Into the West

Galway Weekend

I was really looking forward to this past weekend because I was finally going to get to see Galway! All of the Irish here have had such great things to say about the city by the bay that I was anxious to go and check it out.

I was met at Galway Bus Station Friday afternoon by Matt holding a bouquet of calla lilies. I was starving so we stopped at a pub and grabbed some dinner before heading to his apartment. We met up with some of his friends and went out to club 'Cuba'. Friday nights aren't a popular night to go out in Ireland mostly because the Irish students go home on the weekends, and you don't find too many tourists at clubs. Thus, it was pretty empty, but still a lot of fun. Especially the part where I was dancing and just fell over.. not out of drunkenness, just plain, old clumsiness.

Saturday "morning" (it was actually 1 pm when we got up, even though I thought it was around 10 am), we went on a River Tour of the River Corrib, which runs right through Galway. It was a really beautiful tour, but we ended up going inside halfway through because it was really cold this weekend. Luckily there was some Irish coffee to warm us up :) There was a lot of beautiful scenery and old ruins, and of course cows along the river. I also got to see some of Matt's school, the National University of Ireland, Galway. When we got back from the cruise we met up with some of Matt's friends and went out to dinner before heading out to the pubs. We went to a pub called the Quays, which was my favorite pub in Ireland thus far. Even though it was ridiculously overcrowded, and with older people (tourists mostly), it was great craic. We saw some of my friends from Limerick while we were out, so clearly it was the place to be ;)

The inside kind of resembled a church, with stained glass windows and interesting woodwork. After the Quays, I was pretty tired, so we called it a night.

Sunday we walked around the city. We went to Matt's school, which was mostly under construction so there wasn't a whole lot to see. But there was one really cool building, the "Quadrangle Building", which was built in local limestone in a Tudor Gothic style. It's actually a replica of Christ Church at the University of Oxford and was the original University that opened in 1849. There's only a few lectures held there and is used as offices, mostly. But it's cool to see a piece of history in such mint condition.

Then we went into the Galway Cathedral, which we had seen from the boat on the river tour. It was absolutely beautiful inside. I was surprised at its age, because most impressive architectural buildings date back quite a bit, but this cathedral was just built in the late 1950's. The interior was almost entirely mosaic work (including a random mosaic of JFK) and marble, and there was an incredible organ along with some impressive stained-glass windows.

Galway is a very compact city with lots of character, which was a nice contrast to Limerick. Although there is a lot to do in Limerick, it is very spread out and somewhat difficult to navigate. Plus, it has a more business-y feel to it versus Galway which has the cobblestone streets the tiny shops. I guess Galway is to Limerick as Boston is to New York.

Everything is close together and very different. There are pubs, clubs, cafes, bakeries, gift shops, stores, street performers; everything in one place. We even found someone singing 'Galway Girl'! "Well I took a stroll on the old long walk of the day i-ay i-ay!". There was also a little market in an alley way selling little crafts and things. Matt found a necklace that said "Celine" on it there, which I was very surprised but excited for! I've never had anything with my name on it!

We also went inside the Claddagh Ring Museum and learned about the history of the ring and it's symbolism:

"A fisherman named Richard Joyce, shortly before he was due to be married, was captured at sea by pirates and sold into slavery in Algeria. He became the property of a rich Moorish goldsmith who decided to train him in his craft. Joyce became a fully proficient master craftsman and, with thoughts of the girl he had left behind close to his heart, he fashioned the first Claddagh Ring. The heart symbolizing love the pair of hands representing friendship, and the crown for loyalty and fidelity. In 1698, King George III agreed to release all of his subjects held in slavery, making Richard Joyce a free man. He returned home to Galway, presented the ring to his love and they were married"

We were hoping to get into the Galway Museum but 'twas closed.. So we walked down by the bay and all through the city center before returning to Matt's apartment to make some chicken parm followed by some delicious chocolate tartes.

Sunday isn't a big night to go out for a younger crowd either, so we decided to head out to the movies. We saw "The Town", a movie about Charlestown, which was really weird to watch while in Ireland. Especially because a lot of it showed a lot of the North End, so I was like "hey, I've been there! and there!". They definitely shot on Charter Street. Crazzzy! It was a good movie though. And it was nice for my liver to have a night off. The Boston accents were a nice reminder of home. It made me want to pahk my cah in the hahvad yahd and watch tha sox game.

All in all, it was a really great weekend. I hadn't seen Matt for three weeks, so it was really nice to spend some time with him. The next time I see him we will be on our way to Italy! Time is flying here, but everyday it gets better and better.

Éire Grá