I'm new to the forum and have many questions.

Michele Erdvig · Host

RE: I'm new to the forum and have many questions.

Wellsley · Guru

Thank you Michele,

We won't be making any concrete plans for Galway, but make a list of things to do there and decide when we get there.

Connemara would be nice. How much time should we allow to drive to Connemara and see what we can and return to Galway?

Would the Aran islands take less time?

Is there a scenic plane ride out of Galway airport?

There just isn't enough time to see everything. I guess thats why many people keep returning.

Frank

Michele Erdvig · Host

Frank,

Both Connemara and the Aran Islands will each take all day. Aer Aran flys to the Aran Islands. Perhaps you could combine the plane ride with a trip to the islands.

You are absolutely correct that there is so much to see and do in Ireland many keep returning again and again.

Michele

tony2phones · Guru

A couple of links for your Galway stay

http://www.enjoyfreetoday.com/

http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/visit/connemara/drives/

http://www.aerarannislands.ie/

Wellsley · Guru

Michele & Tony,

Thank you. I'm still gathering info on Galway.
I thought about stopping into Taaffes pub. Are there any other pubs we shouldn't miss?
I see there is a scenic flight but it only runs July and August. I also found a helicopter ride, but it is only 10minutes long.

Thanks again for you input.

Frank

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Frank,

One of my favorite pubs in Galway is Tig Cóilí at the top of Shop Street. http://www.galwaycitypubguide.com/all-pubs/tig-coili.html It must have been closed when they took the photo of the front of the pub, as I've never seen it without the cafe tables and chairs out front there...

They have a great group of musicians (differs from night to night sometimes) for their sessions, and they often have an earlier session (in case you don't stay up late or don't care for the crowds).

On the other side of the river in Dominick Street is Monroe's Tavern, also a good place to tap your feet. And you can have dinner there as well... http://www.galwaycitypubguide.com/all-pubs/monroes.html

Those are a couple of my favorites...

Wellsley · Guru

Kate,

Thank you I will certainly look into those pubs.

Tig Coili has been added. It is fairly close to our hotel.

Frank

-- Edited by Wellsley on Tuesday 5th of April 2011 04:45:31 PM

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Also, Fran, if you like seafood, be sure to drop into McDonagh's Seafood restaurant at the bottom of Quay Street. They have a great menu and good food for a decent price... another staple in Galway City. :)

EngagingKate · Senior Member

My apologies! I have no idea what happened to my "k" in "Frank"!!! evileye

Monty · Senior Member

Frank:

If you like music sessions a bit earlier than most, Tig Coili has a 2 p.m. session on Sunday afternoons. For our crowd, that worked out great instead of waiting until 9 p.m. that night.

Regards,

Monty

Wellsley · Guru

EngagingKate wrote:
Also, Fran, if you like seafood, be sure to drop into McDonagh's Seafood restaurant at the bottom of Quay Street. They have a great menu and good food for a decent price... another staple in Galway City. :)

Kate,

Thank you this is just what we are looking for. I hope we get to go there. Since we have no set plans for Galway our itinerary once we get there might change. But McDonagh's is on the list.

Thank you again.

Frank

-- Edited by Wellsley on Saturday 9th of April 2011 05:51:16 AM

Wellsley · Guru

Monty,

Thanks for the advice, we do plan on going there. But we won't be in Galway on Sunday instead we will be there on thursday and friday.

Frank

Wellsley · Guru

My next set of questions have to do with what we take for granted here in the USA. All the reading I have done I understand alot of the food in Ireland is bland (or a least we Americans think so). One reason for this is the lack of salt. Which leads me to my next question. Do they have salt shakers at restaurants and pubs?
I also here that public toilets are few and far between. Should I search for rest rooms along our route or not to worry about it?
What other things do we take for granted that I should be aware of?

Thank you for your responses.

Frank

-- Edited by Wellsley on Saturday 9th of April 2011 06:37:05 AM

tony2phones · Guru

Yes you can get salt, pepper, vinegar and various sauce's/ketchup to mock the chief's efforts, not everything on a typical menu is potato based. We do though also have extra greasy Burgers. Dogs and fries to accommodate colonial taste buds (promised myself I wouldn't do that!) but avoid the English mustard. As to public toilets, they are becoming scarce due to vandalism and other less socially and morally acceptable activities, however most fuel stops have toilets and there's always the excuse to pop into a pub. You might want to bring a face cloth.

