Nighttime in Salthill
25 September 2018
Our cottage sits on the property of Cnoc Suian, which is about 20 minutes to the west of Galway city in Connemara. The region is dominated by inland mountains and bogs, but it is also influenced by the rugged coastline of the Galway Bay. This is the environment that will be surrounding us over the next few days.
We drove down to the coastal town of Spiddal, turned to the east, and made our way along the shoreline towards Galway city. This was actually our first stop in Ireland many years ago, as we took a break along the beach from the long drive from Shannon airport to Cnoc Suain. The air here is briny, strong with that heavy seaside aroma. I absolutely love it. I have always felt that the sea should smell like the sea, and with a few deep breaths of the heavy salty air, you should know exactly where you are.
We stopped off in Barna where there were a couple of recommended places to go for dinner. We walked down to the pier, and with the tide out that heady ocean aroma intensified. The harbor was lined with fishing boats, too bad we couldn’t take a trip out on one! Instead, the boats were in for the night and the sun was setting and we were hungry, so we stopped into a restaurant right at the pier, appropriately called O’Gradys on the Pier.
When this close to the sea, surrounded by briny air, seafood is the only thing I crave. We dug into the O’Gradys take on the seafood stew along with a cold seafood sampler, including smoked salmon and mackerel, salmon salad, shrimp, crab meat.... and oysters. Of all the seafood I’ve had, I’ve loved most of it. Oysters are still on my iffy list. These were surprisingly good to me, so maybe my oyster appreciation is changing! Paired with a Bulmer’s Cider and local Bogman Ale, it was a night of seafood by the seaside. Just how it should be!
As you cross into Galway City proper from the western shoreline, you enter a neighborhood called Salthill. It’s a funky little area, with a couple casinos, an aquarium, and a handful of restaurants and pubs. Last time here we went in to O’Connor’s Pub, a famous spot with music, drinks, and tons of trinkets hanging from the ceiling. We debated heading back there, but instead found a place called Oslo.
Oslo bar has nothing to do with Norway or its capital city that I’m aware of, but it does serve as a taproom for Galway Bay Brewing, one of the area’s premier craft breweries! It’s interesting to see countries with a strong brewing tradition embrace the craft beer scene, as I always really hope they pull some of their own tradition into it, and not just make the world’s ten-millionth California IPA. The results are mixed, and often disappointing. Galway Bay however does offer a nice variety, and being from a country like Ireland I’m happy to see they have a pretty impressive stout on offer! We hung out with our pints, tried a Teeling Single Malt, and struck up some conversation with a few of the locals.
One of the girls leaned over to us:
“So, have ye been to Dublin?”
“No, we’ve just been on the West Coast for both trips.”
“Good!” she said. “Don’t go. It’s just another big city. Out here is where all the fun is!”
Can’t argue with that logic. Before long, she was helping Beth get down some Irish phrases.
“You know when you’ve been out drinking all night, they say you’re ‘shook’? Well we say ‘shook like a hand at mass’!”
We finished the night at this great pub, talking with some fun people, and having a great time. If that’s not how you’re ending your night, then were you ever really in Ireland?
