091/530-681, www.rougegalway.com).
Dessert: For ice cream, try Murphy’s, made from locally sourced, homemade ingredients. While you’ll pay a premium for even a small cup (€4.50), it’s worth it for flavors like Dingle sea salt (hand-harvested) and caramelized brown bread (daily 12:00-20:00, 12 High Street).
(See “Galway” map.)
$$ Galway Bakery Company (GBC) is a popular, basic place for a quick Irish meal with a self-serve buffet line (daily 8:00-18:00, later in summer, 7 Williams Gate, near Eyre Square, tel. 091/563-087). They have a simple, good-value restaurant upstairs (open later).
$$ The Lighthouse Vegetarian Café is a calm and cozy little vegetarian haven (lunch only) with creative, well-presented plates and fresh-baked goods, just steps behind Lynch’s Castle (daily 12:00-17:00, 8 Abbeygate Street Upper, mobile 087-352-0198).
Supermarket: Dunnes is tucked in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre (Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Thu-Fri until 21:00, Sun 11:00-19:00, supermarket in basement). Lots of smaller grocery shops are scattered throughout town.
(See “Galway” map.)
$$ The Huntsman Inn is an easy 10-minute walk north of my College Road B&Bs. It’s modern, friendly, and far from the tourist action, with dependable dishes that draw mostly locals (daily 12:00-21:00, 164 College Road, tel. 091/562-849).
If you have a car, consider a Dunguaire Castle medieval banquet in Kinvarra, a 30-minute drive south of Galway (for details, see here). You can fit in the banquet very efficiently when you’re driving into Galway (B&Bs can accommodate late arrivals if you call ahead).
From Galway by Train to: Dublin (8/day, 3 hours), Limerick (4/day, 2 hours), Ennis (5/day, 1.5 hours). For Belfast, Tralee, and Rosslare, you’ll change in or near Dublin. Train info: Tel. 091/561-444, www.irishrail.ie.
By Bus to: Dublin (hourly, 3.5 hours; also see Citylink, below), Kilkenny (3/day, 5 hours), Cork (hourly, 4.5 hours), Ennis (hourly, 1.5 hours), Shannon Airport (hourly, 2 hours), Cliffs of Moher (8/day in summer, some with change in Ennis, 2 hours), Doolin (5/day, 1.5 hours), Limerick (hourly, 2 hours), Dingle (5/day, 6 hours), Tralee (8/day, 4 hours), Westport (6/day, 2-4 hours), Rosslare (2/day, 8 hours), Belfast (every 2 hours, 6 hours, change in Dublin), Derry (6/day, 5.5 hours). Bus info: Tel. 091/562-000, www.buseireann.ie.
Citylink runs cheap and fast bus service from the coach station near the TI to Dublin (arriving at Bachelor’s Walk, a block from Tara Street DART station; hourly, 2.5 hours), Dublin Airport (hourly, 3 hours), and Cork Airport (6/day, 4 hours). Bus info: Tel. 091/564-164, www.citylink.ie.
By Car: For ideas on driving from Galway to Derry in Northern Ireland, see the Westport & Connemara chapter for a suggested sightseeing route through Connemara, and the Donegal & the Northwest chapter for some worthwhile stops farther north (near and in Donegal).