One of the great things about the city is that there's always something on, writes MAURA PENDERGAST, who believes there's no better place to go
IT STRUCK ME as strange when I moved to Galway that nobody asked why I had decided to settle there. Galwegians, I now realise, wouldn’t see the point in such a question, because they believe, with an unshakeable conviction, that there is nowhere better to live. And, having spent the past few years in the City of the Tribes, I am inclined to agree with them. There is something special about the place. Andrew Flynn of Galway Arts Centre calls it “a party atmosphere that strangers notice straight away . . . It’s palpable. If there’s something on you can feel it . . . Everyone knows.”
And one of the great things about Galway is that there is always something on. For a city with just over 70,000 inhabitants it has an incredible six theatre venues and 10 professional theatre groups, including Garry Hynes’s Druid and the flamboyant street-theatre group Macnas. On top of that, the city hosts a series of acclaimed festivals every year. Everyone you meet seems to paint, write, act or play an instrument, and most of the coffee shops double as art galleries or venues for writers and poets. An amazing 63 per cent of the population is under 35. Throw in 20,000 students and you get some idea why the place seems to hum.
A striking characteristic of Galwegians is that they join in whatever is going on. Whether it’s a duck race for the Poor Clares or a play in the town hall, locals turn out in droves. This is what made the Volvo Ocean Race stopover such a success last May. Hundreds of people volunteered to help out, and more than half of the 650,000 spectators were locals who turned up not once but, on average, four times during the two-week festival.
It is this vibrancy, this joie de vivre, that appeals to visitors who come for the oysters or the horse racing and end up staying for the party atmosphere. Anyone who spends an hour wandering the city's medieval streets will soon forget any other world exists. This is Galway's unique appeal. It is not a place to do but a place to be.
Having said that, there are many attractions for visitors. One of the newest is the boardwalk that runs along the Corrib from the cathedral to the Claddagh Basin. It makes for a wonderful stroll on a bright day. The Claddagh, an ancient fishing village, is home of the Claddagh ring and the Spanish Arch – or Sparch, as teenagers have taken to calling it. It dates back to 1584 and is a great place to soak up the views and marvel as skateboarders dice with death at the water’s edge.
Behind the arch is the new city museum, which is worth popping into for the beauty of the building alone. Also here is the famous, and much-painted, long walk. This is the most picturesque landmark of the city – a promontory of pastel houses standing shoulder to shoulder against the fierce Atlantic winds.
The newly, and controversially, refurbished Eyre Square is also worth visiting. It was presented to the city by Mayor Edward Eyre in 1710 with a stipulation that it be open to the public. The tall sculpture at the north end represents the distinctive russet-coloured sails of the Galway hooker, the area’s traditional sailing boat. Behind it are 14 flag poles, each one representing one of the Tribes – the rich merchant families that brought wealth and prosperity to the city from the 13th century. Some of the names, such as Lynch, Joyce and Browne, are still common in the area. It was Oliver Cromwell who first used the term the Tribes. He intended it as an insult, but the families adopted it with pride.
The centuries-old weekend market on Church Lane is a lively and colourful experience. Dozens of stalls sell food and local crafts. It’s a great place to amble and join in the banter. Try Mick Silke’s delicious pancakes, served with wit from a van, or a doughnut dipped in oil on your command. As you follow the market around by St Nicholas’s Church look out for a window marked with a skull and crossbones. This is the site of one of Galway’s most enduring legends. It is said that from this window Mayor James Lynch hanged his son in 1493 for murdering a Spanish man who was working for the family. This being Galway, there is the alternative, and more likely, legend that the son skipped the country while some vagrant was hanged in his stead.
For shoppers the pedestrianised Shop Street is the centre of commercial activity. Most of the art galleries have moved out of town to Liosbán industrial estate, but Charlie Byrne’s book shop remains on Middle Street and is a great place to take five. Be warned, though: you could easily lose a day among its 50,000 volumes.
For dining and entertainment Quay Street is a hum of life from midday until the early hours. The street and those off it are lined with pubs and restaurants, so whenever you’re feeling peckish you’ll be spoiled for choice. At night many of the pubs – the Quays, the King’s Head, the Crane Bar and the Róisín Dubh – have live music.
For the morning after the night before, there’s nothing for it but breakfast at Busker Brownes, on Cross Street. It has a jazz session every Sunday, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Afterwards, to work off the breakfast, take the marked trail from the Claddagh to Salthill. The walk will provide sobering air and spectacular views of Galway Bay. Join the locals and walk the prom, making sure to kick the wall when you reach the end.
Then delay your departure until you have witnessed the sun going down on Galway Bay. By then you’ll be convinced that Galwegians are right: there is no better place to be.|
Where to stay, where to eat, where to go and where to shop if you're in the City of the Tribes
Where to stay
Radisson Blu. Lough Atalia, 091-538300, radissonhotel galway.com. Light and airy four-star hotel overlooking the lough. Close to train station and city centre. Expect comfort and friendly service. Doubles from €150.
The G Hotel. Wellpark, 091-865200, theghotel.ie. Glamorous five-star boutique hotel with extravagant interiors designed by Philip Treacy. One for the ladies, this. A short taxi ride from the city centre. Doubles from €190.
Jury’s Inn. Quay Street, 091-566444, jurysinns.com. Centrally located. Lively until the early hours. Rooms from €89, excluding breakfast.
The Ardilaun Hotel. Taylor’s Hill, 091-521433, theardilaunhotel.ie. Friendly, family-run four-star hotel known for its hospitality, about 1,500m from the city centre. Doubles from €130.
Spanish Arch. Quay Street, 091-569600, spanisharchhotel.ie. Centrally located within walking distance of all the main attractions and entertainment venues. Not a place for an early night. Rooms from €64.
