Week 488 · Spanish Quarter · River Corrib · The Westend · Crane Bar
Galway was our last stop — our only 2-night stop and our only city stop. But between arriving very late on Sunday and leaving first thing on Tuesday, we basically had one day. After all the walking and driving we were ready for a chill day.
Successful mobilisation into the AirBnB and we were quickly off to eat dinner at one of the many Irish pubs close to our AirBnB — but none of them served food after 9pm. So we went to a Turkish Kebab House — hit the spot and went to bed after another day of 20,000 steps. But similar to Cork, there was a weird sound coming from the streets that kept waking us. Like someone was breaking down scaffolding. So as we are walking to breakfast — we hear the noise and discover the source — guys rolling empty kegs down the street from the pubs and loading them on to trucks.
Even Alexandra was ready to slow the pace — so we did a self-guided walking tour and basically hung out all day and even got a nap in. Galway is much different than Limerick or Cork — much less industrial and more pedestrian friendly. Sharon was able to get her shopping fix which had been missing with all outdoor activities thus far.
Galway's "Spanish Arch" and the surrounding area known as the Spanish Quarter take their name from the close trading relationship between Galway and Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. Galway was one of the most important ports on the Atlantic trade route, and Spanish merchants were a regular presence in the city. The Spanish Arch itself (1584) was built as an extension to the medieval town walls to protect ships unloading wine and other goods from Spain. The area was largely destroyed by a tsunami caused by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which sent a wave up the River Corrib. The current "westend" is a newer entertainment district outside the traditional pedestrian zone that only fully activates when streets are closed to traffic on summer evenings.
Later in the day, Alexandra had to work and Sharon and I hit some of the older recommended pubs from our AirBnB host in the Spanish Quarter — in each place the local bartender or waitress said we needed to go to the "westend." We had tried to find the westend on our walking tour but failed. So we tried again and ended up in another famous pub — the "Crane Bar" — not sure why it was famous. Then at 6pm they closed the streets and a lot of pubs and restaurants set up outside dining. The westend made much more sense and it was less than a 10-minute walk from the traditional pedestrian area.
In each place the bartender or waitress said we needed to go to the "westend." We had tried to find it on our walking tour but failed. So we tried again and ended up in another famous pub — the Crane Bar. Not sure why it was famous — but they confirmed they were in the westend.
Then at 6pm — they closed the streets and the whole area made much more sense. Less than a 10-minute walk from the Spanish Quarter. You just have to wait for the streets to close.
"Galway is much less industrial and more pedestrian friendly than Limerick or Cork. The westend makes much more sense after the streets close at 6pm."