Galway: Gateway to the West of Ireland

There's so much to do in Galway, and there's something for every taste. Here's just a selection of the highlights:
(1) Visit Kenny's Bookshop, for the world's best selection of Irish fiction and non-fiction, and exhibitions of contemporary Irish and European artists.
(2) Take a cruise along the Corrib for sightseeing and, possibly, some angling.
(3) Go horseback riding along Silver Strand.
(4) Take a drive to Clifden through Oughterard and Maam Cross (where the Quiet Man was filmed), or head south for Carraroe and Roundstone for a taste of the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht.
(5) Buy your sweetheart a genuine Claddagh Ring.
(6) Take a ferry or plane to the Aran Islands, and see Dun Aengus, an Iron Age fort perched above the moody Atlantic.
(7) If you're lucky, catch a play by the Druid Company or a street parade organised by Macnas.
(8) Enjoy the street theatre and international artists performing at the Galway Arts Festival.
(9) Have a flutter on the horses at the Galway Races.
(10) Fish for salmon above Salmon Weir, and have you catch cooked to order in one of the many excellent restaurants on Quay Street.

Quick Tips:

Bring raingear or an umbrella. Galway can be very wet, even in the middle of summer. However, it can also be beautiful, so don't forget your shorts and suntan lotion. It's a mercurial sort of place.

Best Way To Get Around:

Given the fact Galway is a small town, and the fact that its centre is closed to traffic, walking is the best way of getting around. If you want to get out of town, you will need to hire a car or a bicycle, both of which are easy to do. There are also tours leaving daily for the Burren and Connemara, and daily sailings and flights to the Aran Islands.

There are certain places you just get sentimental about. I'm crazy about The Long Walk. A combination of great memories and ecletic ambience, good food and a wide selection of wines, make it one of my favourite places to dine in Galway. It's not to everyone's tastes, but if you like French peasant food served with a minimum of fuss, and can dig idiosyncratic decor, you'll love the place. The last time my partner and I were there, we both had a fabulous basil and tomato soup to start. It was chunky and juicy, and topped with freshly torn basil. Delicious. To follow, I had the aubergine and parmesan quiche, which would have been great, were it not for the fact that the aubergine had been grilled a little too much, and tasted 'toasty'. As it was, it was good, but not entirely memorable. My partner, on the other hand, had a revelatory creamy mushroom pasta dish; it was very generous with the mushrooms and the cream and, while not exactly setting any new standards for culinary innovation, was very well done. It's the kind of dish that exemplifies what The Long Walk does best: simple, generous, tasty. We had a kirsch each to start, a bottle of mild Chilean white to accompany our meal, and lovely, frothy cappucinos to finish. The bill came to just over IR£45.

The Galway Arts Festival has a reputation for bringing the best and most innovative shows and performers to Ireland for two weeks of carnival, theatre, literature, music and 'craic'. The largest and most prestigious arts festival in Ireland it runs during the last two weeks of July each year. There is always something for everyone. This year John Mahoney from Frasier headlined a production of Eugene O'Neill's 'A Long Day's Journey into Night' to packed houses, while Steppenwolf made their Irish debut with 'Sideman'. Other performers included the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ron Sexsmith, and Beth Orton. But the highlight of the festival was, as usual, Macnas's annual parade through the streets of Galway. Check out the festival's website at http://www.galwayartsfestival.ie

A veritable institution in Galway, and still run with the deftest of personal touches by the Kenny family, this is perfect place to while away a wet West of Ireland afternoon.

The ground floor is given over to new Irish fiction and non-fiction, while the second and third floors are an alcoved jumble of secondhand and antiquarian books. Look long enough and you are sure to find some treasure to bring home to your bookcase. And, if you want to receive a selection of treasures every so often, sign up for Des Keogh's 'Book Hamper' service.

But the Kennys' shop is also a visual treat: every wall in the bookshop, for instance, is covered with autographied photographs of famous Irish and international writers who have visited the shop. Downstairs, and on the upstairs mezzazine, there is a small art gallery, usually exhibiting the work of a contemporary Irish or international visual artist or sculptor.

(Note: this travelogue assumes you are starting and returning to Galway in the same day.)

First, hire a car and start early, bringing raingear, walking shoes, and a picnic. Then, for the first stage, take the Clifden road out of Galway as far as Maam Cross (passing through picturesque Oughterard and crossing the Upper Corrib on the way).

Most guidebooks recommend that you continue straight on to Cliften from here, but I think you should turn right, heading instead for the tiny hamlet of Maam. There's nicer scenery this way: sullen hills and recumbant bogs. But please take care not to get distracted by the views: the road is windy and narrow!

At Maam, you can break your journey and dawdle at the pub over morning tea. However, I'd recommend turning left and heading for Leenane, through the long valley that runs between the Maamturk Mountains to your left and the smaller foothills of Joyce Country to your right. Leenane is where 'The Field' was filmed. It's a small village, more noted for its fine, scenic location than its amenities, though there are a couple of pubs there where you get brunch.

From Leenane, continuing south on the Clifden road, you will pass by Killary Harbour to your right; stop and admire the view before moving on. It's spectacular. There are many other potential places to stop on the Leenane-to-Clifden road: Kylemore Abbey, Letterfrack, the Connemara National Park being just the most famous. I'd recommend you see them all but, if you are stuck for time, Kylemore is your best bet. As for the rest, just enjoy the drive to Clifden, and make a note to come back some other day.

In Clifden - a large town overlooking the moody Atlantic - you have a choice to mull over while you lunch: whether to go straight back to Galway through Maam Cross and Oughterard, which will take you about an hour-and-a-half, or you can continue south again, along the convoluted road to Roundstone. If you started early, and have the time, I'd take this road. It will lead you through some of Connemara's wildest and prettiest scenery, and eventually to Roundstone, a nice, though admittedly tourist-oriented, village.

For your final stage (it's probably early evening by this stage and you're tired) head for Casla, then take the Spiddal road, along Connemara's southern coast. To your right there will be a view of north Clare, beckoning you towards the Burren, if you haven't already been (and maybe even if you have). You'll be back in Galway in time for a bite to eat and a pint before bed.

(PS. Of course, to do all this properly, it would be best to take a couple of days and break your journey down into three or more stages, staying in Leenane on the first night, Clifden on the second, and Roundstone on the third. That way you'll not only see Connemara, but get to meet it's people, and maybe even hear a word or two of Irish spoken. Remember, 'dia dhuit' (pronoucned de-a which) is hello, while 'slán' (rhymes with lawn) is goodbye).