Monday, May 18th, 2026
After a delicious breakfast in the Lough Rynn Castle restaurant we are headed to Galway. On our drive we passed some Irish turf that was drying.
Irish Turf is also known as peat. It is composed of partially decayed vegetation (like mosses and grasses) and accumulates in bogs. The turf is cut from bogs into long rectangular blocks and dried. It is burned as a fuel source for heating and cooking. For centuries is was the main heat source in rural Ireland.
Martin, our driver/tour director stopped along the road to show us wild cotton that was growing on the side of the roadway. It felt soft and was fluffy.
We drove through the village of Roosky on the River Shannon.
Galway is located halfway on the Wild Atlantic Way and it is the only city on the route.
When we arrived it was lunchtime so we walked to a restaurant that was suggested to us by Martin. It was called The King’s Head. It is located on High Street in the Latin Quarter of Galway. It resides in an 800 year old building that was once home to the mayor of Galway in 1654. In the front bar of the pub is a 400 year old fireplace!
Best of all our food was delicious. After lunch we walked to Thomas Dillons which is home of the original Claddagh ring. Several of our travelers purchased the ring and others purchased earrings.
We also had some time to do some exploring before we needed to leave Galway.
The AIB (Allied Irish Banks) building housed Lynch’s Castle. It is a 16th century fortified Gothic townhouse that has been preserved. Its exterior facade has intricate stone carvings, decorative windows, gargoyles and the coat of arms of King Henry VII and the Lynches.
We walked around the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas located in the city center and is over 700 years old. It was the largest medieval parish church in Ireland. It was completed in 1320 and was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children (Santa Claus). It was also said that Christopher Columbus stopped in the church and prayed there in 1477.
Our next stop was to our hotel in Lahinch at the Lahinch Coast Hotel. Lahinch is a small seaside town along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Once we checked in and freshened up we all met to go to dinner. We walked to the Corner Stone Pub located on Main Street.
While we waited for a table some of us walked down to the Lahinch Promenade. You can stroll along the Liscannor Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
It wasn’t long before our table was ready at the Corner Stone Pub. They served traditional home cooked meals which were delicious.
After dinner we were going to walk along the Lahinch Promenade but these little and very annoying fleas were all over us so instead we walked back to our hotel.
