Galway and the Cliffs of Moher (Days 20-22)

Galway!  What a pleasant surprise! I did not expect to say this before we came, but Galway is my favorite city of the trip thus far! I had never even heard of Galway before arriving there, but it took me no time at all to fall in love. 

Stepping off the bus and on to the street, I felt like perhaps we had taken a wrong turn and ended up in Italy or Spain. The buildings are tall and brightly colored, the main street is blocked off from cars and full of street performers, and all of the restaurants- offering pastas and tapas and a huge variety of foods besides just fish and chips- have fully stuffed outdoor seating patios. As my roommate, Clare, and I settled in to our hotel room, a young, handsome, Irish, street-performer played his guitar and kazoo outside our window, singing folky covers of big band classics. Talk about dreamy.

I feel like I can best summarize the Galway vibe by describing it as a perfect mix of Stratford and Dublin. Like Dublin, it seems to be a hub for artists and young people. There are tons (tons) of street musicians and variety performers, every restaurant and pub has live music, and there is a bustling and youthful night life. However, Galway isn’t nearly as metropolitan as Dublin. Dublin could definitely be overwhelming with its many streets and many many people, but I was instantly comfortable in Galway, the way I was in Stratford. Like Stratford, Galway is quaint and oftentimes feels antique. It’s a manageable size and very walkable. But Galway is also much more awake than Stratford. There seemed to be an interesting mix of people in Galway, and everyone was making just the right amount of noise. 

When we first arrived, after we’d moved in and I had finished swooning over my musical friend, we all headed out to dinner. A group of girlfriends and I wandered into an incredible Italian restaurant! I had one of the best meals of the trip. 

After that, we just wandered the streets listening to the many musicians and stopped into a pub where a band was playing traditional Irish music and even the cool-looking young men began jigging. 

The next day, a group of friends and I went shopping in Galway. We stopped in to several boutiques, but my favorite part of the day was the nearly-hidden alleyway market we happened upon. There were fruits, veggies, artists selling their crafts and jewelry, food stands, fresh fish… and it was packed with people! Sigh. Markets provide the best kind of chaos. 

That night, we all went to a double feature of two Tom Murphy plays, Brigit (a world premier!) and Bailegangaire at the famous Druid Theatre. Both were excellent, and Bailegangaire was the most well-acted show we have seen on our trip, in my opinion. Two full-length plays back to back in a barely-air-conditioned theatre is a lot for even the most enthusiastic theatre-goer, but I am still really glad that I got to visit this theatre and see both of these fantastic productions. 

The next day was spent away from the streets of Galway and in some of the nearby nature. Our first stop was Coole Park, the estate that used to be home to playwright Lady Gregory. The gardens and forests are beautiful at Coole Park, but I was most interested to learn about Lady Gregory’s life. She is a really fascinating person! She was close friends with W. B. Yeats, and he visited Coole Park many many times in his life (as did countless other celebrities and artist). 

Sad as I was to say goodbye to Galway after such a short visit, I was excited to learn that our next stop was at the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs of Moher are world famous for their breathtaking beauty! I don’t know about you, but when I think about an ideal Irish scene, I think about green, patchwork fields and sharply dropping, winding cliff faces. The Cliffs of Moher are the quintessential example of the latter.

The Cliffs of Moher may have been your PC’s desktop image in the early 2000’s…

The Cliffs are stunningly beautiful, and you can walk all around them, taking in the view from every angle. It really is one of those incredible views that everyone should see at least once in a lifetime. (But be warned: the wind is strong on the Cliffs. Do not wear a skirt when you go, as I did… Unless you want to flash visitors from literally all over the world, as I did.)