Things to do in Galway City
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Blue Note
This jazzy pub-cum-dance-bar has a great summer beer garden and usually no cover charge.
reviewed
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Monroe’s Tavern
Often photographed for its classic, world-weary facade, Monroe’s delivers traditional music and ballads, plus it remains the only pub in the city with regular Irish dancing. A pizza joint buried within turns out good pies.
reviewed
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Spanish Arch & Medieval Walls
Framing the river east of Wolfe Tone Bridge, the Spanish Arch is thought to be an extension of Galway's medieval walls. The arch appears to have been designed as a passageway through which ships entered the city to unload goods, such as wine and brandy from Spain.
Today it reverberates to the beat of bongo drums, and the lawns and riverside form a gathering place for locals and visitors on any sunny day. Many watch kayakers manoeuvre over the minor rapids of the River Corrib.
Although a 1651 drawing of Galway clearly shows its extensive fortifications, depredation by Cromwell and William of Orange and subsequent centuries of neglect saw the walls almost completely…
reviewed
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Galway Cathedral
Lording over the River Corrib, imposing Galway Cathedral was dedicated by the late Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston in 1965. The cathedral's unwieldy full name is the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, but its high, curved arches and central dome have a simple, solid elegance even if the greater whole feels rather sterile (although a side chapel with a mosaic of the Resurrection does include a praying JFK in the tableau). The superb acoustics are best appreciated during an organ recital (program dates are posted on the website).
From the Spanish Arch, a riverside path runs upriver and across the Salmon Weir Bridge to the cathedral.
reviewed
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McDonagh's
A trip to Galway isn't complete without stopping at McDonagh's. Divided into two parts, with a takeaway counter and a cafe with long communal wooden tables on one side, and a more upmarket restaurant on the other, Galway's best chippy churns out battered cod, plaice, haddock, whiting and salmon nonstop, all accompanied by homemade tartare sauce.
reviewed
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Mustard
In the cellar of an old mill, some tables view the still-turning wheel. Burgers and excellent pizza are the thing here. Go nuts and have the Boxty Burger, a vegetarian treat made from mashed potatoes, green onions and more. Be sure to start with the ‘garlic crust’, which comes with pesto. Yum.
reviewed
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Séhán Ua Neáchtain
Painted a bright cornflower blue, this 19th-century pub, known simply as Neáchtain's (nock-tans) or Naughtons, has a wraparound string of tables outside, many shaded by a large tree. It's a place where a polyglot mix of locals plop down and let the world pass them by – or stop and join them for a pint.
reviewed
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Food 4 Thought
Besides providing organic and vegetarian sandwiches, savoury scones, and wholesome dishes such as cashew-nut roast, this New Age-y place is great for finding out about energy workshops and yoga classes around town.
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Sheridans on the Docks
This waterfront bar is a chic yet relaxed spot for cheese platters from the family's cheese shop, Sheridans Cheesemongers, as well as wines by the glass and boutique beers.
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Bierhaus
The imported beer here won’t insult your sensibilities. Good brews from across Europe are on offer along with Hooker. At night DJs provide a Euro beat.
reviewed
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Bridge Mills
A general purpose shopping centre in an old mill building by the river at the western end of William O'Brien Bridge.
reviewed
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Trad on the Prom
A real show-stopper, this long-running summer musical is a festival of Irish dancing and singing. It's led by Máirín Fahy, a local diva of the fiddle. The glossy production is performed several nights per week in a new venue right on the Salthill promenade. Note that actual ticket prices are carefully camouflaged on the website.
reviewed
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Eyre Square
Galway's central public square is busy in all but the harshest weather. It's a welcome open green space with sculptures and pathways. Its lawns are formally named Kennedy Park in commemoration of JFK's visit to Galway, though you'll rarely, if ever, hear locals refer to it as anything but Eyre Square.
The street running along the southwestern side of the square is pedestrianised and lined with seating, while the eastern side is taken up almost entirely by the Hotel Meyrick(formerly the Great Southern Hotel), an elegant grey limestone pile restored to its Victorian glory. Guarding the upper side of the square, Browne's Doorway (1627), a classy, if forlorn, fragment from the…
reviewed
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Kenny Gallery
Established in 1968, West Ireland's first gallery displays an exceptional collection of Irish art in a higgledy-piggledy terrace house. Look out for work by up-and-coming Galway artists, including Charlotte Kelly's abstract landscapes, Kieran Tuohy's bog-oak sculptures (crafted from bog-oak roots preserved in the oxygen-resistant turf for thousands of years), Jennifer Cunningham's prints and Liam Butler's welded copper.
