Clonmacnoise and Galway, Ireland
As I mentioned in my blogging goals for 2016 post, I want to revisit some of the places I visited before I started Corking Around. First up in this "Blast from the Past" series is a more in depth look at our trip to Ireland in May of 2014. (I can't believe it's been that long ago already!) We went on this trip with my fiance's brother and his fiancee.
We took an overnight flight to Dublin where, once we landed, we picked up our rental car and began our drive to Galway. To break up the 2.5-hour drive we stopped approximately halfway through at the monastery of Clonmacnoise. This site overlooks the River Shannon in County Offaly and contains ruins of a cathedral, castle, churches, and the largest number of Early Christian grave slabs in Western Europe. To get on the grounds, though, you must pay a €7.00 entrance fee, which also includes access to a small museum/visitor center.
This early Christian site was founded by St. Ciarán in the mid-6th century. With the 7th century came the plague which carried away many of the scholars and professors that resided there. However, Clonmacnoise had a great period of growth from the 8th to the 12th centuries. By the 9th century it was one of the most well-known monasteries and even became a burial site for the High Kings of Tara. During these four centuries it saw its fair share of attacks from both the Vikings and the Normans.
Clonmacnoise is also home to three high crosses, which are now inside the visitor center to protect them from the elements. The most famous of them is the Cross of the Scriptures, which was carved into Clare sandstone and contains the inscription of a prayer for Flann Sinna, King of Ireland, and Abbot Colmán, who commissioned the cross. In the 12th century, 500 years after it was built, Clonmacnoise began to decline mainly due to the growth of the town Athlone in the north. Athlone eventually became the main trading hub for the midlands of Ireland.
Once we'd had our fill of Clonmacnoise history, we arrived in Galway, which is the sixth most populated city in the country. According to myth, Galway is named after Gaillimh (Galvia), the daughter of a local chieftain, Breasail, who drowned in the River Corrib.
We spent a couple of days in Galway, where we experienced the worst of our Irish weather experience, if you could call it that. You can't tell by these photos, but it was damp and misty for half of the time we were there before the weather cleared up and remained surprisingly great for the rest of our time in Ireland.
We mainly just ambled about the city exploring the markets and the shops. If you're looking for a warm and reasonably priced Irish wool sweater, I recommend buying it at the Galway Woollen Market. The prices will only creep up from there as you make your way around the country. I'm very happy with my sweater--it's great for when we have those below freezing days in the winter here in Virginia!
My favorite spot in Galway was Ballyknow Quay, which is bordered by a row of infamous colored houses.
And of course we found time to wander into a local bakery to check out what treats they had to offer. All in all Galway wasn't the most exciting city we visited. Perhaps it was because we were there a month before the tourist season rush. Either way, it was certainly picturesque and is a good city to stop over for a day and night even if only to pick up an authentic wool sweater. ;) I know a lot of study abroad programs occur in Galway, which I'm sure is a much better way to experience and integrate yourself with the city.
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