#the skeff galway

[thanhingalway]

Woche 1 - Teil 2

Besonderheiten

Links, Quick Select-Regal (Quick Select ist das Schmökerregal für beliebte Klassiker und von Mitarbeiter*innen ausgewählte Bücher, sind praktisch für Unentschiedene, die kurz die Bibliothek besuchen)

Rechts, das liebevoll dekorierte Regal für Scifi-, Fantasy- und Horrorliteratur

Das Library Mobile, der neue Bücherbus

der Stadt Galway

Fangen wir mit den Unterschieden an:

Die Iren sind für ihre kulante, tolerante Art bekannt. Das spiegelt sich auch im Bibliothekssystem wieder. So nimmt Irland aufgrund des nationalen Bibliothekssystems keine Gebühren für die Mitgliedschaft oder den Transport. Ebenso wird für überzogene Ausleihen keine Mahngebühr genommen. Das hat den Grund, dass Besucher*innen der öffentlichen Bibliotheken sich nicht unter Druck gesetzt fühlen sollen, falls sie eine Leihe nicht früh genug wiedergeben und animiert sind, nach langer Zeit wieder zurückzukommen. Dafür sind die Ausgaben für den Medienerwerb deutlich kleiner und daher werden Bücher solange wie möglich behalten und mit austauschbaren Umschlägen foliiert. Des Weiteren wird mit dem Dewey-Dezimal-Klassifikationssystem systematisiert. Andere Besonderheiten in Irland ist das Verkehrssystem. In Irland gibt es keine Monatskarten oder Jahreskarten. Hier wird nach Eigenbedarf ein Guthaben auf eine sogenannte "Leap Card" geladen. Für mich war das am Anfang gewöhnungsbedürftig, da ich online mit Kreditkarte zahlen musste. Leider habe ich bis dato keine Kreditkarte, weswegen ich auf die Bibliotheksleitung angewiesen war, die mir anbot, eine Karte zu bestellen.

Touristisches

Stadtzentrum und die Galway Kathedrale

Das Herz der Stadt sind zweifellos die Pubs - mit ihrer Live-Musik und der traditionellen Holzeinrichtung. Ich habe jetzt in fünf Pubs meine Zeit verbracht (The Quays, The Skeff, Seven, Monroe's und Salthouse Bar). Alle waren in ihrer Art einzigartig. Wer Galway besucht, sollte auch wenn möglich ein oder zwei Pubs besuchen, vor allem, die mit traditioneller Musik!

Was ich auch empfehlen kann, ist ein Strandspaziergang zu Salthill, einem angesagten Bezirk, welcher auf einem Hügel an der Strandpromenade sitzt. Auf dem Salthill sind stadtbekannte Restaurants, Bars und Cafés situiert. Einen Besuch auf jeden Fall wert.

Fazit

Spaziergang am schnellsten Fluss Europas, dem Corrib

Ich bin sehr zufrieden mit meiner ersten Woche in Galway und könnte nicht glücklicher mit der Entscheidung sein, ein Auslandpraktikum in Irland zu machen. Ganz besonders bin ich froh im Sommer gekommen zu sein, denn auf mich (oder uns) wird noch das Galway Arts Festival und das Film Festival zukommen!

Links, die Summer Stars-Aufstellung zur gleichnamigen Lesechallenge (für die Kinder, die in den Sommerferien von den Schulen zum Lesen animiert werden)

Rechts, das Quick Reads-Regal für Menschen, die Kurzlektüren wollen

Ich werde die nächste Woche aus der Zweigbibliothek Westside Library posten. Es wird aufgrund der Summer Stars Lesechallenge und den Sommerevents sehr turbulent werden. Also bleibt gespannt. Ich hoffe ihr seid genauso gehyped wie ich.

Grüße, Thanh

[kkoehn17]

Friday June 14th, 2019:

Upon meeting our Airbnb host Carmel the evening before, she gave us a rundown of the house she’d so graciously rented to us for the next two nights. She also gave us a guidebook of the area and pointed out some of her favorite things that we might want to add to our itinerary.

Waking the next morning, feeling only slightly disoriented by the fact that we were on vacation in Europe and not at home getting ready for work, our group made breakfast in the kitchen. Carmel provided us with a wide variety of snacks, including waffles (that weren’t frozen?), fresh fruit, and something called “breakfast pudding” that none of us were brave enough to take out of the refrigerator.

