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The Quiet Professional
@erichultgren Lets do the “Quiet Professional” from Four Branches Bourbon
♬ original sound - Eric Hultgren
Ireland day 5 Galway
My son enjoyed his sleep as we missed breakfast, but all of us caught up on rest which is a part of this trip to tend to forget to do. Angie and I got takeaway (such a better term than take-out) coffee and got the kids out the door by 11a. We found a fun sweets shop and we shared a Whamm bar. Taffy? Not sure. I can tell you it was bubble gum with sour in the middle. Afterwards, the kids really wanted these Ireland shirts so we grabbed a shirt for both. It is unseasonably hot today in Galway…more on that later.
For lunch we let them check out McDonald’s which is wild. The relationship the Irish have with sugar is fascinating. A Happy Meal cannot get anything but milk, water, or sugar-free soda, the most you can have is 4 nuggets (fish or chicken) and you have to get veg or fruit with fries. That is either cucumber or grapes and apples. There is even a book you can take to see all the calories and allergens. There is so much they do that I adore when it comes to food. The only can of Mountain Dew I saw was at a sweet shop if that tells you anything about what they think of that sugary delight.
Angie and I had a recommendation to eat fish and chips at the legendary McDonagh’s which is caught fresh and fried…it was the best I’ve ever had. I love how much pride they took in this shop because the fish they plated for us, the owner didn’t like how they turned out so made them drop a new order of fish, which is something you hardly see in the States. The chips however were just okay, until you added the malt vinegar and then they were an entirely different animal, wow 🤯
The night before the porter at our hotel gave us a notated map with all his favorite spots in Galway. With that in hand like a D&D campaign we set off to walk to the Cathedral which is an old Gaol (prison) but ended up in Salthill where the kids and I got into the ocean 🌊 no swimsuits but we still met the ocean on the west coast of Ireland. If I had one thing, I would love to see more of it is wayfinding. The signage tends to be sparse and usually a block away from where you are going and thus, not that helpful. However, once you understand these cities you hardly need it – Ireland is very walkable.
We walked back towards the city and the correct path to the Cathedral stopping at the playgrounds of which there are many (another thing I love) for the kids to burn off some steam. The Cathedral itself is hard to describe because it takes your breath away and not just because it was a prison designed to cage away humans and now serves as a vessel to grant freedom to humans through Christ - but the design is stunning, in fact, it’s absolutely beautiful. The only thing that might compare is Grace Cathedral in San Francisco but it really isn’t even close due to the age and energy of this place.
We walked back along the River Corrib into the West End of Galway so the kids could get ice cream. They all got Gelato at Gino’s but I had to visit our friends from Dingle, Murphy’s. In line they allow you to try anything you’d like but we had been there the night before. Instead, I asked the gentleman working what was HIS favorite combo. He lit up as he told me when he was a kid they would have something called a loop-de-loop which was lime and chocolate (technically it is an ice cream bar with lemon-lime sorbet dipped in chocolate) so he said “Wait here” and he brought me lemon-lime sorbet and the chocolate whiskey made with Teeling’s whiskey 🥃 and said to eat them at the same time….this is why I ask because it was brilliant and I would never have gotten to that combo in a million years. So, at the counter, the woman asked for my order and I told her, she also smiled and whispered “That’s my favorite” For context, the shop is slammed with people and here I am in on a secret with two of the staff sharing a childhood memory. If you ever want to know why I love travel so much it’s because of moments like this.
After 9.2 miles of walking, we spent a few minutes resting back at the hotel. We all know that we are likely getting pizza from The Dough Bros again because it was out of this world. But for a minute let’s pretend we are trying something new.
We went back into the city and Angie and I had a Harp, a Smithwick’s, a Guinness, and Porn Star Martini which is a cocktail love here and you can get in every pub. Outside Taaffes, we met Tom from Galway who shared stories about his work and family farm and then we met a couple from Iowa along with a group from Traverse City who are biking across the country which is wild. Tom told me what many Irish will tell you which is that Temple Bar is a total miss but I’m not sure I can’t go there. The kids had some free time around Main Street while we chatted up the locals and then it was dinner at The Dough Bros.
