Galway

The obvious first stop is the thriving city of Galway itself. Don’t make a plan when you go walkabout here (few Galwegians do).

Instead, go where the mood takes you. That may be an independent bookshop such as Charlie Byrne’s, a pub, an aquarium, or a city museum whose upper floors reveal a breathtaking view of the River Corrib. There’s a wealth of choice on tap! Galway is a place to go with the flow. Fancy catching a Heineken Cup rugby match in the Sportsground? What about a stroll along the old Long Walk, as Steve Earle sang about in Galway Girl (“Her hair was black and her eyes were blue…”)? Browse the market by St Nicholas’s Church, eat sushi, and step through the Spanish Arch. It’ll be night-time before you know it.