Galway, Ireland 2026

I was determined to visit Galway, which is described as Ireland’s “bohemian cultural heart, famous for its vibrant street music, medieval history, and lively pub scene,” and because the Galway races take place during the last week in July, I chose to go the week before. Now that we knew our way around Cork, it took only a few minutes to reach the bus stop for a three hour trip that was fairly scenic.

Arms of the Martin family, one of the Tribes of Galway (1641)

We took a taxi to the Radisson, dropped our bags in the room, and walked about a mile to town. Having greatly enjoyed our walking tour in Cork, Susan booked us one in Galway that would start from outside the Tourism office at 2. We got a lunch recommendation from a grumpy fellow who did not seem happy at being in a people-facing role, so we walked through the Spanish Arch (built in 1584, it is a surviving fragment of the city's medieval fortifications) and over the River Corrib to a friendly pub called Monroe’s.

The Spanish Arch

Then we retraced our steps and visited the Galway City Museum, which has exhibits from prehistoric Galway to the present but I was interested in the descriptions of the de Burgo family, Normans who basically conquered the province in the 12th and 13th centuries and built a stone castle (wooden structures which had been popular were too vulnerable to fire). The family established the walled town at Galway and imposed tolls on the citizens to finance building the walls, which were not appreciated.  The Museum also had an exhibit on President Kennedy's visit to Galway.

Galway Cathedral

The walking tour took us from the Spanish Arch which was part of the original city wall on the bank of the River Corrib, built to protect the city's quays. During the Middle Ages, the city operated almost like an independent city-state governed by 14 elite merchant families known as the Tribes of Galway. These merchants focused on international trade, making Galway Ireland's premier port for continental Europe—especially Spain, France, and Portugal. We passed the Long Walk (which was quite short), a picturesque street near the river. featuring a row of colorful 18th-century houses, and walked up the main tourist drag, Quay Street, a pedestrian zone with shops and street musicians, which runs from the edge of the Latin Quarter up to Eyre Square, near the bus and train stations. When we reached Eyre Square, the guide told us President Kennedy’s visit to Galway (June 29, 1963) took place there; thousands of people squeezed in and tried to shake his hand, as he was awarded the Freedom of the City and famously remarked that you could see Boston if you looked west across Galway Bay. He also said:

I wonder if you could perhaps let me know how many of you here have a relative in America, who you would admit to – if you would hold up your hand? I don’t know what it is about you that causes me to think that nearly everybody in Boston comes from Galway. They are not shy about it, at all.

We doubled back and walked by the river, and he pointed out church spires in the distance. There was an art festival going on, also a giant tent used for summer concerts as Galway has no venue big enough for large concerts (although there was a football stadium near the hotel). The guide was not familiar with Dervla McTiernan so I asked about other authors who set books locally and he mentioned one called Galway Confidential. He also recommended ice cream at Murphy’s, which we got before going to see Galway Cathedral on our own.  We did encounter quite a few street performers and our guide said his college-age daughter is a busking musician.

The guide had told us the Cathedral was modern but until we got there, it didn’t sink in that it had been started in the 1950s; it is considered the last of Europe's great stone cathedrals. Dedicated to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, it was designed with some Renaissance details mixed with the Romanesque and Gothic traditions. While I prefer a more traditional style, there was something intriguing about this cathedral and when I read that Cardinal Richard Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, served as the papal legate who officially blessed and dedicated the Cathedral in 1965, I guessed that Boston had helped with fundraising. Indeed, Irish emigrants and clergy in the US, mostly in Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, contributed £139,000, including about £60,000 from Cardinal Cushing. Pope Pius XII only sent £2,000 (cheapskate).

On the Cliffs of Moher, looking toward O'Brien's Tower

Connemara marble covers most of the internal floors. The altars are made from marble imported from Italy and Portugal. The timber ceilings are made of 1,000-year-old red cedar from northern California, of all places. Mahogany for the 140 benches (to seat 1,500 people) was imported from West Africa. Like most important buildings in Galway, the cathedral was constructed in limestone from local quarries. The stones are visible inside as well as outside “so that worshippers can be reminded that they themselves are living stones which build up the majestic structure of the House of God,” Bishop Browne wrote in 1967. He also pointed out that the Cathedral “can now be seen from a distance on all the main roads approaching Galway, but especially it can be seen for many miles out at sea on Galway Bay.” I think this was meant as a tribute to the city’s seafaring history.

O'Brien's Tower

Boston’s recently retired Cardinal Sean O’Malley was invited to celebrate a 50th anniversary Jubilee Mass in 2015 and described it in his blog. It is a pity I missed the portrait of Cardinal Cushing and the mosaic of President Kennedy in the Resurrection Chapel (a bit over the top, don’t you think, but that was after his visit).

from the Tower

Wednesday was primarily dedicated to visiting the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, formed over 320 million years ago and named after a 1st-century BC fort called "Mothar". They are stunning and have served as a natural barrier, lookout point, and, since the 19th century, a major tourist destination. We took a public bus very early (this trip was short on sleep) that took just over two hours. We were very lucky with the weather - the sun was shining and it wasn’t too windy, so we had an impressive walk along the trail that provides exposed clifftop views by O'Brien's Tower and beyond, although part of the coastal walk was shut down for repairs.

Susan and Constance on the Cliffs

When we got back to Galway, we ate at the Galway Bakery Company, near Eyre Square, which was not a bakery at all but an old-fashioned sort of cafeteria style restaurant serving a “carvery lunch.” This consisted of a roast, mash (potatoes), and a vegetable concoction I had to ask about several times before I understood that it was a combination of pureed carrots and turnips. Okay then.

We also spent quite a bit of time at Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, billed as Galway's finest (the staff were nice but I just bought one book from the €3 shelf.  We were too full of roast and mash for dinner but had drinks at the Radisson’s rooftop bar.

The only disaster of the week took place on the bus heading to Galway when I realized I had two hotel reservations and had forgotten to cancel one before the deadline. Even worse, as I scrolled puzzledly on my phone, I canceled the wrong one - the one that was closer to town center for Tuesday through Thursday, leaving us with the farther away hotel for Wednesday through Friday. I realize now it was because I booked one with Expedia and one with Booking.com. Fortunately, I was able to move the W-F reservation up a day and because I joined the Radisson Frequent Guest program from the bus, they not only let us check in early but upgraded us to a nicer room with air conditioning and robes (and a luggage rack - what luxury!).

We liked the Claddagh Heart dessert
at the Radisson!