Galway, Connemarra and The Irish River Dance Evening, Ireland
Click on thumbnail to view larger picture
A bit of a drive and we arrived at Galway - a lovely town located on the River Shannon. Our initial impression was a lovely place well worth exploring and this was so true. Just loved the main street area with
musicians playing and street performers acting in the area too. The shopping area was very impressive - lots of jewellers with Claddagh rings, popular as engagement rings for sale as well as handicrafts
and souvenirs for all. Great restaurants and bakeries here and so a rest stop to refresh in such a great place was very welcome. Would love to revisit Galway!
|
Just around the corner from the main shopping area was the remains of the home where the mayor of Galway,
James Lynch FitzStephen, hanged his son from the window of his home in 1493. Lynch's son had murdered a
Spanish man in the care of the family. James Lynch FitzStephen was not popular for this action and his life from here on was a misery so they say.
After a beaut time in Galway we moved on to Connemara, Moycullen to visit the Connemara Marble Factory. A tour of the workshop
here was most interesting as there were many different types of marble unique to the area and the finished products were just beautiful.
|
An optional tour to the Folk Park at Bunratty was on our list of places to go tonight so off we went in
the early evening. When we arrived at the Park first up we walked through a village setup from long ago with Gypsy caravans
and shops in the style of times gone by. Then it was time to go into the place where we would have dinner and watch an Irish river Dance performance.
As soon as we settled in we knew we were in for a great night! Our waiter was a delightful young man who served us up a wonderful Irish stew and a lovely desert
along with some Bailey's to wash it down. When the show began we were surprised to find he was the main dancer who also played a variety of instruments as well.
The show was told in a story form to begin and we were amazed to hear the lilting voice of an exceptional Irish singer. Then the dancing began and we so
enjoyed the performance that we were very sorry when it ended. A great night and just so much fun!
| 
