Blogs from County Galway, Ireland, Europe - page 40

Im very proud to say I've stuck out my time in my hostel here in Galway and I must say, its nicer than some hotels or B&B's that I've been in! WOuld have no problem recommending this place or staying here again! Started my time in Galway off with a Galway sightseeing bus, gotta love these things as they show you all the sights and tell you a great deal of history to go with it! Went out of a tour today as well to Connemara and Kylemore Abbey... Connemara is a region here in Ireland, no one's really sure where it starts and where it ends but its somewhere here in County Galway and Kylemoore Abbey is an old castle that is now used as a boarding school for girls... Its well and truely hidden ... read more

We're here! We arrived in Shannon on Saturday and drove from the airport to Clifden, in Connemara. Kevin got used to driving on the left really quickly, but Erin never really got used to the brushes with death every time another car passed on these tiny, tiny roads. The scenery in Co. Clare, where the airport is, is sort of typically Irish-- long, green meadows, rock walls, cows in pastures. Then we arrived in Connemara (Co. Galway) and were blown away by the beauty of this area. There are lakes and hills everywhere, peat bogs, Connemara ponies, wildflowers... it's just spectacular. We're staying in Clifden, the largest town in the area. Like every Irish town, there's one bar to every four or five inhabitants. We went to one of the more popular spots last night and ... read more

IRELAND, APRIL 20 - MAY 5, 2007 HEADFORD, COUNTY GALWAY Note: Click on photos to enlarge - particularly helpful with route map. As many of you know, Bernard is finishing his Ph.D. under the supervision of the National University of Ireland at Galway (NUIG). In April of each year all the Ph.D. candidates are invited to Galway for a week of meetings with their supervisors, to present their research thus far, have social outings, dinners, etc. A very nice week, after which Bernardo was very jazzed about finishing his dissertation.* Bernie’s father’s family is from County Mayo (both of Bernie’s grandparents were born there), which borders County Galway. We actually stayed in Headford, County Galway, but were only a few miles from the Galway/Mayo border and closer to his family than where Bernie’s Ph.D. seminar was ... read more

For our last API excursion of the semester, our group headed to the Delphi Activity Centre in Connemara for an overnight stay and the opportunity to test our athletic skills. There were different options for outdoor activities - we could choose surfing or team games . . . I stuck with the ones that got me off the ground. Being addicted to anything rock climbing/high ropes related, I was super excited to get on the Jacob's Ladder and the high ropes course in the morning, and then hit a climbing wall and zip line in the afternoon. The Jacob's Ladder was the most challenging for me . . . it consists of about 5 horizontal wooden beams, hung parallel at increasingly greater distances as you work your way to the top; my friend Kevin and ... read more

Tuesday, March 20 Tammy here- We spent the day visiting pubs and shopping around in Galway. With all the Irish knitted sweaters in every shop, it's funny how you never see anyone Irish wearing them. I dragged the gang to a shop I'd found on the Internet that says it was the originator of the Claddagh ring. Of course, there where about three other shops advertising themselves as the originals too, but I had read about this place on the Internet and everyone knows if it's on the Internet, it's true. We all got sized up and Ed and I got all romantic and purchased our rings together. All other shopping looks like stuff you'd find at a Target store display with Guinness or shamrocks or big green top hats. We did go into a ... read more