All works are for sale, but even if you're not here to buy, Kenny's offers a glimpse into the future of Galweigan art. Proprietor Tom Kenny is a fount of information on the local scene.
Kenny's also trades antiquarian books online, including many…
reviewed
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Salmon Weir
Upstream from Salmon Weir Bridge, which crosses the River Corrib just east of Galway Cathedral, the river cascades down the great weir, one of its final descents before reaching Galway Bay. The weir controls the water levels above it, and when the salmon are running you can often see shoals of them waiting in the clear waters before rushing upriver to spawn.
The salmon and sea-trout seasons usually span February to September, but most fish pass through the weir during May and June.
reviewed
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Salthill Prom
A favourite pastime for Galweigans and visitors alike is walking along the Salthill Prom, the seaside promenade running from the edge of the city along Salthill. Local tradition dictates 'kicking the wall' across from the diving boards (a 30- to 45-minute stroll from town) before turning around. At the time of writing, plans were underway to extend the Prom all the way from Salthill to Silver Strand - about 7.5km all up.
reviewed
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Delight
The name's an understatement: this hole-in-the-wall gourmet food bar is sheer heaven for sandwiches and wraps bursting with sprouts, as well as wheat-grass shots, juices and baked goods including a gooey chocolate pudding to die for. Everything, including the breakfast muesli, is made on the premises. The shop has a roaring takeaway trade, but there's also a clutch of tables.
reviewed
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Bold Art Gallery
There’s never a dull moment at this effervescent modern art gallery, which seems to have a bottomless pit of inspiration when it comes to wit. Works vary between the profane, the beautiful and the moving but are never mundane. The owner is a fountain of local knowledge; ask to see the card showing what happens before and after you drink Guinness.
reviewed
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Sheridans Cheesemongers
Sheridans Cheesemongers is redolent of the superb local and international cheeses and other deli items within, many with a Med bent. Its real secret, however, is up a narrow flight of stairs. Sample from a huge wine list in an airy and woodsy room while enjoying many of the best items from below (open 2pm to 10pm Tuesday to Friday, noon to 8pm Saturday).
reviewed
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Lynch's Castle
Considered the finest town castle in Ireland, the old stone town house Lynch's Castle was built in the 14th century, though much of what you see today dates from around 1600. The Lynch family was the most powerful of the 14 ruling Galway 'tribes', and its members held the position of mayor no fewer than 80 times between 1480 and 1650.
Stonework on the castle's facade includes ghoulish gargoyles and the coats of arms of Henry VII, the Lynches and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. The castle is now part of AIB Bank and modern-day bankers may wish to shelter behind the thick walls from populist rage.
reviewed
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Galway City Museum
Adjacent to the Spanish Arch, the Galway City Museum is in a glossy, glassy building that reflects the old walls. Exhibits trace aspects of daily life through Galway's history;
especially good are the areas dealing with life – smelly and otherwise – during medieval times. Look for the photos of President John F Kennedy's 1963 visit to Galway including one with dew-eyed nuns looking on adoringly. Also check out rotating displays of works by local artists. When the roof deck is open, there are sweeping views out to the bay. The cafe is a delightful stop.
reviewed
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Nora Barnacle House
James Joyce's future wife Nora Barnacle (1884–1951) lived here until shortly before they met in Dublin in 1904. It's now a privately owned museum displaying the couple's letters and photographs among period furniture. Looking all of its 100 years and not helped by a grim grey paint job, the house didn't have running water until the 1940s; instead the Barnacle family used a communal pump across the street. Joyce met his future mother-in-law here in 1909; for his part, Joyce's father said after learning Nora's surname: 'She'll stick with him'.
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Galway Market
Galway's festive market is filled with buskers and stalls selling farm-fresh produce, crafts, jewellery and hot food. At the time of writing, plans were underway for the markets to operate from Thursday to Sunday - check with the tourist office for updates. Saturday usually offers the widest choice of stalls and liveliest crowds.
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Asian Tea House
This upscale Asian restaurant reflects the owner's years of Eastern travels. Beautiful glazed green tiles set the mood for dishes that range from Malaysia to Vietnam to China. We like the Malaysian sambal chicken, which scores the highest on the hot meter – a rare treat in tongue-sensitive Ireland. Tea choices abound.
reviewed
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Crane Bar
An atmospheric old pub west of the Corrib, the Crane is the best spot in Galway to catch an informal céilidh most nights. Talented bands play its rowdy, good-natured upstairs bar; downstairs at times it seems right out of The Far Side.
reviewed