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Frank,

As with any country, where you eat will determine the quality and type of food. We have eaten at restaurants in Ireland where the food was not spiced much at all, but there are condiments available, as Tony pointed out. We have also eaten at Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants, Italian restaurants, and family-style/carvery restaurants that served quite tasty food. We even had a beautiful seafood chowder in the cafe at the Cliffs of Moher. Regarding pub food, most of the pubs will serve sandwiches and the like, so you really wouldn't need to think too much about how bland it is.

If you're used to Tex-Mex or super-spicy foods, I suppose the food in Ireland may seem a bit bland to you. wink (But you could always pack one of those little bottles of hot sauce...)

Public toilets in Ireland - As I mentioned in another thread, when we visited Ireland in 2008 with my mother and a friend of ours (who has the tiniest bladder ever!), we must have found every toilet from Waterford to Cavan and Galway to Dublin. It seemed like we were stopping about every hour for one or both of them. While you can find toilets at petrol stations, you may find yourself asking how badly you need to go sometimes! You'll also be able to find public toilets at (or near) most places where tourists congregate and at restaurants and pubs (as Tony also mentioned).

But, yes, you might want to bring your own hand sanitizer and/or wet wipes, because sometimes you'll find a toilet but no place to wash your hands afterward. It's really not much different than here in the U.S. in my opinion... smile

Melissa5 · Guru

Wellesley: Food is one of my favorite subjects. biggrin You mentioned you heard food in Ireland is bland compared to USA food. We enjoyed the food in Ireland, and of course the food varies from one restaurant/cafe/pub to another. But here are our food experiences in Ireland:

--seafood is wonderful in Ireland! very fresh, with a wonderful texture. Fresh seafood has a delicate flavor and doesn't need much spice, in our opinion.

--The typical Irish breakfast was plenty salty enough, in our memory.

--No dishes anywhere in Ireland were what we would consider "spicy hot". I live in San Diego, California, and we are accostomed to spicy food which could burn a hole in your tongue...yum. Nothing like that in Ireland! If a waitress in Ireland warns you that a dish is spicy...well, it isn't...at least, not in our experience. Remember though, we are comparing it to San Diego standards. We have some very spicy Mexican food and very spicy Thai food in San Diego. Even our grandbaby now likes spicy food and she isn't yet 2 years old!

--Italian food in Ireland can be very good. It will be more European style...it's not the same as the "Italian" dishes that Americans are used to. We enjoyed the Italian food in Ireland...especially if the cafe had an Italian owner or cook.

--Try various different potato dishes. We found that they use an entirely different potato in Ireland and in Europe...it seems creamier in texture, compared to the potatoes usually cooked here in the USA. We liked the potatoes in Ireland better than the ones we cook here in the USA.

--Home-made soups are wonderful in Ireland...especially if you've been out walking on a windy day. If they come with home-made bread...even better. We preferred the brown bread over the Irish soda bread. I think the brown bread is also called "wheaten", if I remember correctly?

Enjoy tasting your way through Ireland! aww

-- Edited by Melissa5 on Saturday 9th of April 2011 05:59:01 PM

Michele Erdvig · Host

I think the reason the question of salt came up is that I posted that I take salt & pepper to Ireland for self-catering. That's because sometimes the cottages I rent don't have salt & pepper shakers. (Or the salt has absorbed so much moisture it is useless!) One time all I could find in the grocery store was a package of salt, not shakers. I had to do it the old-fashioned way. Put salt in bowl, take a pinch, sprinkle on food.

But every restaurant in Ireland has salt & pepper, among other condiments. But like Tony warned, the English mustard is extremely potent. It will take the top of your head off! I usually mix it with mayo to tone it down.

