Ireland: Galway & Westport
Overview
It’s been a few years since we were last over to Ireland and we were due for a Celtic adventure. There’s no better place for ancient and modern history, lush green landscape (as well as a lot of rocks), and friendly people willing to engage in some craic. This road trip was planned to coincide with John’s 70th birthday. This trip included a visit to Galway & Connemara, Inishmore, Cong, Westport, Achill Island, as well as a few days in Dublin. As with any vacation / adventure, a good amount of planning ahead of time made for a great experience.
Prices appear to have increased since our last trip, but note according to John, the price of a pint is still affordable, and as any Irishman will tell you, that made it worth the trip. Ireland is busy all year round these days and to avoid the high season, we targeted the first 2 weeks in May – school is still in session and prices aren’t nearly as high as mid-summer. Granted the weather is not quite as warm as July but remember Ireland’s climate is fairly temperate and doesn’t see the drastic swings in temperature as say, Chicago.
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Planning the Road Trip to Galway and Westport
We started the online research and planning 3-4 months prior to leaving and John worked up a spreadsheet to keep track of where, when, what was booked, costs, and side trips. This is a great tool and simple to throw together. You can use anything from a simple calendar, a lined sheet of paper, or get more elaborate with an Excel spreadsheet. Whatever works for you.
Flights were top of the list and we did the usual broad internet search comparing flight times and hotel prices using sites like Expedia, Booking.com and Kayak. Then on to airline travel site including Delta and Aer Lingus and any others that appeared in the general searches.
These will change depending on what part of the country / world you are traveling from. Boomers or not, prices and layovers may affect your decision of when to book. We are big on legroom and comfort, and although a flight out of JFK or Boston to Dublin is only around 5+ hours where an expensive Business Class may not be necessary or is cost prohibitive, springing for Comfort + seats are worth the cost or the extra Frequent Flyer Miles.
Road Trip from Dublin Airport to Galway
We arrived on a Friday at the end of April at a reasonable time at 8am and went to Enterprise Car Rental to collect our reserved manual car (automatics are available too but John felt the need to shift) and headed out to drive across the country to Galway, in the Province of Connacht.
Being early May and off-season, the traffic was not busy and we stopped twice to enjoy the views at Athlone on the Shannon River and Ballinasloe on the River Suck.
Athlone is regarded as the center of Ireland and has been a crucial strategic crossing point on a ford of the River Shannon dating back to 12th century.
Galway City
We wanted a hotel in the city center for convenience — restaurants, pubs, music, and the ability to get out of town to easily explore the area.
We chose the Hotel Hardiman on Eyre Square which is charming and well-appointed with a friendly (its Ireland, everyone is friendly) and attentive staff. There’s nearby parking or valet parking.
Just around the corner is the Eyre Square Hotel where we had a late night meal and then an Irish Breakfast (and both were fabulous), but there are a number of other wonderful hotels to choose from.
Along the seafront and not far from Galway center (to the west) is Salthill, a seaside resort with great views and wide beaches. There are a wide range of guest houses and family accommodations; we stayed at the Salthill Hotel overlooking the sea on our last visit. The delight there was a sing-song on Sunday night where locals stop in for some time with old friends and new and sing along to traditional songs.
“Galway might be Ireland’s most charming city: compact, walkable and filled to the brim with independent shops and restaurants that walk the fine line between cool and kitsch,” says the New York Times.
We think it’s a gem of a city gem known for its energy, art, music, and food (seafood is king and if you like mussels, you came to the right place). The city has a great history over the past 500 years and is known for neighborhoods including The Claddagh, The Spanish Arch, where the River Corrib widens out to Galway Bay (there’s a song there, isn’t there?), and William Street and Quay Street, a famous walking area in the the Latin Quarter known for it’s restaurants, food, music, and bachelor / hen parties. Year-round festivals bring people into Galway as there’s always something fun and interesting to do.
We did a good amount of research and found some great restaurants. The pick of the trip is Oscar’s Seafood Bistro which is across the river from Quay Street and the perfect way to start the vacation. The food was exceptional with a charming interior and great service. Like so many restaurants, reservations are just about necessary. We were there on our first Saturday night in Galway after driving into town from Dublin and sat comfortably sipping really good wine by the glass watching many potential diners turned away due to lack of reservation and limited seating.
