Lonely Planet Galway & the West of Ireland Road Trips

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781788686495
• eBook ISBN: 9781838690236

Lonely Planet: The world's number one travel guide publisher Whether exploring your own backyard or somewhere new, discover the freedom of the open road with Lonely Planet's Galway & the West of Ireland's Best Trips. Featuring seven amazing road trips, plus up-to-date advice on the destinations you'll visit along the way, you can find traditional folk music, Connemara's wilderness and cute villages - all with your trusted travel companion. Jump in the car, turn up the tunes, and hit the road! Inside Lonely Planet's Galway & the West of Ireland's Best Trips: Lavish colour and gorgeous photography throughout Itineraries and planning advice to pick the right tailored routes for your needs and interests Get around easily - easy-to-read, full-colour route maps and detailed directions Insider tips to get around like a local, avoid trouble spots and be safe on the road - local driving rules, parking, toll roads Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Useful features - including Stretch Your Legs, Detours, Link Your Trip Covers Galway, Connemara, County Clare, County Galway, County Mayo, Sligo, and more The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet's Galway & the West of Ireland's Best Trips is perfect for exploring the west of Ireland by road. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world's number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, video, 14 languages, nine international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveler's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

Destinations

County Galway

Ireland’s liveliest city hums through the night, while some of Ireland’s most picturesque scenery lies just outside the city limits.

Counties Mayo & Sligo

In these two counties you’ll find all of Ireland’s wild, romantic beauty but without the crowds.

County Clare

If the land is hard, Clare’s soul certainly isn’t: traditional Irish culture and music flourish here.

Street musicians performing in Galway City
JON CHICA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

County Galway

County Galway’s exuberant namesake city is a swirl of colourful shop-lined streets, enticing old pubs, and an increasingly sophisticated food scene that celebrates local produce. And some of Ireland’s most picturesque scenery fans out from Galway’s city limits, from the breathtaking Connemara Peninsula to the wild and beautiful eroded swaths of the Aran Islands.

GALWAY CITY

Pop 79,934

Arty, bohemian Galway (Gaillimh) is one of Ireland’s most engaging cities. Brightly painted pubs heave with live music, while restaurants and cafes offer front-row seats for observing buskers and street theatre. Remnants of the medieval town walls lie between shops selling handcrafted Claddagh rings, books and musical instruments.

While it’s steeped in history, the city buzzes with a contemporary vibe, thanks in part to students, who make up around a fifth of the population. Its energy and creativity have seen it designated a European Capital of Culture for 2020.

History

From humble beginnings as the tiny fishing village Claddagh at the mouth of the River Corrib, Galway grew into an important town when the Anglo-Normans, under Richard de Burgo (also spelt de Burgh or Burke), captured territory from the local O’Flahertys in 1232. Its fortified walls were built from around 1270.

In 1396 Richard II granted a charter transferring power from the de Burgos to 14 merchant families or ‘tribes’ – hence Galway’s enduring nickname: City of the Tribes. (Each of the city’s roundabouts is named for one of the tribes.)

Galway maintained its independent status under the ruling merchant families, who were mostly loyal to the English Crown. Its coastal location encouraged a huge trade in wine, spices, fish and salt with Portugal and Spain. Its support of the Crown, however, led to its downfall; the city was besieged by Cromwell in 1651 and fell the following year. Trade with Spain declined and Galway stagnated for centuries.

The early 1900s saw Galway’s revival as tourists returned to the city and student numbers grew. In 1934 the cobbled stree...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Welcome to Galway & the West of Ireland
• Galway & the West of Ireland Map
• Galway & the West of Ireland Highlights
• Galway City Guide
• Need to Know
• Road Trips
• Destinations
• Road Trip Essentials
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writer