Padraic (Galway)
Irish Bed and Breakfasts supply you with more than just the Bed and the Breakfast. They supply you with a host. You get varying degrees of this - some are barely present, some are ready with advice, and some are practically a tour guide. Padraic was the latter. We arrived late, around 8 PM, and neither Erin nor I had slept much for two days. The drive to Galway had been stressful - driving on the left has been a challenge for me, and the automatic car that we had been promised by the travel agent was very much a manual. I can drive a manual, but shifting with the left hand, while fun, is just another thing to do when you're a bit panicky about the narrow lanes and how close that car is to you, and how close the brick wall is on the other side and I think we just scratched the rental car up with those branches and every time I look for the rearview mirror its in the wrong place and I just tried to shift with my right hand and nearly broke my window and how can the speed limit be 100 kph? I can barely get to 60 I don't care if you're in a hurry you'll just have to drive around me you crazy Irish driver....
So yeah, a bit of a long day. But we were up for going out - it was our only night in Galway, and being the night before St. Patrick's Day, you can't just stay in.
We were the only one's staying at Padraic's B&B that night, and even though he had the football match on, he volunteered right off to drive us into downtown and drop us off. "Take a taxi back - that way you can have a pint and not worry about it." Which was a brilliant suggestion since the last thing I wanted to do was get back in that car.
We had a lovely time wandering around downtown Galway, the only city in Ireland that I really know, having spent a week there 6 years ago at an arts festival. But time compresses the memory, and Erin and spent a good half hour looking for the Spanish Arch in the place where I remembered it - which we discovered the next morning was absolutely nowhere near where it actually was.
We got some food, and found a pub that I remembered. We got a pint, but unfortunately the "band" that they advertised was neither Traditional, nor Original. It was a crappy cover band that played classic rock and the Killers. We managed four songs before we'd had enough. We took that taxi back the B&B for some much needed sleep.
The next morning, Padraic's Irish Breakfast was enough to feed an army. We literally didn't need to eat again until dinner. He chatted with us for a while - turns out he's an amateur actor (of course) and was appearing in Hedda Gabler that night in the role of Judge Brack. We were tempted, but it was an our of town performance, and in the wrong direction from where we were heading. A shame that, it might have been a great time.
We had been planning to go to Cork for the St. Patrick's Day parade there, but Padraic said that there was one in Galway, and that we would enjoy it, so we went and we did. What a difference from America, though! The police (Garda) were about, but only vaguely keeping people back to the curbs. Mostly the crowds spilled into the street - kids in front, their parents in the back, a few rows behind, not worried at all that they would wander off or someone would interfere. Everyone seemed to know everyone, waving at friends in the parade, shouting out.. People running across the street during the parade, sometimes joining the parade for a bit. A much more small town feel than you would get in Portland - bearing in mind that Galway is about half the size of Eugene, despite being the 5th largest city in Ireland.
After that, we got out of town. Next adventure.
So yeah, a bit of a long day. But we were up for going out - it was our only night in Galway, and being the night before St. Patrick's Day, you can't just stay in.
We were the only one's staying at Padraic's B&B that night, and even though he had the football match on, he volunteered right off to drive us into downtown and drop us off. "Take a taxi back - that way you can have a pint and not worry about it." Which was a brilliant suggestion since the last thing I wanted to do was get back in that car.
We had a lovely time wandering around downtown Galway, the only city in Ireland that I really know, having spent a week there 6 years ago at an arts festival. But time compresses the memory, and Erin and spent a good half hour looking for the Spanish Arch in the place where I remembered it - which we discovered the next morning was absolutely nowhere near where it actually was.
We got some food, and found a pub that I remembered. We got a pint, but unfortunately the "band" that they advertised was neither Traditional, nor Original. It was a crappy cover band that played classic rock and the Killers. We managed four songs before we'd had enough. We took that taxi back the B&B for some much needed sleep.
The next morning, Padraic's Irish Breakfast was enough to feed an army. We literally didn't need to eat again until dinner. He chatted with us for a while - turns out he's an amateur actor (of course) and was appearing in Hedda Gabler that night in the role of Judge Brack. We were tempted, but it was an our of town performance, and in the wrong direction from where we were heading. A shame that, it might have been a great time.
We had been planning to go to Cork for the St. Patrick's Day parade there, but Padraic said that there was one in Galway, and that we would enjoy it, so we went and we did. What a difference from America, though! The police (Garda) were about, but only vaguely keeping people back to the curbs. Mostly the crowds spilled into the street - kids in front, their parents in the back, a few rows behind, not worried at all that they would wander off or someone would interfere. Everyone seemed to know everyone, waving at friends in the parade, shouting out.. People running across the street during the parade, sometimes joining the parade for a bit. A much more small town feel than you would get in Portland - bearing in mind that Galway is about half the size of Eugene, despite being the 5th largest city in Ireland.
After that, we got out of town. Next adventure.
Labels: Galway, Irish Adventure, Narrow Lanes, Parades
posted by Brian at 8:15 AM
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