Galway with dad

---

Trip to Galway City and County Clare

A few days after my trip to county Kerry dad came to visit me in Ireland for about a week. He was supposed to come earlier in the semester but due to passport issues he had to postpone his trip. It ended up working out well though because he got possibly the luckiest week of weather. Sprinkled once for like half an hour and the rest of the trip was gorgeous.

We spent the first few days in Dublin, trying some great restaurants, and showing him the sights. I refused, however, to join him on his viking tour of the city.

After about 4 days in Dublin, dad rented a car and we drove to the west coast to counties Galway and Clare. I wasn't sure I was going to survive as this was his first time driving on the left side of the road. The drive there was fine as the highway was split but once we got to galway, dropped off our stuff, and made the drive the the Cliffs of Moher, the roads became absurdly narrow and close to stone walls. I will admit though, despite the scariness of the first few hours, he got a lot better as the trip went on.

The cliffs of moher were absolutely beautiful. I had never been to Galway before and was so glad I was able to make it there before leaving Ireland in three weeks. The city of Galway itself was kind of like a larger version of a small irish town. No where near as big as Dublin or Cork but definitely big enough to host some tourists. It had the traditional pubs, street vendors, and of course fish and chips which we of course indulged in.

The next day we took a short flight out to the aran islands, a trip I had wanted to make all semester. When we landed we were in a tiny little town on an island of population 800. We were greeted by a nice horse and jaunty driver who took us around the entire island. It was amazing and unlike anything I had ever seen. Lots of stone, lots of cliffs, and of course lots of sheep. The houses were so quaint, some even with thatched roofs, and the locals were so friendly. They all seemed to know each other and were always greeting one another in their native language of gaelic.

After a few hours, we took the flight back and drove back to dublin for a last dinner at a Thai/Vietnamese place. I can safely say after his trip, my dad group to love Ireland like I do and fully intends to come back and hit some of my other favorite cities.

---