A Gallway Gal for the Long Weekend

The thing I've learnt about Ireland is this: If you have zero expectations, things end up being better than expected, although "excitement" in the Emerald Isle is never a guarantee :p

So when a friend pulled out of going to Dingle for the June long weekend, (don't you just hate people who say "yes" for the sake of saying "yes", when they actually mean "NO",) I jumped at the offer to head up to Galway with my colleague. They were really kind souls to offer given that they are the age of my parents, and I think their friends must have been wondering "who-the-hell-is-this-young-girl-tagging-along"? Yeah, I'm not afraid to admit it; I still don't have a lot of friends over here. And yes, I still refuse to join one of those suspicious looking walking clubs. I can't get the vision of a group of people power walking in unision with matching hiking poles, t-shirts & hats out of my head. Walking clubs are also synonymously known as "match making clubs" over here, which is an absolute no-no for me.

It was the weekend of the Volvo Ocean Race - one of those random events where yachts race around the world every four years, docking in cities that have provided sponsorship.

The little city of Galway was expecting an influx of a quarter of a million visitors that weekend. To be honest, I was lucky to get any accommodation given that I only booked three days before going! I managed to score a four bed hostel room with an ensuite bathroom, and was incredibly lucky that the room was not facing the main street. Noisy drunk people screaming at each other when you're trying to sleep at 2am is not my idea of fun.

Galway in a nut shell is considered the "cultural city" of Ireland. It has a largely young university population and a "hippie" feel with the street buskers along the main drag. Little cafes and coffee shops are plentiful, although one cannot expect a good cup of coffee.

This is Ireland we're talking about, after all.

Obviously, it didn't take me too long to find one of the Murphy's.

With all the festivities, a weekend of entertainment was promised. In Irish terms, this means by day, a family orientated affair with an air show, a few bouncy castles, balloon animals and ice-cream and fast food vans. (Heh, I was convinced for weeks after that the one lone helicopter spotted was the airshow. Apparently it happened on Saturday morning, and I had missed it having arrived in the afternoon.) There was also the yacht race to watch, but as they were a fair distance away from the shore, they just looked as though they were....bobbing in the distance.

(Below: Galway's version of the "London Eye")

There was also a random, seemingly unannounced "parade" consisting of one recycled float from Dublin's St Paddy's Day, (obviously a sign of the bad economy and bad times).

(Spot the Difference: Above: Galway. Below: Dublin, St Patrick's Day.)

The night entertainment was around the docks, and consisted of small stage with a line up of cover bands. The most anticipated song of the night? Galway Girl. Purchasing drinks at the bar took approximately fortyfive minutes as in typical Irish fashion, they only had the one man pulling pints. The intelligent Irish went armed with crates and ordered fourteen pints at one go for their party of three.

A Galway Specific Trivia Question
A Galway Hooker is:
a) A type of boat.
b) A two legged creature wearing PVC clothing purchased from Pennys, and more than likely ginger.
c) A type of beer.

Answer: a & c

When my colleague's husband requested for one of these Hookers, I initially thought he was pulling my leg and trying to set me up for the bar man to laugh and point his finger hysterically at me.

The celebration flowed onto the streets where people enjoyed the unusually fine, sunny weather with their plastic cups of alcoholic beverages. I took to the streets with two Canadian girls on the Sunday night, soaking up the party atmosphere and then retiring around 12:30am when things started getting messy with broken glass and vomit.

(Below: Me hanging out with J & K)


Although it was a special event weekend, the highlight by far was the unseasonably fine weather (at 22C, the Irish were all complaining that it was "sweltering",) and the unusually clear views on the day trip to the Cliff of Moher.


(Above: The Poulnabrone Dolmen Tomb in The Burrens
Below: The Cliffs of Moher)








(Above from left to right: The Cliff of Moher's Audioguide - with Gaeilge Language Option Likely Never Pushed; Dungaire Castle)

(Below: Lisdoonvarna, Famous for it's Match Making Festival in September and the Match Making Bar that proclaims: "Marriage is Made in Heaven.... But Most People Meet in the Matching Making Bar.")


(Below: Paddy Burke's, Clarinbridge; Known for it's Fresh Oysters.)



At the end of the day, an incredible weekend in Ireland is determined by whether the sun is shining, and whether the sky is blue. Perhaps this is all that matters.
No expectations.

xoxo
Closeblonde