Our first stop of the morning was Belvedere House Gardens & Park—a Mullingar locale that none of us had heard of but came highly recommended by Carmel.

The morning offered slightly cloudy skies and a chill in the air none of us were quite ready for, but we bundled up and headed out, my dad and Uncle Bruce taking the wheel and bravely setting off the on “wrong” side of road once again.

Being a Friday morning, Belvedere House was not overly crowded, and we were able to saunter and explore at our own pace, flipping the hoods of our raincoats off and on as the rain came in spurts.

We took a tour of the house, marveling at its architecture and grandeur, walked the grounds, and strolled through the fairy garden.

Overall it was a very charming and welcome start to our day, and the perfect pit stop en route to the day’s main attraction: the Cliffs of Moher.

You know, these old things.

We spent a good two hours here, blessed with a sunny sky and only periodic gusts of high wind that made my dad close his eyes and ask us to please stand at least 4 miles from the edge.

Among the many (hundreds?) (thousands?) of pictures we took, my sister and I made sure to get another hair by the Cliffs shot, paying homage to those we took a few years ago.

And I got to recreate one my of my favorite shots from our trip—this time with my brother in tow.

Quick sidenote: Can we talk about how tiny my hands look compared to his?

From the Cliffs of Moher, we headed to Galway, my cousin Taryn’s favorite city from her stay in Ireland, and she took us to her favorite pizza place (Mizzoni’s) and her favorite bar (The Skeff).

As we hung out and listened to live music from Vicaria Band, my sister and I introduced the gang to our favorite Irish born drink: Jameson and ginger ale, which aided in our table’s karaoke performances of Britney Spears, Tina Turner and Darius Rucker (among others).

The drive back to Mullingar, while a little long and dark, again provided us a place to call home and the group of us sat around the living room, sipping on nightcaps and laughing our way through the memories of the day. This was our last night in Mullingar, but Carmel and Fintan promised to send us off with a bang, and at 9:00 a.m. the next morning, that bang arrived in style.

.

Saturday June 15th, 2019:

BANG.

Okay, so it wasn’t really a bang. It was more of a knock. Two or three of them. And then a call into the house: “Peppy and I are ready for ya!”

As you might (never) have guessed, Peppy was a horse, and Fintan ushered us outside to meet him, and take us on ride in the Peppy-drawn carriage.

Pro tip: if you are ever given the opportunity to go on a carriage ride through the Irish countryside, say yes. There is truly no better way to start your morning.

After each family got a ride, we loaded back into our cars, waved goodbye to Carmel and Fintan (and Peppy) and got on the road to Cork.

Just under three hours later, we pulled into the parking lot at Blarney Castle.

Now, Blarney Castle was a favorite from our last trip, mostly because of how beautiful both the castle and the grounds are, but also because of the undeniably fun—and for some, understandably terrifying—prospect of kissing the Blarney Stone to receive the “gift of the gab”. For a full recap of what that means, you can check out this post, but to keep it brief: you lie on the ground, have an Irish man help you more or less hang off a ledge at the top of the castle, and then kiss a thousand year old rock.

Legend says that after you kiss the rock you will be blessed with eloquent speaking abilities, though for anyone afraid of either heights or, more commonly I assume, being held over a ledge one hundred feet in the air, the sheer anticipation of kissing the rock can bring out profanity as eloquent as anything I’ve ever heard.

To come down from the excitement/danger/fun/terror (depending on the person) we walked around the grounds, once again surprised by how beautiful everything is, though slowly getting used to the fact that Ireland is simply, consistently, even reliably beautiful. (Hear that, Irish tourism department? Reliably Beautiful. Call me.)

Our hotel for the night was the River Lee in Cork. While it was tough finding accommodations that fit a group of nine, or even a family of more than three, the River Lee was beautiful and we settled in nicely to three rooms, each with three single beds. (I found a great deal on Orbitz.com!)

We also enjoyed—once could argue too much—the hotel restaurant, where we spent a large chunk of time eating and eating and drinking and eating before heading out in search of one (or three) Irish pubs, where we spent the rest of the night drinking and drinking and laughing and dancing and singing our hearts out.