Michele

Wellsley · Guru

As far as the salt or bland issue, I would prefer to season it myself so if they have it available I'm good.
Abbey Theatre tickets are purchased. Deros Tours tickets for ring of kerry are purchased. Mary Gibbons Newgrange Tour tickets are purchased. We have four cruises that will need to be purchased but will wait to see what the weather will be like. The time is getting closer I can't wait.

Frank

-- Edited by Wellsley on Sunday 10th of April 2011 11:14:05 AM

Wellsley · Guru

Tony,

Thank you for your response. I don't see having any problem with the food or the public toilets.

Frank

Kate,

Thanks for your reply. The wipes are a great idea.

Frank

Mellisa,

Thank you for your response. Fresh seafood is the best I look forward to eating in Ireland.

Frank

Michele,

Thank you. We will try to avoid the English mustard.

Frank

Roy · Guru

I do 99% of the cooking. I have to be very conservative with seasonings for my wife. She's good with fresh herbs fortunately. Lots of rosemary, basal and thyme.

Since we are going to be in Galway in ten weeks, I'm taking notes too Frank.

Wellsley · Guru

Roy,

I will let you know how the food is at McDonagh's seafood Restaurant in Galway. And what ever else we see and do.

Frank

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Roy and Frank,

We really enjoyed McDonagh's in Galway. It's not a fancy place, but the seafood is relatively inexpensive and pretty fresh. You can go the sit-down restaurant route or eat from the Fish & Chip's Bar. http://www.mcdonaghs.net/index.html

Makes me hungry just to think about it...

Roy · Guru

Kate- we never do fancy! Actually, for us McDonagh's would be a splurge. It's a little higher than standard pub or carvary food, but the starter entree wine deal sounds good. My wife doesn't eat fried food, so the fish & chips bar may be out. Ah, Ireland on a teacher's budget!

Wellsley · Guru

Well the weather here was certainly nice 70's today. My next concern is tipping. I have read a little bit about this but not sure when and who to tip. One example is on these tour buses, should they be tipped? If so how much? I'm told you should tip the person holding you when you kiss the Blarney stone, but not a bartender. What about servers in pubs, cafe's or restaurant's? And what percentage? I know alot of these people count on tourists to make a living and I would not want to short anyone. Since I've never been to Ireland or Europe I don't know and just want to prepare for it.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Frank

Michele Erdvig · Host

Frank,

Ireland is a little different than the US when it comes to tipping. Servers in restaurants get paid at least minimum wage (if not more). They do not depend on tips as total income. Sometimes restaurants have a "tip jar" near the cash register. If not, tip your server (provided you get exemplary service) - either "round up" the bill or 10% or what you think is fair for service provided - and give it directly to them.

Some Irish natives do not tip. But it is appreciated especially with the economy right now.

What type of tour buses are you talking about?

Michele

Wellsley · Guru

Michele,

Thank you for your response. 10% sounds fine. I'm fortunate to say I haven't recieved bad service in to many places. The bus tours I'm speaking of are the Mary Gibbons tour to Newgrange and the Deros Tours of the ring of Kerry. We have taken bus tours here in the US like Yankee trails and tips are expected.

Frank

Michele Erdvig · Host

Frank,

Tips are not expected on such tours, unless the tour guide does something extraordinary for you.

Michele

Wellsley · Guru

Michele,

Thank you so much you and this forum is the best.

Frank

Michele Erdvig · Host

Frank,

Always glad to help!

Michele

Katie4985 · Newbie

Michele,

What a wonderful website you have here!

I am a woman in my late twenties planning a last-minute solo trip to Dublin for Easter (April 23 - April 28). This will be my first time to Ireland and Dublin is going to be my base. Do you recommend any day trips to other parts of the country? Any recommendations for Dublin and for Easter? I'm not really interested in shopping, but really enjoy walking around, people watching, historical sight-seeing, and, of course, a pint or two! While I'm not trying to spend inordinate amounts of money, I've set enough aside for this trip to enjoy myself.

Also, any recommendation for the area of the city I should stay in? Should I consider a B&B as opposed to a hotel? Tourist traps don't thrill me, but I don't want to get too far on the outskirts because I'm 1) traveling alone and 2) on foot, so I'm thinking maybe it would be best to stay in a more touristy area?

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Katie