Kauffman Commentary

First stop this morning was the Heuston train station to catch our 9:25 train to Galway. It is about a 2 1/2  hour ride all the way, east to west across the country of Ireland.

Just as we got off the train it started to rain, so we walked a short few blocks and caught bus 409 up to our hotel, The Huntsman.

We scheduled a walking tour through a college student that grew up in Galway. This area dates back to 1124, with a fort first being built by the Irish O’Conners. The Normans took over in the 1300s and then a charter was given to 14 tribes, who were merchant families that took control of the area. It really thrived, doing well with shipping and trading with Spain, Portugal and England. Then in 1845 the potato famine began and in Ireland millions died and millions more left the country. It wasn’t until 1950 that population growth really started to improve.

Galway is a quaint seaside town. Much of the center city is pedestrian only.

We met a man at Taaffes Bar, which is the oldest in Galway. He told us about his life and travels. Such a good time at the pub.

For dinner we ate at The Seafood Bar, on Kirwins Lane. It gets five stars from us!  Great tuna ceviche, scallions with pork belly and seared tuna. (This was a suggestion by a couple from Wisconsin that we met on the Guinness tour.)