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Irish Explorer Bus Tour: Day 5 – GALWAY & CONNEMARA

June 24, 2018 /

After a pretty late night of pub hopping around Galway, we woke up bright and early to join our tour group for breakfast in our hotel.

The day was packed with all kinds of activities that I honestly wasn’t too excited about. But one of the things that I’ve learned from being on this tour is that those are the days that often times seem to surprise us!

First, we stopped at a store called Celtic Crystal, where they hand-craft – you guessed it – crystal. When we first walked in and were told we would be shown how they carve a small bowl with three intricate designs, I thought we would have to be there for hours. The design looked so tedious to make. I was certain it was something that could not be done quickly.

About seven minutes later, the presentation was complete and we were all awestruck. The gentleman that carved the designs had been working there for seventeen years and was able to carve the intricate and stunning designs onto the glass bowl with ease. One of which was the Cladaugh Ring.

One of the pieces they held on display

After the demonstration, everyone seemed to have a much bigger appreciation for the craft, and many scattered around the store in search of some beautiful items to take home.

From here, we made our way to the Dan O’Hara Homestead, which again, on paper, did not sound that intriguing. It is found, however, in the middle of the Connemara, and we were absolutely stunned by the views. We got to take a guided tour up the mountain via a tractor ride. The tour guide, who was a seventh generation O’Hara farmer showed us all of the magnificent views that he gets to call home. It was truly breathtaking.

But what we really appreciated just as much was his sharing of the history behind it all. He talked to us about turf and showed how it is cut in the bog – an area of land not suitable for any type of vegetation. Instead, they cut it and leave it out to try. After 2-3 weeks, they are then stacked together into the shape of a tee-pee to dry for another 8-10 weeks and then used to make fires.

He brought us into a little Irish cottage on the hillside, where he had a turf fire burning, and told us stories and sang us songs.  It was a really amazing experience and one we were truly grateful to have had.

Afterwards, we rode back down and ate lunch on their property. While eating, we noticed there are also rooms that would be available to stay in if we were to ever return to  the area – which I’m sure one day we will.

Driving back to Galway, we were slowed down by a bit of an Irish traffic jam. There were three sheep in the road that couldn’t seem to pick a side to stay on. They were so cute, and it reminded me of that scene in the movie, Leap Year, where the cows all block the road and she tries to shoo them away.

Anyways, once we got back to Galway, we had some more time to go out and explore the town. We walked around and made our second stop at a little ice cream shop called Murphy’s. They have several locations throughout Ireland, one of them being in Dingle where they actually originated and where the ice cream is produced. We fell in love with little shop,not only because their sea salted ice cream is delicious, but because of how we were treated each time.

One of the things we love about Ireland is how friendly everyone has been to us. Here, we were greeted each time by a guy named Michael. He was so fun to talk to, and each time we left, we left feeling like locals. It was a great feeling, and we would highly recommend you check out one of their shops when you visit Ireland.

Next, it’s off to Killarney! Xoxo

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