GALWAY TO GO

The 10 best things to do when visiting Galway, Ireland

MENTION Galway and the first thing that probably comes to mind is Ed Sheeran crooning about his Galway Girl.

But spending a few days in this vibrant city in the west of Ireland showed me there’s so much more to this beautiful place than a hit single.

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— bookings are essential for dinner).

Laidback, cosy and funky, with a cool stone floor and a bright, dazzling menu of mostly local and organic dishes cooked with a New Zealand accent, this place is full of passion both on and off the plate.

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Dishes might include local lamb or seafood, with dark chocolate pud or pumpkin pie for afters. What’s not to like?

If you’re after a nightcap or two, head to the legendary Tig Cóilí venue ().

It’s easy to find, as it’s painted bright red, and is the perfect place to listen to traditional tunes and burn off some of your supper with a twice-nightly live ceilidh, a traditional Irish dance.

There’s plenty of colourful, local characters at the bar too.

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Other cool venues include the cornflower blue Tigh Neáchtain () which sells its own range of ales, brewed by the local Galway Hooker distillery, and has a great wraparound terrace that’s great for people watching.

Or O’Connell’s in Eyre Square which has a more traditional pub environment with a huge beer garden and cool stained glass windows.

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It’s not really worth having too much of a plan, though — as I soon discovered. The best thing to do is just go with the flow and see where the night, and the bands, take you.

Make sure you pick a central base for your visit too as you’ll want to be close to all the action in the evening. We stayed at the friendly and stylish Harbour Hotel (), right in the heart of the city.

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