Irish Diaries, part 4: Searching for my Galway Girl
On the last weekend of February, falling on the sixtieth day of the leap year and the first day of spring, I decided to travel to Galway, one of Ireland's most popular tourist towns. Despite a storm warning, a complete lack of a plan and some unforeseen circumstances, the trip was atmospheric in its own way and was another unusual experience gained during my time in the land of the green clover.
This article was originally published in Russian on May 04 2020. Mostly translated by deepl.com (Free version)
Where is Galway?
Galway is the sixth most populous city in Ireland and is located in the western part of the country. Despite its small population, Galway is rightly considered a town of fun ("Party Town") with many different cafes, restaurants and of course, pubs. It hosts a wide variety of events and festivals. For 2020, Galway has been chosen as the European Capital of Culture, along with Croatia's Rijeka.
I should probably start by saying that this trip was full of spontaneous decisions. I left for Galway in the afternoon and it wasn't until I got on the bus that I found out that a "Red Weather Alert" had been declared for the region with high winds and the risk of minor flooding. The weather in town was indeed rainy, but the storm seemed to have abated a bit by the time I arrived.
As a true budget tourist, I had pre-booked one of the cheapest hostels on booking.com. For €18 I rented a bunk in a 4-bed room and amazingly, breakfast was included. The hostel was very cosy and was located on the touristy Quay Street, which is full of various cafes and pubs. As such, even though there was a storm warning, you could hear the noise of the Irish partying in the street at night, but for €18 I wasn't expecting any noise isolation. The hostel had a very nice lounge room with an artificial fireplace, guitar and even a pool table. It was standard to have cereal for breakfast, make yourself toast with butter and jam and drink coffee or orange juice.
As on my previous trip to Cork, I decided to attend a music event and so found a random concert on eventbrite.com beforehand. The ticket cost €10.85 and in the best Irish tradition the concert was held in one of the local pubs. The musical evening brought together various Irish alternative artists, and I, as a person who knows nothing about live music, liked it in principle.
City
As I had mentioned earlier, I had no practical plans for this trip, and on the second day I mostly just wandered around town looking for something interesting. Before the trip I had put together a small list of places to visit, which included the city museum, the market and a few other attractions. On arriving at the museum, I found out it wasn't open and then made a futile attempt to find a street bazaar. As in other Irish cities I have visited, Galway has practically no high-rise buildings and has a comparatively large number of medieval buildings-bridges, churches and small castles. Walking around the town, I also noticed that there are a very large number of shops selling handmade wool products. Plain and designer jumpers, scarves, toys, slippers and blankets are all made from the finest Irish sheep's wool.
Food
Separately, I'd like to talk about my gastronomic adventures. Before my trip to Galway, I searched for vegetarian restaurants beforehand and with my limited student budget I was only able to eat at two places. On the first day, I had dinner at The Gourmet Offensive, a small cosy falafel bar with a very pleasant interior. The second day I went to The Dough Bros, a family-run pizzeria ranked in the top 100 best restaurants in Ireland. For €11 I got a veggie pizza called Hey Pesto, cooked in an authentic Neapolitan style (or so it just looked to me).
Galway Mosque
One of the top places to visit on my list was the Galway Mosque - Maryam Mosque, named after the mother of Prophet Isa (a.s.). After having a hearty breakfast, taking the bus, driving 20 minutes to the outskirts of the city and walking around the area several times in search of an entrance, to my great regret I discovered that the mosque was closed.
Kazakh Hospitality
On the first day of the trip I got in touch with Miss Kuralai, a Kazakh woman who married an Irishman and lives in Galway. I met her at the house of Miss Anel, a Kazakh woman living in Limerick, who had previously invited me to manti. On the second day, I stopped by to say hello and thought I would just have tea and head back to Limerick. On arriving at her house I met her children, to whom they had given their Kazakh names, Daniyar and Gaukhar. Both, despite their young age, are Liverpool fans, and I, remembering the names of every English football team I know, tried to keep up a dialogue about the English Premier League table which they follow quite actively. After my last cup of tea, I was already thinking of going home, but Kuralai Khanim decided to show me Dunguaire Castle, one of the local attractions. After introducing me to her husband and treating me to a home-cooked meal, she walked me to the bus stop and only after waiting with me for the bus to Limerick, she said goodbye and wished me a pleasant journey home. Despite the fact that we barely knew each other, she showed hearty Kazakh hospitality, and left the best impression of the trip.
Conclusion
All in all, this is how I spent my second and essentially last trip to Ireland (The rest of the trips and plans fell through due to the COVID-19 epidemic). Galway is a very interesting and cozy city, which is sure to please fans of music festivals and pubs. In a day and a half in the city I did not have time to visit all the local attractions, and to fully experience the atmosphere of the city. To sum up my trip, I would say that it's probably better to go to Galway in large groups, preferably by planning your route in advance, or renting a car to be able to visit the surrounding villages and towns, and enjoy the beauty of the Irish nature.