Galway

Galway

The next morning we hired a private driver to take us from Killarney to Galway with a stop at the Cliffs of Moher. We were lucky enough to get Jack with Killarney Tour and Taxi Services, and he couldn’t have been more perfect. He was very personable, knowledgeable, and just an all-around great guy. He knew interesting facts and answered all of our many questions. He took us on a 20-minute ferry ride with Shannon Ferry to Clare County. Once there we had such a beautiful drive with many stops along the way. We stopped at St. Bridget's Well, the Cliffs of Moher (parked at Guerin’s Path), The Burren, Lahinch, Dunguaire Castle, and finally Galway. The Cliffs of Moher were spectacular. It was a very clear and sunny day. We spent 2 hours walking from one end to the other. We stopped for lunch at The Pier Head Bar and Restaurant in Kinvarra, which had beautiful views and excellent food. It truly was a fantastic day and one of the highlights of our trip to Ireland. 

The next day we spent the day in Galway. We took a 90-minute river cruise with Corrib Princess. It departed from Galway City Centre. It was a guided tour, and they played lovely Irish music on the return. There is an outdoor upper deck and an enclosed lower deck. It was very relaxing. After the cruise we explored Galway, stopping in different storefronts, listening to musicians play on the streets, and visiting the Spanish Arch. Later that evening we had a great dinner at Saugus, a tapas restaurant, and then a nice evening walk along the canals. 

Our last day in Galway turned out to be one of our favorites. We took the Aran Island Ferries to Inis Mor. The cost was 88 euro for two of us. It included a cruise along the Cliffs of Moher on the return. The day could not have been more perfect. Once we arrived on Inis Mor there were taxis and horse-drawn carriages waiting to take us on a tour of the island. You can just walk up to any one of them. They want to fill their car first before starting the tour. The cars charge $20/person. We were so lucky to have found Patrick. There was another group of 6 so we all went together as the car held 8 people. He takes you around the island and told us such interesting information. The island has a population of only 800 people. The bank is only open 2 days a week. There is one post office and one grocery store. You can only own a house on the island if you are from the island or marry into a family that is from the island. Our first stop was at the Dun Aonghasa Fort, which is over 3000 years old.  t was a bit of a tough climb with the rocky pathway but once you reached the top, it was pure beauty looking over the cliffs. Once we walked back, we had a wonderful lunch at Teach Nan Phaidi Café–highly recommend; very affordable and so good. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. Patrick came back to pick us up and continued driving us around the island, making stops along the way to take pictures. It was truly a magical day. We then took the ferry back to Galway. The ferry goes along the Cliffs of Moher so it was nice to see it from a different perspective. We got an added bonus as the Irish coast guard helicopter did a training session with the ferry and we got to witness them lowering someone onto the boat and then retrieving them back. It was amazing to watch. When we returned to Galway we had a wonderful dinner at Ruibin, which was located close to the ferry. We ordered a number of small dishes from their bar menu. This was one of our favorite days. 

Our last day in Galway we had a lovely morning breakfast at Mr. Waffle and then walked around and visited Galway University. Such a beautiful building. We then took the GoBus ($28 for 2 people) back to Dublin, which was 3½ hours but very comfortable and easy. It dropped us off in the city center. We had our last dinner at Tomahawk Steakhouse, which was where we also had our first dinner 2 weeks earlier. It is still my favorite restaurant. We also took our Covid test while at our hotel using the BinaxNOW tests that I ordered when I was in the U.S., and we did the video monitoring through emed.com. We were both negative; yay!!! I was able to set up everything on the Verifly app. 

Our last morning we arrived at Dublin airport very early due to the delays the airport had been having in getting customers through security on time. You actually go through both TSA and U.S. Customs in Dublin, so be sure to allow yourself extra time. Due to my daughter’s injured foot, we had set up for special services ahead of time. They provide a wheelchair and walk you through security. OCS is the company in Dublin Airport for wheelchairs. You can call them on 00353 1 814 5902 or e-mail them at prm@ocsireland.com