Galway – 3 July 2010
After a tearful farewell to the dogs we set off to Galway in our borrowed car. On the way we had intended to stop at Ballinsloe to visit the site of some of Moya’s ancestors. We had been told that the motorway from Dublin to Galway finished abruptly before then, as the EU had not given the Republic enough money to complete the road. How wrong our information was. The motorway in fact went all the way to Galway and thus we missed the ancestoral home, much to our dismay. We arrived in Galway and found our B and B overlooking Galway Bay. It was overcast so we didn’t see the sun go down. We did however venture onto the Connaght Peninsula and saw our first stone houses and fences. The roads were pretty narrow too but the Irish didn’t seem too concerned as they merrily passed in places they could not see ahead. The speed signs said 100kms where in NZ they would have been 60. We also knew we were in Ireland when a motorist indicated a left turn and then turned right! The scenery was amazing as you will see from the photos. We then returned to our B and B. A thing you quickly learn is the number of B and B’s there are. Every second house has a B and B sign both in the town and country. Some are real flash and purpose built, others seem to be just a room. B and B is the way to holiday.
We then went into the city. A really vibrant place. Galway started out as a fishing village but then became a town of note through the 13th and 14th centuries. It was destroyed by fire in 1473 and rebuilt so many of the buildings date from that period. As in most of Ireland it suffered at the hands of Cromwell and various English unmentionables. To go there now you are amazed at the number of people out enjoying the many pubs, cafes and music. We ate at a small cafe before returning to Galway bar to “O’Connor’s Famous Pub” to enjoy a night of drinking Guinness and listening to the Irish music. The pub was full of drinking Irish and there were no fights. Told you Galway is amazing!!