Hiking in Ireland – 7

It took me longer than it should have to figure out which hotel bathroom door was which. I must be getting travel-weary!

Our morning was spent with a professional city guide. His logo echoes the traditional regional symbol, the Claddagh Ring.

Designed by a local silversmith around 1700, the heart represents love, the crown represents loyalty, and the two clasped hands symbolize friendship.

Our tour began in Galway’s central Eyre Square, named after Mayor Edward Eyre, who donated this plot of land to the city in 1710.

The fountain’s statue represents Galway hookers, fishing boats that were designed for the strong winds of Galway Bay.

President Kennedy came to Galway in 1963 (just months before his assassination), the first American president to visit Ireland. He made a public speech here in the square, noting that if you could look far enough west across the waters of the bay, you would see Boston and the descendants of Irish emigrants–which included his own family.

“The Wanderer” by a British artist with Irish roots (Sean Henry) plunged me right into Uncanny Valley.

From Eyre Square we walked briskly through an indoor shopping mall, which seemed like a strange tour choice . . . . .

. . . . until we arrived at a restored section of the city wall that is now protected within the shopping center. The stonework dates from the 1200’s when the Anglo-Normans established a fort here at the mouth of the “Gaillimh” River.

The original stonework is below, and above is the carefully restored section. Those Norman conquerors brought along some mighty fine stonemasons!

This historic merchant house is the site of an unverified tale about a monkey sacrificing itself to save some lady’s baby during a fire.

Looks to me more like a lion munching on a turtle.

Now here we have actual history. In 1493 a stern and uncompromising judge sentenced his own son to death for murder. A popular, although unruly young man, the people of the city demanded his release from prison. Instead, the judge himself put the noose around his son’s neck and had him flung from the upper window. The son’s name was Walter LYNCH.

Our tour guide pointed out some favored shops, including an actual walk-through of a wonderful bookstore.

After the tour was over, Nancy and I re-traced our steps to the recommended cheese shop.

And we splurged on souvenir sweaters! Knitted in Ireland, but the wool comes from New Zealand and Australia.

Ok, I followed these instructions very carefully — and ended up with the handle breaking off in my hand. I confess I did not “inform reception” and instead fled the country.

We had a spare hour before catching our bus out of Galway, so we booked ourselves an Irish-themed escape room.

The puzzles were only so-so, but the atmosphere was really cool.

While waiting for our bus we asked the hotel bartender for a trial sample of Guiness.

It was not to our liking, but it’s highly recommended for those who like a dry stout.

We made a mid-afternoon stop at the Cobblestone Cafe, located on the grounds of Coole Park Nature Reserve.

The lake normally comes up to these rocks, but despite how much rain we experienced, it had been a very dry summer in western Ireland. Our guide, Shane, was actually quite shocked to see how far the lake had receded.

I think everyone in the group is pretty much ready to start heading home.

In 1898, the owner of the property, Lady Gregory, asked one of her guests to carve his initials in a copper beech tree. William Butler Yeats complied, and after that, the Autograph Tree endured the incisions of many others, including George Bernard Shaw.

Irish or Gaelic football allows carrying and hand-passing the ball, in addition to kicking.

Our final hotel did not have much to recommend it, but it was just a short walk from there to the Shannon International Airport, where we would begin our flights home tomorrow.

Or so we thought!!!