Did you know the Irish like to drink beer?

Europe » Ireland » County Galway » Galway
March 21st 2009

Published: March 25th 2009

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Doc Nic

Irish Countryside

I don't know what kind of trees these are, or if they ever have leaves, but there were a lot around and they made for a nice silhouette pic.

Saturday I woke up with the worst crick in my neck. It lasted most of the day (and is still bugging me) but fortunately wasn’t as debilitating as they sometimes can be for me. We overslept a little on Lisa’s last day, so were on a little tighter schedule (not bad though). We started off with a fantastic breakfast in our B&B. There’s something called the “Traditional Irish Breakfast” that’s served and advertised at most places. It usually consists of eggs (I think over easy is more classic) served on toast, bacon (which is more like canadian bacon or just smoky ham), a small grilled tomato cut in half, white and black pudding (ew - already discussed), a sausage link, plus or minus beans. Even though they call it an Irish breakfast, I don’t think anyone but tourists actually eat it. It’s a freakin ton of food. Works well though if you’re just on the road all day and not going to eat much. After our yummy breakfast, we hopped in the car and set off for the Shannon Airport. Here we would part ways. I rented a car for my remaining time, and Lisa drove our abused car back to

The Cliffs of Moher

It's famous for the remarkable number of wildflowers. Not too many wildflowers this time of year, but still impressive.

Dublin Airport (she made it ok, by the way). A teary farewell (ok, not teary) and I was on my own. I have this thing about planning in foreign countries - I don’t like to do it. I find that it’s too hard to estimate times and what you’ll want to see. I’d prefer to figure it out the night before each day. The itinerary for Sat would start with the Cliffs of Moher, wander through the Burren, then end in Galway. I scrambled to reserve lodging that morning, but since it’s off season, I could pretty much stay anywhere I wanted (and just drive up to one when I got there for a room).

After oversleeping a little, having breakfast, and getting the car, I was a little bit later than expected, but still not bad. I got to the Cliffs of Moher around 11:30. This was my first time driving on the left. Really freakin weird. They have no less than 3 signs all over the car reminding you to drive on the left. It sounds stupid, but more than once I was actually grateful for them. I would occasionally have moments of panic because I wasn’t

My new friends

These cows were so interested in what I was doing that they came right up to me while I was taking pictures. PS have you ever heard a cow eat grass? I never would have thought it was so crunchy! They are loud...

sure if I was on the correct side of the road. As soon as it became a little natural for me to be on the left, I freaked out because my brain was trying to tell me that if it was natural in this opposite country, it was wrong. I adjusted pretty quick, but still have the occasional lapse where I need to check the signs to reassure myself. And I still haven’t gotten over shifting with my left hand. By shifting I mean into D (there was no way my novice manual skills were being put to the test in another country on the wrong side of the road. PS you can save A TON of money by going manual - like half the price. Not worth it to me though). The other thing I can’t break myself from is reaching for my seatbelt on left. Plus I’ve caught myself a few times walking to the wrong side of the car. It’s funny how these things become ingrained and we don’t even realize it. I like to keep a subconscious eye on my mirrors (Lisa mentioned this too, but I agree), but since they’re in the wrong place and

Poulnabrone

The grave site.

pointing in weird directions, it’s still throwing me off. I am happy to report, though, that I’ve only had a few run-ins with the curb and some foliage. No damage yet (though I do have the super-duper insurance).

