Rough weather again so the Aran Islands are still on hold. We decided to take in Galway instead. On our drive out to Galway, Jackie noted, “Ireland is even beautiful in the rain.” It certainly is-as long as you view it from the shelter of the car.
First stop was St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. Built in 1320, the church is named after St. Nicholas because, during the middle ages, St. Nick was revered as the patron saint of sailors. According to the pamphlet, “Christopher Columbus almost certainly worshipped here in 1477.” I guess he must have left his autograph as evidence.
We grabbed some lunch and warm shelter from the steady rain in a pub called “The Front Door.” Lee went traditional with Shepherd’s pie—sure looks to beat our comfort foods. However, all traditional Irish food feels like comfort food. Last night’s dinner special felt like Thanksgiving dinner—turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, boiled potato. And a few pints, naturally. I’m beginning to resemble a potato. Each meal is served with several forms and variations of spuds.
We wandered over to the shopping street and stumbled into the Thomas Dillon shop—THE only purveyors of the original and authentic Claddagh ring. Jackie and Caroline are sporting rings and Claire and Abby each got earrings. We stumbled around the town noting the flags of the 14 merchant families/tribes who controlled the city for 2 centuries and the Browne Doorway (a rescued façade from a 17th century mansion that displays some kind of architectural significance and elegantly displayed on the sidewalk with a surround of plexiglass.) A few yards away, on the edge of Eyre Square, was Galway’s own occupy Wall Street movement, protesting some new housing tax.
We popped in the cars and headed to Salthill—a beachside promenade that is probably more fun to take in when it’s less windy and warmer that 40 degrees. The kids had a good time and, of course, that’s all that matters. We did, however, ignore their request to play at a playground and headed instead to Galway Cathedral—a beautiful cathedral built during Annie and Chris’ lifetimes but not Lee and Karen’s. It was constructed of local limestone and Connemara marble.
We worked our way back to Doolin via the scenic route. Yes, all routes in Ireland are scenic but this one was especially so. A gorgeous seaside drive with a stone wall was our only safety along the winding road edge and the sheep grazing the space between the road and the Atlantic. I don’t suppose the sheep have much of an appreciation for their prime real estate.
In search of a different and less touristy dinner venue, we popped over to nearby Lisdoonvarna only to discover that all the pubs were now closed for dinner, a stark difference to Doolin, which is hopping every night of the week. We ended up in the local Chinese restaurant (which is open until midnight). No potatoes tonight.
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| 14 Tribes of Galway |
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| Galway Cathedral |
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| Look hard--the kids are part of the landscape. |
