Tours

Galway's city centre is compact and easily do-able in a day's amble. The recently pedestrianised streets are teeming with musicians and other street performers, especially during the summer months. Lynch's Castle, St.Nicholas's Church, the Spanish Arch, the Cathedral and the National University of Ireland-Galway are all within walking distance. There are some excellent shops and restaurants packed into the centre, which cater for all tastes and pockets. The Eyre Square Shopping Centre has just about everything under one roof, including a section of the original thirteenth-century city wall which has been tastefully incorporated into the overall design. Check out the local produce and craft Market on Saturdays by St. Nicholas's church. I thoroughly recommend the hot crepes—mmm!

If you'd prefer to save the old shoe leather and let someone else do the map-reading, there's an Olde Galway bus tour which leaves from Eyre Square and takes in all the historical sites of the city. The ever-knowledgeable tour guide will fill you in on all the, sometimes grisly—historical details. Other tours run by Lally's Bus Company include such natural beauty spots as the limestone landscape of the Burren, Co. Clare, which boasts a unique ecosystem containing rare flora and fauna not to be found anywhere else on the planet, as well as some of the oldest burial structures in the country. Lally's also take you to Connemara, the heart of the west with its stunning Atlantic views, fine eateries, and tasteful accommodation; and to the beautiful Aran Islands—Inisheer, Inis Mor and Inis Man—which stand stern and rugged against the relentless force of the sea. The biggest and best equipped for the receipt of tourists is Inis Mor with its excellent hotels, hostel and pubs. There's plenty of Irish music and classes in set dancing if you fancy a swinging time. Dun Aenghus is the biggest of the ancient dry stone ring forts on the island with its semi-circular structure hanging over land's edge. The best way to get around the island is to hire a bike to explore the network of little roads and make your own unique discoveries.

O'Neachtain's tours leave from Salthill in Galway and go right through the county's many villages before turning south to Co. Clare and into the Burren and its Ailwee Caves, where Ireland's first Stone Age people lived. These tours leave at various different times, so take one early in the morning, spend the day wandering around and then catch a lift back to Galway on the afternoon bus. Lough Corrib, the largest lake in the Irish Republic at 65 square miles, has many little islands with shallows that are excellent for fishing. Brown trout and salmon are among the bountiful fish that await the eager angler. Lough Corrib is best experienced aboard the Corrib Princess. This luxurious, all-weather cruiser makes daily sailings throughout the summer months from Galway's Woodquay. The hour and a half cruise takes in castles on the banks of the river among other picturesque sites. If you fancy your rowing skills then hire a rowboat from the office in Woodquay and see the sights at your own pace and under your own steam. Salthill is only 20-30 mins walk from the city centre if you take the coast road by the Claddagh, with its rugged and rocky coastline and its contrasting stretches of beach - it's too close and convenient not to go there. Silver Strand beach and Barna Woods are only a few miles past Salthill. Both these beauty spots are easily accessible by bike and thankfully you'll have no trouble finding one of the many places in the city where bikes are for hire at reasonable rates.

Touring Galway is an experience not to be missed, with every facility available for you to do it your way.

Recommended Contacts:

Sea Cruise Contacts

56c Bowling Green Galway Phone: 091 56 6736 Fax: 091 56 4405 www.sea-cruiseconnemara.com

Lally Tours

Phone 091 56 2905 / 55 3555 Email: martinlally@eircom.net www.net-tech.ie/lally-coaches

Vintage Bus Tour to Connemara

Phone or Fax: 091 55 5780 Email: hughryan@indigo.ie