Galway City and Cliffs of Moher

The last time I blogged I was in Dublin, so I have a lot of updates for you! After Dublin I traveled to Galway where I was staying in the Kinlay House Hostel (right in the center of Galway city off of Eyre Square). Galway is often considered the "heart" of Western Ireland and is known for its numerous cobblestone lanes and village atmosphere that invites various musicians, artists, and writers every year. Galway also has a number of renowned festivals (particularly music and arts festivals), although none were going on when I was visiting. For anyone thinking of visiting, you should time your visit to conicide with the annual Cuirt Poetry & Literature Festival which is scheduled for April of each year and features poetry readings, book signings, and theatrical performances.

On my first day in Galway I decided to just explore the city. The city itself is very walkable and I found that it was a lot smaller than I had expected (although maybe this was because I had just come from Dublin). Some of the main streets looked a lot like Dublin, but it was really the back roads and streets where the shops and stores were interesting. I found a bookstore that seemed to have every single edition of Time and National Geographic magazines available. I also found some rare Yeats books in a vaulted case. I was interested in seeing them, but the owner was reluctant to open the glass cabinets unless I was "extremely serious" about purchasing them. (Which I was not since I didn't have the money!) A few hours later just before dinner, I came across a Japanese restaurant "Kapa-ya." I had been craving rice and Japanese food, so I decided to splurge and ordered katsudon, which was really very good. I was surprised! The owner/cook is actually from Japan and didn't speak much English, so I thanked him in Japanese and he seemed appreciative.

The next day I took a day tour of the Cliffs of Moher. I was trying to resist pricey bus tours, but the Galway countryside is just too huge and there was no way I could see the coastline without a car. The cliffs are really beautiful, probably one of my favorite places in Ireland so far. (My favorite is still the summit of Knocknarea in County Sligo!) During a visit, you're able to walk along the edge and peer over the craggy limestone cliffs. Peering down the 203m was a test of my fear of heights! I'll have to update more later with pictures from the Aran Islands.

Here's a poem to conclude by Julie O'Callaghan (who gave a poetry reading at the Yeats Summer School). I can certainly relate to the poem:

Leaving Home

The first night
you’ll lie face-down and cry.
That helps to clear your head.
In the morning, you aren’t sure
what to do about breakfast
since you’re in a strange house.
You unfold the map
your father gave you
and follow the mark
of his felt-tip pen
along the outlines of streets
that seemed impossible
to imagine last week
but now stalk right outside.

-Julie O’Callaghan