Galway: Do’s and Don’ts of this Great Irish City

If I were to make a list of things I wish I’d have done sooner in life, it would look something like this: move to Colorado, get a better pillow, and travel to Ireland – potentially in that order.

When Amanda and I first met, our conversations were filled with all of the destinations we wanted to travel to. A bucket list of sorts. The one location that kept coming up over and over for Amanda? You guessed it, Ireland. So with her 30th birthday steadily approaching, the timing was perfect to make Ireland our first trip across the pond.

True to our style, we also added stops in Scotland, Spain and Iceland for good measure. A plane ride all the way across the Atlantic is too far for just one week – that’s what we kept telling ourselves at least.

Do you remember that feeling of eagerness and anticipation you experienced as a child waking up on Christmas morning? Stepping off the plane in Dublin, about to embark on a 7 day Ireland road trip, stirred up similar emotions.

But as Lee Corso would say, “not so fast my friend!” Standing in line at our rental car agency, with no more than three families in front of us, that giddiness started to disintegrate. When 45 minutes passed and the line had yet to move forward, the irritation set in. After closing in on 2 hours and we were still waiting for our rental car, I could see the steam coming out of Amanda’s ears.

Some 3 hours later, we were finally on the road towards the first stop on our journey: the city of Galway.

Thanks to spending time in Scotland on the first leg of our trip, driving on the wrong (see: left) side of the road was a breeze and we made great time traversing from Dublin to Galway. Watching, with amusement, the tourists on the highways driving 10 kilometers under the speed limit and hugging the side lane helped lighten the mood.

As far as experiences go, I believe that everyone should drive on the opposite side of the road in a foreign country at least once in their lifetime. The adrenaline rush is equivalent to any extreme sport.

Galway feels like a city striking a delicate balance between the traditional and the modern. Generations-old pub food next to michelin-starred restaurants. Guinness and a rising microbrewery scene. Rustic yet bustling with tourists.

Despite being the setting of my most embarrassing travel story, Galway was a perfect introduction to Irish culture.

Here are 8 things to do and 8 things NOT to do in Galway.

DO: Order a Guinness.

Whether or not you drink Guinness at home, when you get to Ireland, order yourself a Guinness – it really does taste better over there! Whether it’s the feeling of authenticity of drinking the beer in it’s home country, the pub ambiance, or that the Guinness is just fresher (due to it being poured regularly in Ireland as compared to occasionally at your local pub).

By the time our trip through Ireland was coming to an end, Guinness was my new favorite beer.

DON’T: Make the same extremely embarrassing mistake I made when it comes to ordering that Guinness!

Did you know that there is a proper way to pour a pint of Guinness? Well, I did not.

This led to the following scene (which to this day still causes me to cringe): I walk up to the bartender to order a pint of Guinness, and after filling the glass about 3/4 of the way, he stops pouring and sets the glass on the bar in front of me. That’s a light pour, I think to myself, but I take the beer and go on my way.

At the next pub, Amanda is ready to give her first Guinness a try. “Make sure they fill it up the whole way,” I mentioned as we walked up to the bar. I watch a similar scene unfold as the bartender takes a glass and fills it about 3/4 of the way, stops pouring, and this time setting the glass down just off to the side, next to 4 other partially-filled glasses of Guinness. Now I’m intrigued.

Roughly 120 seconds later, I watch with a mixture of humiliation and solace as the bartender tops off the rest of my glass, handing me a beautiful, full pint of Guinness.

It wasn’t until days later at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin that I learned of the name for this step in the process of pouring a perfect pint of Guinness: The Settle.

Don’t be a moronic tourist and take away your pint of Guinness before the bartender is done pouring it. Don’t be me.

DO: Pub hop and shop on the cobblestoned Quay Street

Located in the heart of Galway’s Latin Quarter, Quay Street is lined with lively pubs, shops and restaurants. If you have just 24 hours in Galway, you can’t go wrong spending a majority of your time here.

DON’T: Settle for the first Fish and Chips place you see

Galway is home to a thriving food scene. If you are looking for fast, budget-friendly fish and chips, McDonagh’s on Quay Street is a Galway staple.