I had to pass up the Hake when I saw the Scallops served to another diner. It was a tough choice but the Scallops were large and cooked perfectly in a delicate cream sauce made with crab, spinach, and a hint of bleu cheese. John chose the salmon ceviche and a steak with green pepper sauce. Dinner was so good we looked to get in again but no such luck. John made the reservations before we left and after the flight and the drive, having our first meal in Ireland with great food, ambience, and service really started the trip out well.
Boomer Alert: Restaurants in Ireland, particularly outside Dublin, are compact and fill quickly. To get table at your favorite place, remember to book a table early to avoid disappointment.
Driving to Clifden from Galway City
We enjoy the charm of Clifden from our pre-Covid trip and wanted to make sure we revisited with some time to walk through the streets and have lunch as well. We picked Guy’s Bar and Snug which oddly enough, was where we ate previously. Loved it the first time and worth eating there twice! The interior is charming and the food still great. John will always have the soup of the day and this trip, it was a creamy vegetable, warm and wonderful with beautiful dark bread. He also ordered the Margherita Pizza. Pizza for John is difficult to pass up and although I am not a pizza person, this was as good as the best pizzeria anywhere. A light and crispy crust with nice basil and tomato topping. I had the curry which I probably ordered the first time as I cannot get enough spicy food in Europe at times.
We suggest taking the long route along the coastal roads mostly along the Wild Atlantic Way, and coming back on the N59 main road takes half the time.
Boomer Alert: The roads can become very narrow and you need your full concentration as the locals generally drive with confident speed and skill. It’s a rewarding and breathtaking drive, especially the one-way road at narrow bridges, which is like “a game of chicken”.
Visiting Inishmore – the Aran Islands
We booked tickets online with Aran Island Ferries for the ferry to Inishmore from Rossaveel and did this prior to getting on the plane. Glad John is a planner and it was good to have a plan of action on our second day in Ireland.
The weather, while cloudy and windy, was better than expected and the ferry was a comfortable 45 minute journey. We had planned on an island tour in a horse and trap but changed our minds when the local driver let us know the short ride in these cool breezy conditions would be 100 euros for the two of us! It looked like rain so we declined and also declined the impulse to rent bicycles which are very popular. With the wind and the cool temperatures starting out, it seemed like a lot of work. (Also note, you can bike out but as we observed, biking back toward the harbor up some of the hills, just isn’t as easy as it should be. One 4-some flagged our tour bus down begging for a ride to harbor being tired, but we had nowhere to store their bikes!)
We settled for the warmth of a small tour bus, along with a local knowledgeable driver and guide, Dara Brennan who does tours and will also taxi. Dara grew up on Inishmore (spelling per his card) and can be contacted at darabrennan65@gmail.com or at 086 8344373. He gave us a good background and history of the islands and stopped for us to eat lunch, shop, hike to the prehistoric, clifftop fort Dún Aonghasa, and trample through the remainder of one of the seven churches, the Church of St. Brendan. We stopped at Kilmurvey Beach to view the seal colony, but the seals were taking a day off with the high tide and choppy seas. It happens, I guess.
It’s hard to comprehend the hardship that local people endured in settling on these rocks with no soil to plant or raise livestock. They were industrious enough to port sand and seaweed via donkey up from the sea giving them soil in the future. They still fish in their currachs which are small canoe-like flat-bottom boats. (See the movie The Man of Aran. Long and dramatic but visually and historically good.)
Traditional Music and Dancing in Galway
There are many pubs to enjoy traditional music sessions in Galway including all these popular venues: Tigh Coili, Taafes Bar, The Crane Bar, Tigh Neachtain, An Púcán, Garavans Bar, Monroes Tavern.
We visited Thirteen on the Green across from the Hardiman Hotel and enjoyed a great session, check out the video below:
Not sure when the music starts but it was probably by 8pm. Great music and nice pub!
Road Trip – Galway to Westport
The next leg to our road trip took us from Galway to the beautiful town of Westport in County Mayo. Westport is famous for its seafood restaurants, pubs, and traditional Irish music sessions the most famous of which is Matt Molloy’s pub owned by the renowned flautist of Chieftains fame.
We went through Cong beside Ashford Castle en route to Westport. The roads are good and a easy drive north on the N84, until Headford where you take the R334 to Cong, which is notable because:
Cong is an island surrounded by above and underground streams and
- it was home to Sir William Wilde, Oscar’s dad
- it was the filming location for John Ford’s 1952 Oscar-winning movie, The Quiet Man, with John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara (statue on the left)
- it is the home of Ashford Castle built by the Guinness family
- it’s incredibly pretty!
