Galway

Galway

Ireland It is a beautiful country that attracts tourists from all over the world, and it is not just a question of visiting Dublin but of encouraging yourself to travel further to appreciate the true nature of the so-called Emerald Isle.

On the west coast of the country is Galway, a destination with history, a unique heritage made up of churches, cathedrals, castles, forts and beaches and friendly, charming people who know how to receive travelers.

What to see in Galway

Galway

First you have to say that Galway is both a county and a city. The county is part of the province of Connach and the county capital is the city of Galway itself, which itself rests on a wide bay.

The River Corrib runs through Galway, a city with around 80 thousand inhabitants, which It was founded just over eight centuries ago. He has a very troubled past and even knew how to have links with Spain. How is this? Well, between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries the port of Galway was very visited by Spanish ships thanks to the trade of wine or fishing. The Spain of Felipe II obtained the fishing rights, taking advantage of the Catholicism of the Irish and the resentment against the English.

Galway

Having reviewed very briefly some of the history of the city, what can we visit? First we can tour some of the numerous museums, according to our tastes and interests, but if we want to have a general vision of the city and what I have just related, then the best thing is the City Museum: There is a collection of prehistoric and medieval history, aspects of local society, Galway's relationship with cinema and much more.

Galway

If you are Spanish and you are interested in the Galway – Spain relationship, then you can visit the Spanish Arch, the remainder of a medieval wall that ran from the martin's tower to the left bank of the Corrib. It dates from the XNUMXth century and its objective was to protect ships. In fact, it is by crossing the arch that you enter the Galway City Museum and The Long Walk, an interesting promenade that joins the arch with the docks, as a triumphal entrance to the city.

Galway Museum

Another museum that you may like is the Nora Barnacle Museum, open only in summer dedicated to the writer of Ulysses, James Joycand. The museum is called that because that was the name of his wife. The old Town hall You can also visit, together with the court of justice, what is called in English Court House and Town House. Both date from the early XNUMXth century.

El Bridge Mills it is next to the O'Brien bridge, over the river that crosses Galway; And since we are talking about the river, you can also visit the salmon bridge it was built in 1818, along with the dam. For castles, nothing better than the lynch castle, a huge and majestic mansion belonging to one of the twelve tribes of Galway. Today it stands on the corner of Abbey Gate and Shop Street.

Lynch Castle, Galway

La shop street It is from the XNUMXth century and is even older. Church of Saint Nicholas, founded in 1320 by the same Lynch family. Columbus even visited it in 1477. On the other hand, there is the Galway cathedral, the largest stone building in Europe, between Renaissance, Romanesque and Gothic.

And if art is your thing more than history, you can visit the Galway Arts Center, with its two spacious galleries, workshops and classes. Or, in case you like the theater, there is the Mick Lally Theater which works in an old tea warehouse, today the home of the Druid Theater Company.

Galway cathedral

The rest of the activities may vary if you go in summer or winter. For a sunny day you can visit the Salthill boardwalk and its beach. Walking under the open sky is the best and if you're not scared of walking two miles you can head up to the Burren in County Clare, something the local people have been doing for centuries. You can too walk through the Latin Quarter, one of the best walks.

salthill

El Galway Aquarium it has sharks, crustaceans and much more. Even a huge whale skeleton and a special bio zone with species from Africa and the Amazon. This place is great to go on a rainy day.

Now, one can also go for a walk in the outskirts, not far away. Only 25 minutes from the city is the Brigit's Garden, a garden based on the Celtic calendar and dedicated to the goddess Brigit. There are many paths, woods and wild flowers - four gardens representing the old Irish festivals. there is also Connemara, beautiful and picturesque destination if there are Movies like The quiet man, with mountains, lakes and that typical Irish green everywhere.

Brigit's Garden

La Kylmore Abbey and its castle that is reflected on the waters of the lake are postcard. It is the home of the benedictine nuns and on the property there is a neo-Gothic church with a picturesque Victorian garden. And you can go have tea with scones. A delight.

In Galway Bay there are also the Aran Islands. Inis Mór is the largest and has a prehistoric fort, Inis Meáin, and there is also Inis Oirr, with its little beaches and the Plassy shipwreck, sunk in the 60s. You can reach these islands by ferry all year round, but you must go to Rossaveal, which is 38 kilometers from Galway.

kylmore

Your days in Galway must end somewhere Ads, please. There is no visit to Ireland without a good Irish beer, a Guinness. For a classic, there's Crane Bar, a colorful corner pub in Galway's West End, with live music. There is also the 150-year-old Taaffes, the Tig Cóilí, with musical sessions every day, even visited by the English royal family, and the Róisín Dubh, on the Eglinton Canal.

Galway

I don't know if you can, but for me the best thing you can do in Ireland is rent a car and explore the island to your heart's content. Do, for example, Wild Atlantic Way, from the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in Cork. This spectacular coastal route passes right through Galway.


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