I must say that overall, driving in Ireland is much more of a pleasure. I actually don’t mind it at all. Partly because the sights are so beautiful, also because the scenery is all different and new, and also because there are few drivers on the road, but I think the main reason is because of the speed limits. While it’s not the autoban (there are speed limits), the limits are often well beyond what you could feasibly do on the roads there (unless you’re a professional sports bike rider). 100kph for a windy, narrow road with blind turns every 20ft? Riiiight… It’s nice though because it lets you set the pace. Instead of some arbitrary number set way too low for the road, you just go whatever the safest speed is. And despite all that, they still have few enough fatal accidents that they have big signs posted on each highway saying the number in the last 4 years (most

Breakfast

Yum! Even had a french press for my coffee...

of them were in the 50s). Maybe it’s because of the small population, but for a country that’s rumored to have the highest accident rate, that’s not bad at all. I’ve been on roads just like these, only smaller, less well-kept, and without any guardrails between you and the sheer drop off the side of the mountain. Now that’s scary (Peru, Guatemala, and Spain if you can believe it or not). The worst is the long windy one-lane roads. Very Irish (classic scenic drives in movies about the Irish countryside) but a pain in the butt to drive on - you never know what’s right around the bend. Passing is much more accepted here though. It’s not unusual to pass more than one car at once. It’s a really good thing that passing is so widely accepted because there are certainly a fair share of farmers and old drivers on the road.

The other nice thing about driving here is that everything is so close! I’m not sure if it’s because of the distances being posted in kilometers making it seem shorter, but I was able to cover a lot of ground in a short time (and my average

Breakfast

I did a light Irish Breakfast. Hold the black pudding

speed was probably about 60mph). For example, it’s only 1.5 hrs from Belfast to Dublin. And I made it from the mid-west coast (Galway) to the mid-north coast (Derry) in an evening. Not bad.

So after Lisa left and I ventured forward with my new car, I headed for the Cliffs of Moher to take in one of Ireland’s most famous sites. I made it in pretty good time (of course - it’s Ireland!) and started with a trip through the Atlantic Edge exhibit, which is supposed to explain the what’s and why’s of the Cliffs. A decent interactive exhibit, I got a history lesson about how the earth formed and is changing. They’re predicting another ice age descending from the North over Ireland because of global warming  the melting of the poles  a cold current pushing the warm gulf (or whatever it was) current south and away from Ireland. Meanwhile, I’m sure I’m not the first to notice that this is probably the natural cycle of the earth - warms then cools, and that’s how we got the last Ice Age (great movie by the way). There was a very complicated explanation about how the Cliffs

My car

This is what I ended up renting. A fun little Nissan that had a lot of pickup (and was pretty new). Their inventory of automatic cars is pretty limited so you get what's left.

formed (well, not that complicated but it went in and out within an hour). I mainly just enjoyed the sights. What makes the Cliffs impressive is the sheer drop-off nature of them, formed by several kinds of erosion. What makes them impressive also makes them dangerous, though. The edges are unstable and may fall into the ocean at any moment. There’s a big safety wall built to keep the tourists from getting too close to the edge. However, true to a European country not plagued with a lawsuit-happy society, there’s a section a little farther down that’s not fenced. It’s marked with big signs “Private” and “Do Not Enter - Dangerous” etc but there are tons of people who just go past the sign for a real look at the Cliffs. So of course I did too. No trip to the Cliffs would be complete without standing on the rickety ledge and looking down. I was there for exactly 2.5 seconds, snapped my pic, then ran in the other direction. It was majestic and impressive no matter where you stand. They also have a unique ecosystem (something that helped to garner governmental protection for the site) of wildflowers (of course

The Cliffs

A picture from inside the exhibit -- people have been going there for a long time!

not in bloom now) and many types of birds. Many of the birds nest right into the side of the cliffs.

I admired the beauty, ran inside from the sprinkle, and grabbed a fabulous Panini for “take away” (to go) to nibble on for lunch in the car on the way to my next stop. True to my non-planning nature, I just headed for “the Burren” not really knowing what I was going to do there. My book recommended a few sites, the first of which was the visitor center in Kilfenora, so that was my first stop. It was a pretty good visitor center as centers go! I didn’t know anything about the Burren, except that it’s supposed to be a nice place to visit. Now I can tell you all about it, not that anyone cares to hear it. Basically, the Burren was a barren landscape covered by bogs and rocks (not suitable for farming or even living) for many years. Eventually people moved into it and made it habitable. It’s famous for the unique ecosystem there, especially a huge variety of wildflowers (which of course aren’t blooming now damnit). The whole area is composed of limestone,

The Cliffs

You can see the sheer dropoff. That little fence in the corner is what kept us back at that point (with big signs about DANGER and WARNING)

which is made from the shells of crustaceans as they died and fossilized on the seabed (with all the other sea creatures). And that’s the Burren in a nutshell.

