Traditional Irish music 7 nights a week, young, friendly, good-looking staff, and a great
atmosphere make Tig Cóilí in Galway, Ireland one of my favorite finds during my European trip.
Tig Cóilí is situated on Mainguard Street at the end of Shop Street in Galway, Ireland and is always filled to the brim like the great Guinness that they serve. Continue reading
Top 10 Favorite Cities Visited
I’ve experienced some of the most amazing cities that the world has to offer. From great beaches, climate, friendly people, personal interests, world-famous attractions, architecture, history, and culture, there are many different factors that make a city great, let alone top ten!
#6 Dublin, Ireland – Home of The Guinness Storehouse!
With world-renowned nightlife, literature, history and so much more, I never wanted to leave Dublin; besides, I was a little scared of the driving in Ireland. During my stay, I was able to drink like an Irishman at Marlborough Hostel, discover the story of iconic drinks at The Guinness Storehouse, trace Dublin’s literary tradition at the Dublin Writers Museum, and follow the disturbing history of Kilmainham Gaol. As an English teacher with Cape Breton, Nova Scotian, roots, there are few better things in life than great literature and history all washed down by the perfect pint of beer. What more could I ask for? Continue reading
I thought about what we could do for our last day in Ireland after three weeks of non stop
drinking, traveling, sleeping in tents and cars, and about 3 hours of rest a night. The best I could come up with was the movies. We hadn’t done anything with a hint of normalcy during the entire trip. A day at the movies was just want we needed, but we ended up getting a lot more than we paid for.
I was going to change from the clothes that I wore the day before, but I no longer saw the point. Everything that I had with me was equally dirty, worn, and nasty. We were very familiar with being in dirty clothes. As we walked down the street, I noticed several other people that looked like they were wearing bar clothes. I assumed that they were doing the walk of shame that occurs after hooking-up at the bar the night before. Their presence made me feel better about myself. Continue reading
The Belfast Black Taxi tour was recommended in every tourist book that we read and
found on every Internet site about Belfast so we decided to give it a try.
Accompanied by our tour guide, we were thrown back in time to a troubled and violent history. We witnessed the Belfast Political Murals and snapped off some pictures of historic rioters. Continue reading
The scenery along the ride to the Giant’s Causeway was inspiring and breathtaking. It is no
wonder why many of the most famous writers in the world descend from Ireland. The roadway combs the majestic cliffs and the sheer beauty made me question whether I was awake or dreaming. The fresh air was invigorating and I kept the window down the entire drive. The ride was like a journey through the ages. Forsaken castles stood next to modern homes and ancient cliffs were littered with new walkways. There was spectacular beauty around every twist and turn in the road, and that was all before we reached the Causeway. I felt lost in a moment in time. Continue reading
With a magical history, Blarney village offered a variety of wonderful sights to see and places to discover. The greatest sight to see was Blarney Castle, which is home to the legendary Blarney Stone. Blarney was only 8km from Cork city center and a bus ran regularly.
The Guinness Brewery Tour is a magical tour where people become more beautiful, witty
and electrifying. The longer you are there the better it gets as long as you continue drinking the dark stuff. Guinness plays as much of a role in Irish history as Kilmainham Gaol. The seven floors form the shape of a massive Guinness glass, which would hold 14.3 million pints of Guinness if filled.
The tour begins on the ground floor with a visit to the retail store. I searched the store for gifts, but quickly realized that it was cheaper to buy Guinness products from Carroll’s Gift Shop. Continue reading
Leaders of the Easter Rising are what led to what is now the Republic of Ireland. Each of
the fourteen lead rebels of the rebellion were publicly executed at Kilmainham Gaol, which leaves the jail at the center of Irish history and brutality. Had the leaders of 1916 been allowed to live, Irish history might have taken a different course. This deep rooted history of violence and struggle for freedom aroused my curiosity and thirst for more knowledge. A tour of the gaol gave me an even deeper insight into the harsh conditions in which men, women, and children were subjected to while imprisoned there. It is a sombre, even chilling, place to visit, but absolutely fascinating.
Have you ever seen a decayed, shrunken head in real life? That’s what I found in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Drogheda, Ireland.
The church appeared like most other churches with tiled floors and wooden pews scattered with devout heads bowed in prayer. But off to the left there is an unusual shrine dedicated to Saint Oliver Plunkett, a Catholic bishop who was hanged for treason by the English in 1681. Most of him lies buried in England, but his head, shrunken and stark, is encased in a glass enclosure in St Peter’s Catholic Church in Drogheda.
Traditional Irish music 7 nights a week, young, friendly, good-looking staff, and a great atmosphere make Tig Cóilí in Galway, Ireland one of my favorite finds during my European trip.
Tig Cóilí is situated on Mainguard Street at the end of Shop Street in Galway, Ireland and is always filled to the brim like the great Guinness that they serve.
I arrived at Tig Coili on a hot July night and people were overflowing from its front door. A
musical ceilidh was already in session with local and travelling musicians joining in.
I was welcomed by a member of the family run pub who found the time to mingle with the guests, serve excessive amounts of alcohol, and play with the band when he was not needed behind the bar.
After a few short hours of enjoying the surroundings, drinking more than my body weight in beer, and talking with pretty much everyone in the pub, I felt like I was part of something more. I was emerged in the culture and environment that is uniquely Irish and I never once felt out of place or unwelcome.
The people intermingled inside and out with little restrictions on where you could go with drinks. When stopped by a police officer because I was holding a glass bottle, he simply gave me a plastic glass, smiled, and told me to enjoy my night.
Tig Cóilí is a great place to go and soak up the heart of Ireland, where dancing in the streets isn’t just a saying.
If you find yourself within 20 miles of Galway, stop in Tig Cóilí and chat with Aonghus O’Flaherty; he might just be the nicest Irishman alive, and that’s saying something! Ciad Mile Failte doesn’t quite cut it.
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