Where to eat
Cava. Dominick Street, 091-539884, cavarestaurant.ie. Best tapas in Ireland, according to food critic Tom Doorley.
Sheridan’s. Galway Docks, 091-564905, sheridansonthe docks.ie. Adventurous, edgy food with a large selection of wines available by the glass. Nab a window seat for waterside views.
McDonagh’s. 22 Quay Street, 091-565001, mcdonaghs.net. This legendary establishment has been serving fish and chips for four generations. Sit outside on the cobbled street amid the medieval buildings and breathe in the salty Atlantic air.
The Parlour at Griffin’s Bakery. 21 Shop Street, 091-563683. This award-winning bakery, the oldest family business in Galway, has recently opened a tea room. Enjoy the freshest sambos served by cosy fires under the watchful eyes of generations of Griffin bakers.
Vina Mara. 19 Middle Street, 091-561610, vinamara.com. Sophisticated food to suit all tastes served in a warm atmosphere.
Where to go
Galway City Museum. Spanish Arch, 091-532460, galwaycitymuseum.ie. Housed in a spectacular building, this museum tells the story of Galway through artefacts dating back to medieval times. An eight-metre-long Galway hooker is suspended in the atrium. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
Nora Barnacle Museum. 8 Bowling Green, 091-564743, norabarnacle.com. This two-room house is where Nora Barnacle, wife of James Joyce, lived with her mother and six siblings until she moved to Dublin, in 1904. Joyce holidayed here in 1909 and 1912. The house is decorated as it would have been at the turn of the 20th century.
Leisureland. Salthill Promenade, 091-521455. leisureland.ie. Swimming, water slides and amusements for both wet and sunny days. Funfair in summer. Open seven days.
Galway Atlantaquaria. Salthill Promenade, 091-585100, national aquarium.ie. A treat for little marine and scientific explorers. Hold a starfish in your hand, marvel at the size of a whale eye and learn the story of the Bradán. Open every day. Family ticket €29.
Cultural event. There’s always something on in Galway whether it’s a street parade, a show, oyster tasting or horse racing. See galwaytourism.ie.
Where to shop
Shop Street and the streets off it. Check out the new and striking centre at Newtownsmith for up-to-the- minute fashions and I-have-to- have-it home decor. Sip a latte behind the triple-height floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the River Corrib.
Make a date if you're planning a visit to Galway this year
Connemara Ultra-Marathon
April 11th
If you’re up for a challenge, then why not try this run through 63km of Connemara’s most dramatic scenery – mountains, glacier lakes, heathery wilderness and sleepy villages? The event sold out last year, with 3,600 entrants from 31 countries. If youre not up to the ultra-marathon, you could always do the normal or half-marathons that are run the same day. connemarathon.com.
Cúirt International Festival of Literature
April 20th-25th
For 25 years the Cúirt festival has been hosting some of the greatest names in literature – JM Coetzee, Seamus Heaney, Ian McEwan, Irvine Welsh, Sebastian Barry, John McGahern and Annie Proulx, among others – but it is the intimate interplay between author and reader that gives this week-long festival its oomph. Expect readings, masterclasses and discussions where big minds and personalities discuss big topics. Rub shoulders with famous authors in the city’s streets and pubs. Enjoy convivial QA sessions with your favourite writers. Programme details to be announced soon. galwayartscentre.ie/cuirt.
Galway Arts Festival
July 12th-25th
Irelands foremost arts festival. Vibrant, colourful and exuberant, this mix of dance, theatre, visual arts and music has the city humming for two weeks every July. In the words of the latest Lonely Planetguide, "hop aboard for a thrilling ride", and dont miss the Macnas street parade – Galways answer to the Mardi Gras. Programme available in late May. galwayartsfestival.com.
Galway Races
July 26th-Aug 1st
The most sociable fixture in the Irish racing calendar, featuring champagne tents, oyster bars, jazz bands, frocks, food and, oh yes, horses. The Galway Races festival is a unique social event that is as much about the craic as it is about racing. Book early. galwayraces.com.
Galway Early Music Festival
May 28th-30th
An unusual festival celebrating music and dance from the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. Expect religious chants of mystics, dance epidemics of the Middle Ages and renaissance vocal music – all celebrated in the medieval surroundings of old Galway. galwayearlymusic.com.
Galway Film Fleadh
July 6th-11th
Watching the Irish premier of Intermission, with Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy and Neil Jordan sitting behind me, in the intimate surroundings of Galway's Town Hall Theatre was an unforgettable experience. This is the kind of experience to expect at the 22nd film fleadh, in July. The festival brings together film- makers, film buffs, industry professionals, student film-makers and actors. The programme includes viewings, public interviews, debates and workshops. Guests have included the actors Kathy Bates, Peter O'Toole, Pierce Brosnan and Jeremy Irons and the director Michael Moore. galwayfilmfleadh.com.
Galway International Oyster Festival
September 23rd-26th
One for the gourmets, this. Four days of oyster tasting, gourmet food, Guinness and champagne receptions, and a gala ball. Throw in the world oyster-opening championships, the presentation of the first oysters of the season to the Lord Mayor (a tradition dating back to 1954), the crowning of the festival pearl and a vintage car parade, and you have some idea what’s in store. galwayoysterfest.com.
Galway Theatre Festival
October 25th-31st
In its inaugural year, 2008, The Irish Timeshailed this festival as one of the highlights of the year. Now in its third year, it is becoming a wonderful arena for emerging local and national theatre groups to showcase new and revised work. From a country that produced Synge, Beckett, Friel and Wilde, it's encouraging to see the art of playwriting is alive and well. galwaytheatrefestival.com.