Within the Burren are several other interesting sites that I stopped at. The first was Caherconnell - one of the many ring forts. There are ring forts that were built by the English for defense, and there are ring forts that were the domiciles of the Stone Age. This one was one of the latter. There are something like 500 ring forts in the Burren, but only one has been professionally excavated - Caherconnell. A group from Harvard (I think) came over and have been excavating fairly recently. They actually found human remains from a woman 20-25yrs old in late 2008. According to the center, they had to call the police (garda) for them to investigate since it was a body. The investigation went like this: “You found a body?” “Yes.” “Is it old?” “About 1500 years.” “Ok, have a nice day.” Since then, not much work has been done. There’s signs up about “don’t disturb” and it sounds like the anticipate work to continue, but it’s not going on

Wormies

The lines are fossilized worm trails. These rocks were the sidewalks we walked on at the Cliffs

now. Ireland is a gold mine for anyone interested in archaeology. Apparently all they’re lacking is money. If I were a little younger and not committed to the Navy… What a fun summer project!! (or several years…)

The ring fort came with a very informative video, which even included a 5-min CGI animation depicting a typical day in the life of Connor the Caveman. Not caveman, but definitely pre-industrial. About 500AD-1600AD is when that fort was occupied. You can see from the pics that it’s not very big. There was a big-ish house (one room with thatched roof), another little hut, a cow pen, sheep pen, shed, and kitchen. They think the whole extended family lived there (25 people) and just outside the ring were huts for the less well-to-do who worked for the ring fort family. Now, it’s mostly just covered with cows. There’s something so incredible, though, about touching rocks that were put there in the 500s and someone’s house from 1600AD. Holy crap that’s old. I think you become immune to dates until you really stop to think about it. If you went on a spaceship for 150 years, it would take 6 generations and the

Cliffs

cliff birds nesting right into the steep cliff

people at the end would be the great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren of the people who started. That’s frickin crazy and that’s only 150 years! A blip on the timeline of Ireland. It was inhabited from at least 4500BC and probably earlier. Now THAT’S old!

I enjoyed the fort, and grabbed a scone for the road. I don’t think I’ve gone a day without a scone. Yum! It’s a great mid-afternoon snack with some coffee (or tea if you’re into that sort of thing). My next stop was only a few km up the road. On the way I ran into the classic cows in the road. Farming is still very much alive in Ireland. Apparently it involves moving a whole herd of cattle from one ranch, down the street, to another. I’ve run into a few of these in my time here. All you can do is wait, and hopefully you’re not in a hurry. They move, just slowly. They respond pretty well to a car by running away, but that many not be the desired effect for the very irate Irishman.

Next up was the Poulnabrone Dolmen. There are many examples of this type of ruin. It’s a burial ground

Cliffs

striking a pose

that consists of 2 upright slates of limestone and another across the top. I don’t think much is known about the traditions surrounding them, but they’ve uncovered a lot of bodies within the structures, spanning hundreds of years (some even thousands). In the BC times, they were dismembered before being placed there (ew, not sure why). In the AD times, they were often buried somewhere else then transplanted there. There was an infant discovered at the Poulnabrone Dolmen. They think it might have held some kind of religious or spiritual importance. (And I’m wondering if it might have been a sacrificial area thing).