We got a table this time at The Dough Bros and ordered Garlic bread Pepp dila jala Hey pesto and a Margarita I am not sure I will stand for any other pizza ever again. Why? Well, it might be the city or the trip but there is just something about these perfectly constructed pies that I cannot get enough of. If you are in Galway, I can guarantee you two things, you will have the time of your life because the city is electric, and no trip is complete without that pizza in your itinerary.
Ireland day 4 Tralee to Galway
Woke up again in the castle I am going to miss this place - It was such a magical place. We said goodbye to the staff, who were fantastic. but mostly we said goodbye to the dogs. I am fairly confident will have a wolfhound before year’s end.
We are heading to Galway today and to each local, we say that to, their eyes light up in a way that has us very excited. We got a tip last night from one of the staff at the castle to head to Tarbert and take the ferry across the Shannon estuary to Killimer to save some time and add to the adventure. It is surreal to think 4 days ago what my prowess was with driving in Ireland and now I am getting a car on a boat and crossing a body of water as part of the Wild Atlantic Way, too cool.
Our stop today, the Cliffs of Moher.
It is saying something to say the cliffs are breathtaking from the parking lot, but if you can drive a car up to a series of cliffs 700 ft above the ocean created 320 million years ago – it is bound to have that effect. There is an Irish proverb “To be Irish is to stand as tall as the cliffs with a soul as deep as the ocean” and if there is a sentence that captures the spirit of the people and the mystique of the cliffs, that is it. As you might imagine, the cliffs are rich in mythology, stories of mermaids and stolen cloaks, the lost city of Kilstiffen, the warriors of Red Branch, witches, and the leap of foals. You feel every one of those stories here, with the ocean battering the cliffs below and a light fog playing hide and seek with portions of the cliffs it creates a geological siren song.
Once on the cliffs, there are 800 meters of paved path and we stuck to them looking out to the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, a local even told us you could see Galway itself on clearer days. After we hiked in one direction we opted to head towards O’Brien’s Tower - which is absolutely a must. The tower was constructed in 1835 as an observation point for tourists which is interesting since it has the appearance of being much older. It is also said to have been a teahouse, a folly, or a structure to impress the women Sir Cornelius O’Brien was courting at the time. Whatever the story you must see the views from the tower.
Most of Ireland has its own soundtrack and the Cliffs of Moher is no different, there are buskers everywhere adding to the feeling you are in a movie.
Back on the road we stopped in Lisdoovarna outside of Doolin which was a ghost town and the restaurant we found our way into was empty. Usually, that would be a sign to keep going but Angie had a feeling so we stuck around and the proprietor eventually came out to seat us. As it turns out this city is a respite for Ukrainian refugees so there are no rooms available for tourists ostensibly destroying and chance of travelers to stay there while visiting the cliffs. The second-order effects of the decisions of a government and how that impacts the people they are serving are always interesting. The restaurant we are in is called the Ritz Hotel they have an incredible burger which was absolutely worth the stop. Back in the car and on to Galway which is a BUSY city compared to the other cities we have visited:
Speaking of cities visited:
Dublin
Kilkenny
Cashel
Tralee
Dingle
Brandon creek
Tarbert
Kilimer
Doolin
Lisdoonvarna
Galway
We spent the evening touring Galway’s high street district where I got a book from Charlie Byrne’s, a famous booklover’s bookstore. The book I grabbed was about a philosophy teacher with a pet wolf and was surprising in all the ways a book can be. They were doing a reading there from Pat Dargan from the Royal Institute of Architects about the history of Galway, which meant it was a closed event, so I had to shop quickly. The kids got ice cream from Murphy’s this incredible spot from Dingle and once again there are buskers everywhere, so the city feels alive. It is so fun to see all the different artists and styles of music on the streets and in the pubs. We had a pint at Quay’s (pronounced Keys) or at least I did which I recommend as its one of the places you should drink in Galway. After our drinks, my wife found a long cue for a pizza shop called Dough Bros. As it turns out Dough Bros is one of the top 15 pizza shops in the world, which is a lesson – if you see a long queue at a restaurant you should get in that line and see what happens. I say this because Dough Bros might be the best pizza I’ve ever had. We took our pie to go and ate pizza in Eyre Square while Jack played at the playground before heading back to the hotel so I could read more about owning a wolf while teaching philosophy and the rest could drift off to pizza-induced comas.
