Bit of city wall

After the morning ferry ride back from Inis Mor to the mainland, we had the day to explore Galway more completely. The Galway Museum was a good place to learn more about the history of the city as well as some insight into what happened locally during the Rising. We also spotted more sections of the original medieval walls scattered through the city, sometimes a full-size wall here or a window there. The main area is an easy place to get lost, with winding streets and interesting side streets heading off in different directions, but we gradually learned our way. Tami was thrilled to add a Galway flag to her collection – it should be flying off the back deck soon!

Irish dancer busking

In the afternoon we enjoyed a food tour of the city led by Sheena, who is originally from Ireland but grew up in France and now calls Galway home. We started out at a bakery where she told us a story about the origin of the gigantic (maybe 1’x 6′) loaves that they sell in chunks throughout the day. Supposedly the baker used to be a deep sea diver and was once bitten severely by a conger eel. After he recovered he decided he wanted to bake a loaf the size of the eel so he could return the favor and “cut the bastard up”.

Some of our favorites on the tour were the Irish whiskey tasting, which we discovered is wonderful when paired with cheese, a delicious seafood chowder drizzled with basil oil, and a series of selections in a very cozy snug of one of the traditional pubs. At the whiskey tasting Mike got to try poitin, something he had read about. It turned out to basically be Irish moonshine, i.e. unaged whiskey. At the pub we had a local stout served with a fresh oyster (definitely something to try at home), a sample each of a turnip sushi and mackerel sushi, and cold smoked salmon with a pale ale. There were many other samples as well and we found ourselves in no need for dinner. What a delightful experience.

Also while at the pub our tour was unexpectedly interrupted by a gentleman who wanted to read us a poem. It was fairly long but well presented. He earned plenty of applause.

Reading to our group in the snug

To follow that, Tami finally realized a dream and found a local soccer match to attend. Galway United Football Club (GUFC) were playing Wexford at the nearby football pitch, so we joined in with a very small stream of people heading to the stadium. When Tami asked someone in the info office earlier in the day if we would have any difficulty buying tickets at the stadium, she said oh no, they’re not very popular – Irish football and hurting are much bigger sports here. We later learned that the reason soccer is not more popular here is that it is seen as an English sport. Sure enough, there were only a few hundred people there, but it was lots of fun and great to see the families and young kids having a good time. The game ended in a draw and Galway were unlucky to lose, but it was a spirited match and we had a great time. Even the walk back to our hotel in an Irish drizzle couldn’t dampen the fun.

Galway is the team in white

Team mascot

Mike was of course more interested in shopping than the game. He wanted to get something showing the team emblem. Before he headed out to find the very small team shop, he said it would be great if he could find a flat cap with the emblem on it. Sure enough, he found one! That is a great souvenir.

***

For our last day in Southern Ireland before heading to up north to Belfast, we got out of the city and into the Connemara region of County Galway and into a bit of Count Mayo. We traveled through some of the regions of western Ireland that were affected the most during the famine and saw some of the still remaining signs of that horrific period. The area is ruggedly beautiful with rocky, steep mountains leading down to lakes and streams. Now the steep hillsides are scattered with sheep, but our guide pointed out the many visible ridges running all along the hillsides that show where potato fields were once planted. He also pointed out many famine cottages, which are the ruins of the small stone cottages that the families lived in during the mid-1800’s. They are still scattered through the valleys as a visible reminder of that period and match the mood of the desolate country.

We got to walk a short ways to take in the view

Country scene

Peat delivery in front yard

Not sure what the story was here in an old church

This town was very proud of having been the setting for the John Wayne movie “The Quiet Man”

Tami would not let Mike take this project bike home, partly because she has sworn to never be on the same bike as him

We had a quick stop at the ruins of the Ross Errilly Friary, an extensive and well-preserved medieval monastery. As we first approached it looked like just another crumbling medieval church (ho hum), but as we entered it the rooms just led one into another with so many turns and walkways that one could easily get lost. There was even a kitchen that once had a tank to hold live fish (or so says Mike; Tami apparently missed it as she was getting lost in the maze of rooms). To top it off, there was a very friendly group of cows to say hello as we left the friary.

Friary

Inner courtyard. It was interesting that the interior of the friary had been used as a cemetery, even up to a few years ago.

A cow for Tami

Kylemore Abbey was another stop today. It was originally built as a castle by a rich family in the 19th century, then purchased by the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1909. They were forced to sell a few years later due to gambling debts, so Irish Benedictine Nuns bought it next and turned it into a boarding school for girls. It was once a grand mansion with extensive gardens and a huge glass conservatory. It was interesting to trace the transformation. The Duchess turned the billiards room into a kitchen and neglected the conservatory so badly that it collapsed, and the nuns turned the ballroom into a chapel and created dorm rooms for the girls. The building is still very picturesque and the setting is spectacular perched below rugged mountains on the edge of a beautiful lake. It did bring to mind thoughts of Hogwarts.

Hogwarts?

Tami also wanted to go fishing at the Abbey

As we wound through the countryside it would sometimes look like we could be in western Washington until we would spot some random ruin of a stone house or church. We also saw a lot of sheep today. A lot.

Beautiful countryside