One request, Ireland pubs: play more Whitney Houston.

Other than that, you’re perfect.

Castles, Cliffs, and a Horse Named Peppy (Our European Adventure: Day 2&3) Friday June 14th, 2019: Upon meeting our Airbnb host Carmel the evening before, she gave us a rundown of the house she’d so graciously rented to us for the next two nights.

[klnofziger]

When traveling on a budget, or a short time-frame, it can be difficult to narrow down what you can fit into your limitations. In an attempt to see as much of Ireland as we could, we split our time between several cities, giving us only 4 days in Galway.

Places to eat:

The Pie Maker –  Located at 10 Cross Street Upper, Galway, H91 C932, Ireland this cozy pie shop has the best meat pies I have ever had. Seriously, you will not be disappointed!

The Skeff – Located in Eyre Square, Galway. Their sandwiches pair nicely with a pint of anything they have on tap. Open late, the staff were friendly & helpful with places to check out in the area.

The King’s Head – Located at 15 High St, Galway, Ireland. The building dates back over 800 years, with links to the Mayor of Galway, Thomas Lynch Fitz-Ambrose in 1654. The historical ambiance is welcoming and the food was great.

McDonagh’s – Located at 22 Quay Street, Galway, Ireland. This fish shop has been around since 1902 and has been a local staple since opening. They have a Fish n Chips Bar as well as a full seafood restaurant. The prices are affordable, the atmosphere is welcoming and lively and the fish n chips were some of the best I’ve ever had.

Finnegan’s – Located at 2 Market St, Galway, Ireland. It is located in the oldest medieval building in Galway! The service is quick and friendly and the food was delicious! The Bangers and Mash here were perfect on a cool night in November!

Things to do:

Lally Tours offers several guided tours to various destinations in Ireland. With limited time, we chose their Land & Water Tour. Day one takes you to Dunguaire Castle (Kinvara), Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey Exhibition, Cliffs of Moher, the village of Doolin and through the Burren. Day two you hop on a ferry to Inis Mór, the largest island in the Aran Islands.

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Some things to do on Inis Mór:

Aran Islands Bike Hire – Hire a bike and take the ride around the island to see as much as you can, taking in the more solitary adventure. (This is not an “easy” ride as there are hills and winding roads… but with many stops to take photos, eat a snack etc, you will be rewarded with some amazing views.)

Dún Aonghasa – the largest of the prehistoric stone forts of the Aran Islands. The fort consists of three massive dry-stone walls and a chevaux-de-frise, a dense band of jagged, upright stones, surrounding the fort from cliff to cliff, designed to impede attackers. Originally constructed c.1100BC, it was re-fortified around 700-800 AD. Excavations revealed significant evidence of prehistoric metalworking, as well as several houses and burials. (Heritage Ireland) **Film buffs might recognize the cliffs as the “Cliffs of Despair” from “The Princess Bride”**

Things to do in Galway:

Lynch’s Castle – Originally dating to the 14th century, now a bank, it sits on Shop Street. Tragically, in 1493, James Lynch hanged his own son for murder.

St. Nicholas Collegiate Church – The true age of this beautiful church is not certain, however it is known to date to at least 1320. Named for the patron Saint of children (Santa Claus) and mariners (Galway is a port city.), the most famous visitor would likely be Christopher Columbus, who prayed there in 1477 (St. Nicholas Church Site).

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop – New and second-hand books for sale in a cozy shop that has been here for over 25 years!

Shop Street – Go shopping, take a stroll, listen to street musicians and watch dancers!

Quay Street – Full of pubs and music!

It is easy to fit all of this into 4 days without feeling over scheduled. We arrived and did some walking around, followed by dinner at The Pie Maker. The next day, we headed to the Cliffs of Moher on the first day of our Lally Tour and returned that evening around 6pm for Dinner at The Skeff. The next day was all day at Inis Mor, returning that evening and grabbing dinner at Finnegan’s. Our final day was shopping on Shop Street and Quay Street with an early lunch at McDonaugh’s and an early dinner & pints at The King’s Head. (We caught a crack of dawn train back to Dublin the next day.)

Galway is a beautiful and friendly city where you will be overwhelmed by the quaintness and enriched by the history! There are so many things to see in Galway and in the surrounding area, we could have spent two weeks there!