Cong is a small village and a pleasant place to stop for coffee (or tea) and walk through the castle grounds and old church ruins, complete with public restrooms. It was nice visiting on the off- season as it was easy to get into and out of town and a local mentioned it would’t be anywhere near so quite in the summer.
Westport
Westport
Westport is on the edge of an Atlantic inlet, famous for the pirate Grace O’Malley on Ireland’s west coast. Stone bridges link together a tree-lined walk next to the river through town from the Georgian town center past a variety of shops. The Great Western Greenway bike and pedestrian trail runs from Westport to Achill Island, in the northwest, if you have the urge.
Croagh Patrick
The pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick, known locally as “the Reek”, (or Patrick’s stack) lies about 10 km west of the town and worth a visit. It’s a pyramid-shaped mountain with a hiking trail up to the top and a small church. We hear it can be hiked in 2-3 hours total and I am sure the sights from the top are worth the effort.
Where to Stay in Westport?
We usual check Expedia to get an overview of what type of accommodation is available.
We booked the 3 star Wyatt Hotel with Hotels.com for its ideal location in the center of the town, for walking to the local restaurants and pubs.
Lynn also loved the photos of this sprawling, inviting yellow hotel and read good things. Our room was modern and comfortable and we were impressed with the standard of service and quality of overall hospitality. Great Irish breakfast buffet. We would definitely stay there again.
Restaurants inWestport
We selected three different restaurants for each night we stayed after some good research. All were excellent and reasonably priced for the standard and choice of food offered:
- Sage Restaurant – small, cozy, and wonderful menu. The Cod with Lemon Gnocchi and Seafood Linguini were both very good.
- Sol Rio a Portuguese Restaurant – the Beet Root and Galway Goat Cheese Salad and the Veggie Crepes (spinach and ricotta cheese) were fabulous. John had the Irish Sirloin and was very happy with his choice.
- Cronin’s Shebeen – we love this pub! Love it for it’s ambiance and because we were seated in the pub area which is where you want to be. The pub area is quaint with an interesting flow of locals. We had Fish and Chips which didn’t disappoint and John was able to sample a few beers on tap which made him very happy, too.
Westport Bars, Pubs and Clubs
Visit Westport Tourism website for an up to date list of the Bars , Pubs and Clubs in Westport: the more popular pubs include
MATT MOLLOY’S – “traditional music 7 nights a week”
M.J. HOBAN’S – “the oldest traditional venue for traditional music”
THE PORTER HOUSE’S BAR – “unpretentious and comes with rustic character”
MORAN’S – a comfortable pub close to Sol Rio restaurant we went to located in Bridge Street
Achill Island
We recommend the drive from Westport to Achill Island. It should take just over an hour but it depends on the traffic (as mainly single lane roads).
If you are a cyclist or would like to be one, you can rent bikes and ride the popular Greenway from Westport to Achill, which is about a 37 mile round trip trail. It offers a good amount of natural sites and help burn off the Guinness and the fish and chips.
As with Inishmore, Achill Island is a well known movie location most recently Martin McDonagh’s Banshees of Inisherin with Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell and featured Keem Bay.
The Bay is beautiful but what I really appreciated is a hike up the hill which was spotted with sheep. We now have 200 photos of baby lambs all cuter that the ones I just snapped!
Keem Bay, is also known for its diverse marine life, including the occasional whale sighting. While not as common as basking sharks or dolphins, whales, including minke whales, humpback whales, and even killer whales, have been spotted in the area. The bay’s location on the edge of the Atlantic makes it a potential migratory route for these creatures
We recommend the enjoyable drive out past Murrisk to Louisberg, along the coast to Roonagh Pier (where the ferry will take you to Clare Island) and along to the various beaches including Carrownisky, Carrowmore, and White and Silver Strands. The scenery is some of the best you will find with more donkeys and horses than people but the people we met were warm and friendly as all of Ireland.
Springsteen at RDS Arena Dublin
Leaving Westport and with Croagh Patrick in the rear view mirror we headed east to Dublin city to meet friends and family and for a concert at the RDS Stadium!
As my special 70th birthday present we bought tickets months ago to see Bruce Springsteen in Dublin. We booked the Sandymount Hotel near to the RDS site and the Aviva stadium.
The drive back to Dublin from Westport took close to 4 hours. On a Sunday, there was a lot of sports traffic and local day trippers, making the drive slow going.
Successful road trip with plenty of great memories, and still some days to enjoy Dublin and check out some of the Historic Pubs in Dublin beyond Temple Bar.
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