Genial Galway

Why You Should Visit Genial Galway

Galway is the place to see cathedrals and cheese. The downtown area is very compact and walkable. But it is definitely a very busy city. In fact, it is the premiere university and Information Technology centre.

Author & Photographer: George Mitchell

Our recommendations are not influenced by affiliate links – we do not have any. Our advice is derived from our personal experience and knowledge based on living in Europe for seven years and studying its art, architecture and culture.

All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps Ratings, which is based on everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our custom Ireland West Map is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).

Galway Cathedral

We started at Galway Cathedral for a reason. We found out that you can park there for €5 for the whole day! But it is hard to get a spot. In other parking spots, it is €2 per hour, so you should consider taking the bus.

The cathedral uses a lot of black and grey blocks. Be sure to do two things often overlooked.

1. Look up and soak in the coffered ceiling made of rich western red cedar. It looks better lit in a photograph.

2. Look down and admire the red, white and grey Connemara marble.

Back at eye level, note the Renaissance-style pillars and arches.

The organ is shaped to see the whole rose window with the shorter pipes in the centre. Now the shocker. The cathedral is modern and dates from 1965.

Galway Walk Itinerary

Cross over to the tiny park opposite the cathedral. After admiring the statue in the tiny green space, walk across the Salmon Weir Bridge for a photo of the river. I actually caught fishermen in the river.

Then continue east to Eyre Square. This is a great place to picnic, but otherwise, you could give it a miss.

Pedestrian Streets

But the best parts of Galway are the pedestrian streets very full of local people. While the architecture is not quaint, there are a few colourful facades.

There are two specialty shops to visit. MacCambridges has a wide selection of cheeses, spreads, and meats. You can also sit down for coffee or a meal.

Just next to MacCambridges is AIB Bank, which used to be the palace of the mayor of Galway. Mayor Lynch hanged his son outside their palace window for the murder of his Spanish friend.

Sheridans is the place to buy cheese with an outstanding variety to select from. It is off the pedestrian street beside the St. Nicholas Church.

St. Nicholas Church

This medieval church (1320) became Protestant after Oliver Cromwell’s army desecrated it (1652) by stabling their horses inside! Cromwell is responsible for the destruction of most of the Catholic Churches in Ireland after he reconquered Ireland.

Patara, Turkey

What does Patara, Turkey, have in common with a church in Galway? Patara had one famous citizen whom everyone knows ‒ St. Nicholas. Born on 15 March 270 CE, several legends abound about his charity ‒ but who knows which are true.

St. Nicholas

Perhaps the most well-known act was his anonymous gift to help a man who did not have a dowry to marry his three daughters. In those days, if you did not have a dowry, you would not have married but would have become prostitutes. 

Knowing the father would not accept charity, he left a bag of gold in the man’s house for each daughter as they came of age. To avoid being found out, he dropped the second and third packages down the chimney. One variant said the bag fell into shoes ‒ or was it stockings being hung to dry?

This church is dedicated to this man, St. Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus!!! Yes, Virginia, Santa Claus was a real person!

Cristoforo Colombo

Another fascinating story concerns Cristoforo Colombo, who worshiped here in 1477. He heard tales of the Irish monk, St. Brendan the Navigator, sailing across the Atlantic in the 6th century. He also heard of two dead “Indian” bodies that had been found in the Galway area. This convinced him of the idea of sailing west to get to East Asia and its’ important spices (needed to preserve food).

Cristoforo Colombo was his true Italian name, but we know him as Christopher Columbus. BTW, educated people at that time knew the Earth was round. That was not the reason Columbus was rejected by the Portuguese king. He was rejected because they thought his estimates of the circumference of the Earth were too low – and they were right. The Portuguese had also found a passage around the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. That is why Columbus went to Spain.

Spanish Arch to River Corrib

There are two other special aspects to Galway. One is to return to the Cathedral by walking from the Spanish Arch along the pedestrian path along the River Corrib. This is a very quiet walk with no cars. The second is the fantastic B&B we used as a base to explore the Galway to Clifden region.

Final Comments on this Itinerary

This is an urban trip to one of the most relaxing cities in Ireland.

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Itinerary Maps & Guides

Ireland West Map

The Genial Galway tour is part of our Ireland West and our Best Places for 2 Weeks in Southwest Ireland itineraries. If you only have a week, then be sure to visit the other places on the Ireland West itinerary.

If you have more than a week, then combine this tour with places in the Ireland East, Ireland South and the Best Places for 2 Weeks in Southwest (SW) Ireland itineraries below. Or just visit some of the nearby places listed below.

Google Maps Ratings

Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.

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