Galway
July 14-15, 2019
After a full Irish breakfast at Castle Leslie, we headed toward Galway stopping in Athlone to check out Sean’s bar, the oldest still running pub in Europe according to Guinness world book of records. They’d say it’s been open since 900 AD. Athlone to Galway was mostly motorway and we found our hotel in Galway. We settled in and then started exploring this ancient town. The town was once walled and only a few pieces of the wall remain. The center is mostly pedestrian with tons of pubs and cafes and shops and street performers. Amanda and crew arrived at their apartments next to our hotel a few hours after us and we joined up with them for some late evening fun. The Parr family arrived on a bus another hour or so later and Kristin and Ciaran joined us at the Kings Head Pub for a late night drink.
On Monday morning, we followed Rick Steves’ Galway walking tour, but at 2pm, we met our preplanned Food and Drink tour at a pub on Eyre Square. David and I and 10 others spent the next 3+ hours with a kind of lame tour guide at three separate establishments around Galway. At each, we had a plate of food and a beer. At the first (Garvey’s) we had a hearty stew, some local blue cheese and some soda bread with some chutney. At the second (Tribeton), we had either a Shepard’s pie or a filet of sea bass and potatoes. At the third (Fullerton Arms Hotel) we learned how to make an Irish coffee and had dessert. Oh my goodness! We haven’t eaten that much in a while! The kicker was that we were joining the Parr clan on their bus to attend a medieval banquet at the Dunguaire castle that evening!
There were 41 of us on the bus all Parr folks except the 10 of us (David, me, Amanda, Guece, Annabel, Brad, Celeste, Eric, Amy and Alex) and Nora’s parents. They know how to have a good time. It was “open mic” on the bus coming and going and we were kept entertained.
The banquet was overseen by two women and a man in costume and in character. We were served mead upon entering, then taken up a stony staircase to the banquet room. Ciaran and Kristin were named King and Queen and sat at the head of the table with crowns on their head. Dinner was lots of wine, bread, salmon salad, leek and potato soup, chicken and carrots and potatoes, then an apple pie. Ugh!! I think we will eat very lightly tomorrow! After the meal, the three characters did 45 minutes of poetry, song, portraying historical figures from the area. The room was hot and people were getting antsy to leave. But we stuck it out. A priest from Florida was there with his family and they called him and Kristin and Ciaran up to the front for an impromptu blessing of their marriage.
Once back in Galway, everyone headed back to the pedestrian area and a pub called The Front Door for a night cap with Linda, Carla, Colin and Rose. It’s 1:44 as I write this and we’re going to try to leave early in the morning to make our way to Kenmare via the cliffs of moher.
After a full Irish breakfast at Castle Leslie, we headed toward Galway stopping in Athlone to check out Sean’s bar, the oldest still running pub in Europe according to Guinness world book of records. They’d say it’s been open since 900 AD. Athlone to Galway was mostly motorway and we found our hotel in Galway. We settled in and then started exploring this ancient town. The town was once walled and only a few pieces of the wall remain. The center is mostly pedestrian with tons of pubs and cafes and shops and street performers. Amanda and crew arrived at their apartments next to our hotel a few hours after us and we joined up with them for some late evening fun. The Parr family arrived on a bus another hour or so later and Kristin and Ciaran joined us at the Kings Head Pub for a late night drink.
On Monday morning, we followed Rick Steves’ Galway walking tour, but at 2pm, we met our preplanned Food and Drink tour at a pub on Eyre Square. David and I and 10 others spent the next 3+ hours with a kind of lame tour guide at three separate establishments around Galway. At each, we had a plate of food and a beer. At the first (Garvey’s) we had a hearty stew, some local blue cheese and some soda bread with some chutney. At the second (Tribeton), we had either a Shepard’s pie or a filet of sea bass and potatoes. At the third (Fullerton Arms Hotel) we learned how to make an Irish coffee and had dessert. Oh my goodness! We haven’t eaten that much in a while! The kicker was that we were joining the Parr clan on their bus to attend a medieval banquet at the Dunguaire castle that evening!
There were 41 of us on the bus all Parr folks except the 10 of us (David, me, Amanda, Guece, Annabel, Brad, Celeste, Eric, Amy and Alex) and Nora’s parents. They know how to have a good time. It was “open mic” on the bus coming and going and we were kept entertained.
The banquet was overseen by two women and a man in costume and in character. We were served mead upon entering, then taken up a stony staircase to the banquet room. Ciaran and Kristin were named King and Queen and sat at the head of the table with crowns on their head. Dinner was lots of wine, bread, salmon salad, leek and potato soup, chicken and carrots and potatoes, then an apple pie. Ugh!! I think we will eat very lightly tomorrow! After the meal, the three characters did 45 minutes of poetry, song, portraying historical figures from the area. The room was hot and people were getting antsy to leave. But we stuck it out. A priest from Florida was there with his family and they called him and Kristin and Ciaran up to the front for an impromptu blessing of their marriage.
Once back in Galway, everyone headed back to the pedestrian area and a pub called The Front Door for a night cap with Linda, Carla, Colin and Rose. It’s 1:44 as I write this and we’re going to try to leave early in the morning to make our way to Kenmare via the cliffs of moher.
Such a beautiful trip! Hopefully we can pop into Sean's Bar some day! Loving your posts! xoxo
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