Because her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And I knew right then, I'd be takin a whirl
Down the Salthill Prom with a Galway Girl"
There ya have it... that song is played at every pub every night, but especially in Galway. So many people told me that Galway was their absolute favorite place to go visit. Of course I was excited and ready to go. We left on a Saturday morning and stayed through the bank holiday- it was definitely a busier and more crowded weekend but that never slowed us down.
Upon our arrival, it was absolutely pouring down rain... even though we live in Dublin, our weather here has been phenomenal and we were not ready to seize the day. Our hotel rooms weren't even ready yet, so we had no choice but to wander the streets. Allese, my other half and roommate here, decided to do our own thing and ventured the shops, pubs, and some sites. We grabbed a hot chocolate to keep us warm and kept cruising. It was still absolutely pouring out, and a cab ran over a puddle getting Allese absolutely soaking wet (HAHAHA). As helpless as I am, I knew it was about to happen so I went undercover, but poor Allese had her jacket unzipped with a white tee shirt underneath (Whoops!) That was it.. we had to go back to the hotel for a quick fix and nap. Apart from that little incident, everything was so lovely in Galway.
Sunday and Monday were more site seeing days. Sunday we went to Connemara and Dan O'Hara's house...it is an Irish heritage center. It basically gave us a feel for what it was like to live in old Ireland, little hand build cottages, making all of the food yourself, and just creating your own lifestyle. Dan was said to be a legend in story and song, which makes him famous. He eventually left Ireland for New York, but died in America of poverty. It's a neat site to visit, but primarily just to get a feel for the old Irish living.
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| Dan's House |
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| Inside: I enjoy the Irish American president poster! |
Our next stop was Kylemore Abbey Garden and Castle. The estate was built in 1867; it was 13,000 acres of land that cost about £18,000. The property was sold to The Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903. They lived there for a good few years until they were forced to sell due to debt. In 1920, the Irish Benedictine Nuns purchase the castle and lands. They turned it into a Catholic girls school, but was closed in 2010. Now the brilliant castle and lands are a tourist attraction. It was absolutely beautiful to see... I felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie! Check out some pics...
It was a great pit stop, but we were now onto the most famous part of Galway, THE CLIFFS OF MOHER! The cliffs are more than 2,000 years old, the highest point is 214 meters high, and they expand 8 miles along the Atlantic Ocean. So, that has been the closest I've been to home in months! There are also Irish seabirds that live by the cliffs... don't worry even on crazy windy days you could hear them. One thing about the cliffs though is that there aren't rails blocking all areas... you literally could fall right off (WHAAAAT!). It was so incredibly windy the day we were there that I wouldn't even dare go near the edge. In fact I was struggling to walk and some points- oh and don't forget the water is spraying at ya! It was truly amazing to see- definitely should be on everyone's bucket list! And plenty of rainbows were there... but I didn't find the pot of gold...
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| SO WINDY! |
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| There's the rainbow :-) |
It was a great weekend for Galway, but unfortunately I missed the Dublin Marathon. I was thinking about entering during the summer months with my buddy but thank goodness I didn't. I told him that while he was running, I would be in the drinking marathon! I heard it was an awesome time though.
The four things to a great weekend: Leprechauns, Castles, Good luck, and Laughter
Ky xx
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