Galway, the black sheep of Ireland’s Cities. Full of mystery and devilment, a place not to be missed on anyone’s vacation to Ireland. Its hard to capture the pure Irish essence this place holds in a blog post but we’ll give you the best glimpse inside this weird and wonderful place that we can befor you actually visit.

Galway is steeped in history, from viking remains and monasteries to the spanish armada and the invasion of the normans. You name it this city has it. The cities layout is relatively small and the streets have a clear imprint of a distant viking or norman settlement, wondering and intersecting at what you might consider impractical compared to other city layouts. This is part of Galways unique charm but the other half is the quirky people that roam the streets. Galway has a festival never every weekend during the summer with the majority being focused around arts and performance and as a result attracts a lot of entertaining artists who line the street busking. It’s an experience not to be missed

You’ll find a mix of varieties from international travelers passing through playing some unusual instrument like the ” nyckelharpa” pictured above. Then of course you’ll have your traditional Irish musicians as well dotted between the streets and bars.

Galway has one of the most vibrant night lifes in Ireland with a particular Irish and relaxed vibe. If there is anywhere worth having a night out during your vacation in Ireland it has to be in Galway. You’ll find tasty Guinness, fun locals who are interested in interacting with locals and you’ll be sweeped away by the craic agus ceoil.

For trad music and story telling I’d recommend you try

Tig Coili, shop street

The Crane Bar, sea rd

You’ll also find good music in the, Kings head & Tigh Neachtain’s and many of the other pubs around Galway but the two mentioned above will more than likely have the best music.

So that’s what Galways like but what’s there to do other than get immersed in Irish culture and friendly locals. We’ll there is also plenty to see and do.

There is the Galway City Museum which has hundreds of artifacts that have been found through the city depicting the past and how the city has grown into the hustle and bustle that it is today.

There is the cathedral located at the top of the town with a lovely river side walk available from the from the market.

Finally there is Eyre’s square in what is now the center of the City, but was once an open space in front of the city gates in medieval times