“Keep your heart open, a suitcase packed and wander often for the world is wide and adventure awaits.” ~ Emylee

    4 Days in Galway: Where to eat & what to see! When traveling on a budget, or a short time-frame, it can be difficult to narrow down what you can fit into your limitations.

[glowingmeadow]

Ireland.

Ireland, Ireland you’ve got my heart. How beautiful you are, how special and heartwarming. I went over for a full week to my best friends house and had the best time ever. I absolutely adore this country and its people. Our days were quite full these days, so it means that I was not very aware of days and time really cause I was so present in the moment! 

I arrived in Ireland on Wednesday in Dublin airport, so by two ish I was in Galway. We went for lunch, I met Oisin, I saw the Cathedral and we had a stroll around town and then sat for a pint in two pubs. Got home in the evening, sat with her family for a bit and then watched a movie and went to bed. 

Thursday. We woke up, had breakfast in the front room, and then went to Oranmore castle. Was pouring so we first went for a coffee and then Sam gave us a 2 hour tour of the castle! walked then from Oranmore to galway city in an hour and twenty minutes and had a coffee at the Harbour Hotel were we met our Shannon/Brussels friends. Went home, had dinner, which was lovely and then got ready and went out. Went to The Skeff with her and Steven, then over to Barr an Chaladh which was so fun and then went over to the Front Door. Let’s just simply say that things progressed with Steven, and it was really nice cause we had good chats and walking around in the streets together was cute and lovely. 

Next day. Friday. Got dropped off into town by her mum and went fro breakfast at the Temple cafe, then went to the museum and then got to a rugby match with her sister. It was so cool to go watch a rugby match for once! Then we walked until Salthill to Scoil Ide. We cleaned the rooms on the top floor together and then she teached a contemporary for two hours which was fun to watch. We managed to convince her sister to come out with us for a bit, which ended up to a 3 am night out were we sang so much and I got a bit too drunk cause I am such a lightweight lol. Was good craic tho. 

On Saturday we woke up sat a bit in the front room all together, got ready and went with her mum to Portumna to see the workhouses and then a castle. We had lunch there which was the most hilarious thing because of the whole jam/wasp story! was a lovely day and loved spending time with them both. Then we went out that night again for Laura’s birthday, at Hole in the Wall and then electric. two lads one night... bad thing. Emer got a bit angry at me, but so did I with myself soooooo fair play. 

Sunday we took it calm and chill. Stayed in the village, walked along there, went to the castle and the graveyard, met up with a couple of friends, had dinner and watched tv all together. Was good fro a change to keep it down. Steven came at night to the house and we lied down together in the room, only that emer was with us to, and her parents in the front room, sooooo was a bit stressy oops. Was so needed tho and it almed me down and I felt so at peace and safe. 

[jculture-en]

WATCH: Galway pub launches whiskey tasting club by travelling back to prohibition-era America

#Whisky #JapaneseWhiskey [Joe]The 1852 Whiskey Club at the Skeff Bar and Kitchen in Galway will … from the single malts to the Midleton rares by way of a few scotches and Japanese brands. With over 90 whiskies to try from, the Club provides a “comfortable and fun environment” on …

[mrdornelas]

Buenas tardes! #tranquility #tranquilo #saturday #sabado #ireland #Galway #follow4follow #like4like (at The Skeff Bar)

[koknatha]

Whiskey tasting at @theskeffbar #whisky #whiskey #tasting #whiskytasting #whiskeytasting #redbreast #ardberg #buffalotrace #nikka #theskeff #theskeffbar #thevaulwhiskey #SueEllenTime #GalwayFoodFestival #FoodFestival #Galway #Ireland #nofilter #nofilterneededforwhiskey #nofilterneeded (à Skeff Late Bar)

[klnofziger]

Day Trippin': Galway

Day Trippin’: Galway

The great western coast of Ireland is where you will find the beautiful city of Galway. Filling your days with shopping, dining and sightseeing is an easy task.  Take in the Lynch Memorial Window, Lynch Castle, The Spanish Arch, St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, Eyre Square and stop for a bite to eat at The Pie Maker, The Skeff, The King’s Head, McDonough’s and Finnegan’s.

The area surrounding…