First Stop, Galway

We touched down at Dublin Airport early Saturday morning and found ourselves in desperate need of a full Irish breakfast. Fitzgerald's at the airport provided a quick and convenient experience. Autumn was even able to get an iced latte.

We booked tickets in advance to travel via the CityLink bus from Dublin to Galway. Once we found our platform, it was a smooth trip to the western coast.

We chose Galway due to the proximity of our tour and figured it would be a good place to gather our bearings. We stayed at The Snug Townhouse, one of the oldest buildings in the city with its original walls intact!

We had some notion of Galway being a musical town (Galway Girl by Steve Earle is a favorite of ours) and this qualification was surely met! After the sun had set, almost every pub we passed had live music and there was a great sense of revelry in the air! After all, it was a Saturday night.

Nestled in the middle of the city behind the Galway Market is the Saint Nicholas' Collegiate Church. This medieval church dates all the way back to the 1200s with the establishment of the current church in 1320. Many of the gravestones around the church grounds were placed in the 1700s. Unfortunately, we were not able to tour the inside of the church but we were able to capture these exterior shots!

Galway Market banner outside of St. Nicholas'

Galway Market banner outside of St. Nicholas'

Mayoralty House built in 1760

Mayoralty House built in 1760

United Church of Galway built in 1839

United Church of Galway built in 1839

Alleyway off of Cross Street

Alleyway off of Cross Street

Before hitting the town!

Before hitting the town!

Darcy's Bar signage - our first pub we visited in Galway. We were drawn in by the singer playing Country Roads!

Darcy's Bar signage - our first pub we visited in Galway. We were drawn in by the singer playing Country Roads!

The Kings Head window during the day, seen adorned with petunias

The Kings Head window during the day, seen adorned with petunias

The same window at night, now with the executioner lit up

The same window at night, now with the executioner lit up

Looking down High Street - a main pedestrian street

Looking down High Street - a main pedestrian street

Crowd gathered outside The King's Head

Crowd gathered outside The King's Head

Musician playing at The King's Head

Musician playing at The King's Head

The next morning, after a filling breakfast at M.Fitzgerald's Bar, we bid farewell to the Galway Girl and headed to the train station to start our journey towards Ennis and the beginning of our official tour!