That said, Galway offers so much more when it comes to dining. Delicious food options are abundant.

DO: Talk to the local Irish folks

They say the best way to get to know a new place is by talking with locals; I wholeheartedly agree. Some of our favorite memories involve the people we’ve met during our travels.

If you are an introvert like me, don’t let that deter you from meeting the locals in Galway. Staying at a Bed & Breakfast or an AirBnB is an easy way to connect with your host, and you can make quick friends buying a round at a pub.

They say the Irish are warm and welcoming; I wholeheartedly agree.

DON’T: Let them pay extra attention to your girlfriend or wife

The Irish are warm, welcoming… and charming. On more than one occasion I witnessed the Irish charm at work.

To be charming is not an undesirable trait… except for the few times in Galway when I came back to find an Irishman being a little too charming to Amanda.

Luckily, this wasn’t a scene out of P.S. I Love You, and these guys were no Gerard Butler.

DO: Find a pub with live, traditional Irish music

You know what goes perfect with a pint of Guinness? If your answer is Baileys… piss off.

The correct answer is traditional Irish folk music. Walking through the streets of Galway’s Latin Quarter, you can take your pick from the multitude of pubs with live music pouring from the windows onto the streets.

DON’T: Request the song Galway Girl

If you’re ever in Nashville, requesting the song Wagon Wheel will elicit groans from the band and the audience. The bands are tired of the playing it and the crowd is tired of hearing it.

The same rule applies in Ireland with the classic song Galway Girl. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun song and we couldn’t wait to hear it. You will hear it, it will be fun to sing along to… just don’t be the one to request it.

DO: Take a Minute to Enjoy the Buskers

When it comes to what makes Galway so lively, one could certainly point to the talented street performers, or buskers, as a central source.

Wandering the cobblestone streets of the Latin Quarter, you can’t help but stop and revel in the music that fills the town.

DON’T: Try to talk with an Irish accent

I continue to break this rule to this day.

DO: Enjoy a Craft Beer and Irish Whiskey

Despite the omnipresence of Guinness, Ireland’s beer options are quite diverse. For a break from “the black stuff” visit Oslo Bar, home of Galway Bay Brewery, Galway’s first and only Microbrewery.

While the beer in Ireland is exceptional, some may argue their whiskey is even better. As the fastest growing spirit in the world, Irish whiskey is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Now home to 18 distilleries (up from just 4 in 2013), Ireland is an intoxicating place for any whiskey lover.

Apparently, Gin is also a thing in Ireland, it’s just not my thing.

DON’T: Order a “shot” of Whiskey

Do other cultures order shots, or is it just Americans? Like at many U.S. weddings, bartenders in Galway are hesitant to give you a shot of whiskey.

Instead, a Jameson “neat” will do.

DO: Take a day trip to the Aran Islands

It’s becoming cliche to describe a place as “how things were xx years ago,” but when it comes to the Aran Islands, it is an apt comparison.

A day trip from Galway, visiting one of the three islands is literally like transporting back in time. As a local Irishman, who was there for a quiet vacation, told us, “this is how I remember Ireland 60 years ago when I was a child.”

Of the 3 islands, Inishmore is the largest; and while it attracts the most visitors, it strikes the perfect balance of being “Olde Tyme” without being too desolate to spend a day here.

DON’T: Take the Ferry

There are two ways to get to the Aran Islands, by air or by sea. The ferry is more popular and more affordable. However, I recommend arriving by plane.

If you are able to catch the first flight out from the airfield west of Galway, it gives you about a 2 hour head start to explore the island before the ferries, and tourists, start arriving. If you like the feeling of having a place to yourself for a few hours, the plane ride is worth the extra money. The morning hours are truly magical.

Finally, DO: Have Fun!

Of all the descriptive words one can throw out about Galway, it’s the most simple three-letter word that is most fitting: fun.

With the drinks flowing and music filling the streets, you can’t help but have fun in Galway.

So when building your Ireland itinerary, make sure Galway is on your list.

Is Ireland on your bucket list? Have you ever been to Galway? Share your thoughts below!