April 10th
Okay, so I’m cheating a little.
I haven’t gotten the Stray Travel pass yet, but still, I need to get out of Dublin. So instead of going to Donegal (which would be the first stop with Stray Travel), I’m two hours into a three-hour bus ride to Galway, a place that, according to every person I’ve spoken to, is laidback, gorgeous and cultured. That, and they say it beats the pants off Dublin any time.
Don’t let the duration of the bus ride make you think that Dublin and Galway are far apart, though. They aren’t; it’s just that this is Ireland, where the roads get you from A to B, but only after curving, turning, meandering and roundabouting through points C to Z. I’m not bothered, though; after all, who the hell comes to Ireland to be in a hurry?
Arriving in Galway around three in the afternoon, I walk up from Eyre Square to William Street, the high street of Galway. All around are shops, and people are everywhere, but the feeling in the air is relaxed, calm, even serene. Immediately I’m glad to have left Dublin.
William Street turns into Shop Street which turns into High Street which crosses Cross Street and becomes Quay Street, where I have pre-booked accommodation (it is wise to learn from experience, after all) at Barnacles Quay Street House (phone +353 (0) 91 568 644, e-mail: qshostel@barnacles.iol.ie).
Barnacles is a damn nice hostel, with high season prices that will set you back about IR£9.50 a night in a 12-person dorm. A light breakfast (toast and coffee, and juice as well, though it disappears fast and many guests believe the juice to be a myth) is included. The hostel is clean and big, and it has comfy beds and a nice staff.
Outside, however, luck is on my side again, and the day is nice, albeit a little cool and cloudy. Galway’s weather, I soon learn, is at best undecisive; 10 minutes of sunshine can literally follow 10 minutes of hailstorms, and the days generally consist of an endless trade-off between sun and rain. Outside, it’s time to explore the city centre, which I think would be a good idea: I have a feeling I could stay in Galway for quite a while.
Galway is considered the cultural capitol of Ireland, and it is also one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe.
Walking around, the appeal is obvious; Galway has the feel of a small town, easy to get around and full of nice people. But on the other hand, the wide range of shops – from health food stores to designer clothes to Irish crafts – and the cafes, coffee shops and restaurants, combined with galleries, theatres and festivals (more on those as they happen) give this city of 60,000 a cosmopolitan, cultured feel.
Jobs are plentiful in Galway, and ‘help wanted’ signs window-dressed many shops. Accommodation is cheaper and more plentiful than in Dublin, and IR£30 a week isn’t an uncommon rent for a single room in the city centre.
The best way to find employment is just to walk in and ask (be sure to bring plenty of copies of your resume or CV), but you can also check the Galway Advertiser, a weekly newspaper that comes out on Thursdays.
For accommodation, the Advertiser prints a supplement that runs with the regular paper but that can be purchased on its own for 50p on Wednesdays after 2 p.m.
If you are looking for accommodation, be sure to pick up this supplement and start phoning immediately, because flats and rooms go quickly.
The accommodation supplement also runs on the Advertiser’s website.