My last stop in the Burren was recommended by the Visitor Center lady. Up by the coast is an area of pure Burren (rocks, vegetation, etc) that’s privately owned, but the owners don’t mind if you get out and walk around a bit. I found a little pull-off and hiked around for a little. I’m sure it would have been much more impressive during the spring or summer, but as it was, it was just a lot of rocks and moss. Very spongy - kinda fun to walk on. I hiked to the top (in my

Cliffs

The little castle at the top was built fairly recently (1800s) but isn't really that impressive.

ballet flats!) and surveyed the scene. Then turned around and walked back down. I had places to be and beer to drink. I was off for Galway, my last destination.

Galway is a college town. It’s also one of the biggest cities in Ireland. Unbeknownst to me, Sat was the hugely popular rugby match between Ireland and Wales. It wasn’t just any match, it was the “grand slam.” Like the world series or the superbowl. This was it. And Ireland hadn’t done it in 61 years. A lot was riding on this game. I checked in to my B&B in Galway just in time for my host to quickly usher me in and lecture me about not being in a pub for the big game. I dropped my bags off and joined him and his son in the living room to catch the last quarter of the game. It was a good one too! Rugby moves a lot faster than football. There are very few breaks or kick offs. It just keeps going - much like soccer. Plus there’s something romantic or exotic about “bloody fuck” being yelled out in an Irish accent. I’m serious! It was neck and

Cliffs

yes, people have died here

neck right up until the very end. Ireland was ahead, then Wales pulled out with a field goal (or rugby’s equivalent), then Ireland scored (this was all within the last 4 min of the game). It went Ireland at 76min, Wales at 78min, Ireland at 79min, then Wales got a penalty kick and this was for all the money. It all came down to one poor guy who was kicking from half-field at least. Everyone’s breath was held while he made his final kick. It was straight on and looked good…then fell short. The crowd went wild! The living room went wild! There were cheers and beers all around! Ireland had done it! And I was ready to go to dinner.

My room was on the third floor of this cute little house right by the center of town. It’s B&B row with at least 6 B&Bs along this little road (and right next to each other). A great location, with great people, and many of them are highly recommended by my book. My room was on the top/third floor (it was the only one he had left!). It was actually a triple, but worked fine for me. So

Cliffs

You can see how well the sign works...

for a mere 50euros (like $62) I had a nice room, my own bathroom, parking, and an awesome breakfast. Not bad!

My host recommended a pub in the pedestrian zone of Galway called The Quays (pronounced “keys”). The whole area was very alive, given that it was a Sat night and Ireland had just won a pivotal rugby match. I would have no shortage of places to go. I walked into the Quays and was almost discouraged by the crowd. Even though it was almost 8pm, I was hungry and hadn’t eaten dinner yet. I didn’t think there would be room, but then I discovered the downstairs, where there was 1 little table left. Perfect! Though my goal was ultimately to mingle with the locals for a little while then head back home (I was tired!), that wouldn’t be easy from my table downstairs. I ordered some beers (no driving tonight!) and waited for my food. I ordered the Atlantic Salmon - a little risky in a bar, but I figured that since they catch it here, I had to try it. Oh my god, I was not disappointed. It was honest to God the best salmon I’ve ever

Cliffs

a shot from beyond the fence

had. It wasn’t glazed with anything or hidden by some heavy cream sauce. It was JUST THE FISH. Poached or broiled or grilled, I’m not sure, but it was not embellished, and didn’t need to be. It was the best and cleanest tasting salmon I’ve ever had. Even the gray part by the skin wasn’t fishy tasting. Now that’s how salmon should taste! I didn’t try the skin, but I’m thinking that even THAT might not have been fishy… It was made even better by the fact that I ordered and had my food within 5 min. Fast! Almost too long for me to get a nice buzz on…almost.  And no, I wasn’t drunk when I had the best-tasting salmon of my life. It was definitely awesome!

