SATURDAY 
GALWAY

Petra House.
Despite the room facing the street, there wasn't noise keeping me up at night.
Eyre Square in the center of Galway.
I don't know the significance of the Browne Doorway. I had to Google it to find that it is all that remains of a merchant's house built in the early 17th century.
John Kennedy famously visited Galway and Eyre Square in 1963. The park was actually renamed John F. Kennedy Memorial Park in 1965.
William Street is a pedestrian street with shops, pubs and stuff.
I always wondered whatever happened to Fat Freddy's back in Plantation. Looks like they moved to Ireland and changed from a sub shop to a bistro.
The Kings Head pub was probably full of rugby fans.
Blakes Castle was a 15th century town house owned by the Blake family, became a jail until the 19th century and is now a hotel.
Galway was a principal trade port in the Miiddle Ages. The Spanish arch was built in 1584 as an extention of the city walls.
For some reason they put an old fireplace behind the gate. It didn't keep someone from getting to it a spray painting one of the stones.
The tide is out.
Local birds rehearsing the sequel to March of the Penguins. They'll call it the Traipsing of the Swans.
The boys in the NYPD choir were singing this place. It wouldn't be a photo travelogue without an odd music reference. Out there is Galway Bay and the song by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl is "Fairytale of New York".
Rugby goal posts. There was a big Six Nations match this afternoon between Ireland and Wales.
I was trying to find Lynch's Castle when I got to Galway and finally found it. Turns out it housed the AIB Bank where I got some cash a little earlier.
I peeked in the window of a pub to catch a glimpse of the match on a big screen. At this point Ireland was leading Wales 10-9. It wouldn't end up that way.
What would Ireland be without a rainbow? I was too tired to try to find the pot of gold. Besides, it's probably all electronic these days. There's probably just a cash machine at the end now.
One of my rules when travelling abroad is not to eat at a place where I could go back home. That means if I eat at a fast food joint it has to be local. Supermac's is that. I have some battered fish and chips while watching some of the second half of the rugby.
At first I thought it a little strange that they would have built a mall, Eyre Square Shopping Centre, around part of the city's medieval wall. But really it's a pretty good idea. It is probably easier to keep it preserved under the roof.

TO KINVARA & COUNTY CLARE