Day 13: Galway City
Galway city is a true gem, with traditional Irish charm without the global bustle of bigger cities like Dublin.
Galway is known as Ireland’s Cultural Heart and is renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and numerous festivals, celebrations and events. Every November, Galway hosts the Tulca Festival of Visual Arts as well as numerous festivals.
On 1 December 2014, the Director General of UNESCO announced the official designation of Galway as a UNESCO City of Film.
In 2004, there were three dance organisations, ten festival companies, two film organisations, two Irish language organisations, 23 musical organisations, twelve theatre companies, two visual arts groups, and four writers’ groups based in the city.[23]
Furthermore, there were 51 venues for events, most of which were specialised for a certain field (e.g. concert venues or visual arts galleries), though ten were described as being ‘multiple event’ venues. The main squares in the city are Eyre Square in the centre of the city, and Spanish Parade next to the Spanish Arch.
The reason I love Galway City so much is because you get a true taste of Irish life here. There is always traditional music spilling out of a pub somewhere. There are buskers on every corner, playing traditional and modern music. The streets are cobble stoned, and the historical buildings have been maintained. Refreshingly, There isn’t a major chain store in sight!
During my six day stay in Galway, I visited the following locations:
- McDonough’s for their famous traditional fish and chips
- Tigh Neachtain’s Pub for a whiskey taster platter
- Tigh Coili for a shot of whiskey and traditional Irish music
- Art Bia at Nimmo’s, a restaurant with a quirky interior, located at the Spanish Arch and serving creative Irish dishes with a global pizazz.
Kate Kelsen 