I paid my bill and headed upstairs for some “craic” (pronounced crack). It means fun or good conversation - basically it’s the fun bar atmosphere that you find in friendly pubs. Some places in the states you can find them, but you’d be hard pressed to go out by yourself in the states and have a good time. The Irish are just so welcoming that I was immediately part of a

Cliffs

It's a very steep drop off. I took this pic then ran the other way.

group. All it took was me walking through the bar with a beer in my hand and I was stopped several times for “craic”. Haha I just love saying it. But seriously, I hung around with one group for a little while, then my attention was stolen by another group (for the rest of the night, as it would turn out). Everyone I met in the bar was Irish - no tourists! What a nice change. The guys I stuck with the most were out for a stag party (bachelor party) for their friend - who’s getting married in 9 weeks. Isn’t that a little early? Anyway, they were drinking and having fun, and so was I. They coerced me into going to the next bar with them. That was as much fun as the first! By then I had a couple more beers in me, but I never got too intoxicated, which made the night even better (ever since college, my goal has been to get a light drunk without ending up hugging a toilet later. So far so good.) I thought it was funny that they kept buying me Miller Light even though I kept insisting not. I

Irish Countryside

Gorgeous to drive through. These little rock walls were everywhere.

learned the proper way to drink a Guinness that night, too. If you don’t have rings on the glass when you’re done, you didn’t drink it fast enough. The head (foam) should make very distinct rings down the side if you do it right (think big gulps). My new friends were from all over Ireland, but knew each other from college (in Galway, of course). I have only ever experienced that kind of instant inclusion in Ireland, but it’s my understanding that it’s like that everywhere. I think it must be more so in Ireland though. Everyone’s so friendly! I was instantly accepted as part of the group - like we had been friends for years. They wouldn’t let me pay for a single drink all night (despite my insistent efforts). It was one of the best nights out I’ve had in a very long time. The night ended when we got separated on our way to the next bar (3rd and final). We ran into a couple of NY tourists (valley girls if I ever met one! They were straight out of a stereotype of all things rotten about stuck up NY girls, from their insulting of the Irish

Irish Countryside

typical drive

culture to their complete ignorance of where they were and what the customs were). They were dead set on going to a dance club, so we all made our way to the club nearby. I was down for whatever. It was a really nice club, if I had been feeling it that night. We were separated from that point on, and it was pretty much just me and one of the guys wandering around looking for the other guy and girls (all the others were long gone - at a strip club I think). We never found them, but my guy kept trying to buy me drinks (freakin shots of whiskey!). I hate whiskey, so he agreed to do half (which equated to 7/8ths because he was already wasted and couldn’t tell how much I drank). Needless to say, within the next hour, he got more and more wasted, to the point that I was leading him out of the bar at the end and tried to get him in the cab. He had called his friends and they were going to meet up with him and he’d find his way home. I said my goodbyes and started the walk

Mobile Roadblock

It was time for the cows to cross the road...and I had to sit and wait.

home (which was a lot less cold on the way back than the way there).

Through my new Irish friends, I learned a little bit more about the Irish culture and people. When I asked one of them what he thought about the Northern Ireland situation, he said “you mean Ireland?” and I said “no, Northern Ireland” and he said “you mean Ireland?” You get the idea. We also talked about the diversity of their country. Not much ill-will towards the immigrants, but they really don’t like blacks. I can count on one hand the number of blacks I saw there, and not many more other non-whites. There were TONS of immigrants from all over Europe (and Australia), but almost no blacks or Hispanics, and only a scattering of Asians. Either one of my new Irish friends was excessively racist, or racism is common in Ireland. Though I don’t like to generalize, I could go either way on it because it seems plausible since there are almost no blacks. Anyway, I also learned that they have socialized medicine. And sorry, Rob, I could neither confirm nor deny your theory (but it certainly made them laugh!)

All in all

Caherconnell

This was the ring fort

it was a fantastic night. My only regret is that Lisa wasn’t there to share it with me (does that sound gay? Haha) It was by far my best night in Ireland, and satisfied any craving for beer I had been having (my local favorite is Smithwicks, and I was drinking it like a champ!) When I got home, I had just enough energy to get ready for bed. It was already 2:30 and I wanted to be up and out early. Despite the late night, and short-changing myself on sleep, it was worth it!

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