The Cliffs of Moher
Our second weekend trip was to the west coast of Ireland, specifically Galway. It only took us about two and half hours to travel to the complete opposite side of the country, which came as a shock to me. Perhaps my favorite attraction on the west coast was the Cliffs of Moher. Once we arrived, we walked along the trail all the way in one direction and eventually back in the other taking pictures every step of the way. The views were unlike anything I had seen before. I was sure to take a moment to appreciate them. The cliffs made me feel so small and as if I was a part of something much bigger. I would love to go back sometime.
The Aran Islands
On Saturday, we visited the Aran Islands just off the coast of Ireland. We took a ferry to get there, and while I didn’t get seasick, I was definitely feeling a bit nauseous. I was ecstatic to finally reach land again. As soon as we got there, we hopped onto our rental bikes and started peddling. We stopped at nearly every beach and even got to pet a few animals. After we tired ourselves out from biking, we stopped at a little restaurant for lunch. It happened to be right next to the Aran Sweater Market. It seemed that no tourist left the Aran Islands without a sweater from there, so we stopped in. The island was so beautiful and made for a great day of exploring.
Dough Bros
Although we were in Galway for three days, we did not have much time to explore the town itself. We did, however, get dinner at Dough Bros on Saturday night. The receptionist at the hostel we were staying at recommended we go to this restaurant, and it did not disappoint. After all, it is the number one pizza place in all of Ireland. I ordered a margherita pizza with a coke. I tried some of my friend’s garlic bread as well. After we ate, we walked around downtown a bit before going to The King’s Head for some pints and live music. Compared to Dublin, Galway has a bit of a small-town feeling, which was a nice change for the weekend.
The Killary Sheep Farm
On our final day in Galway, we headed even further east toward the region of Connemara. We walked about a mile down a scenic dirt road to reach the sheep farm overlooking the Killary Fjord. The first thing we did was watch the owner command his herding dog to bring the sheep in. The dog was incredibly well-trained and could hear the owner’s every command. Then, we watched one of the sheep get sheered. My favorite part was feeding the lambs. They were all so excited to eat that they finished their bottles in just about five seconds. The sheep farm was such a fun experience and demonstrated the importance of the wool industry in Ireland.
