Travel Tales: Galway

I spent a year in Galway while studying for my Master’s degree at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. If you can make it there, take a moment to view the grounds; it’s a beautiful campus.

After a day at college, I’d usually head into town and stop at the Galway Cathedral on the way there. You don’t have to be religious to understand the beauty and impact of this church. It’s quiet, usually dark and cool, and the perfect place to take a moment out of your day for reflection.  Thousands of tourists come here each year, but please: while it may be tempting to get a picture of the stained-glass windows during Mass, wait until Mass is over. The locals will thank you.

On the way to the city centre, I’d walk over the River Corrib where plenty of people fish and kayak but generally don’t swim; the current’s too strong.

I came to know Galway by getting lost in the city centre—a lot.  Walking around for hours is the best way to get a real feel for a city, especially such a pedestrian-friendly place as Galway. It’s easy to lose yourself along the beautiful coast and the many shops on the aptly named Shop Street.

If you’re on Shop Street, be sure to try the award-winning Griffin’s Bakery, near the King’s Head pub (which has a quite a bit of history itself as its building has been around for 800 years).  Griffin’s has the greatest chocolate croissants and even better bread.

In the afternoon or early evening, I’d head over to Taaffes pub, which according to the Galway City Pub Guide, has been a pub for more than 150 years!  If you’re looking for great traditional Irish music, then look no farther. In this small and usually jam-packed bar, I’ve experienced loud and enthusiastic sing-alongs from crowds that are generally tough to impress.

After the pub, another sight to take in is the Salthill Promenade.  To get there, walk along Shop Street until you get to the Spanish Arch, then cross the Corrib again and head toward Galway Bay.  Here you’ll find ‘the Prom,’ as the locals call it, where many get their daily exercise.  The Promenade is about two miles long and at the very end, you’ll see a traditional pastime: people kick the wall that signals the end of the Prom. Why is this is a tradition? I don’t know, but would love to hear from anyone with an idea about it.