Galway

Galway Cathedral

officially named the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, construction on the Galway Cathedral began in 1958 and it was consecrated in 1965. the pews are mahogany and hold up to 2,000 worshipers in a service. the floor is green Connemara marble, and the “acoustically correct” cedar ceiling comes from Canada. one of the stained glass windows depicts the ‘modern’ holy family — Mary is knitting while Jesus and Joseph make a cup of tea.

the cathedral stands on land once occupied by a prison. the courthouse lies just over the bridge and once sentences were handed down, the convicted were merely shunted across the river and locked up. imagine the thought of tearing down a prison in the U.S. and replacing it with a church!

Galway – take two

it’s true that most of ‘touristy’ Galway can be done in about three hours. there’s the Spanish Arch, where ships used to offload goods coming from Spain, and a memorial from the city of Genoa commemorating the fact that Columbus stopped in Galway before heading off across the Atlantic. the Claddagh village has been replaced with a modern development, but until the early 20th century, it was a thatched-roof fishing village. in addition to the River Corrib, there are lots of canals running towards the bay. St. Nicholas’s Cathedral sits next to one overlooking the salmon weir bridge. it was consecrated in 1965 by a bishop from Boston, has Connemara marble floors, mahogany pews (where up to 2,000 parishoners sit during worship), and cedar ceilings from Canada. the old town is a twist of pedestrian streets lined with shops and pubs and bustling with people. there’s a pub called the King’s Head just over the road from where I am now, which was given to the man charged with executing Charles I. it was recommended to me, so i might have a wander in later after i’ve gotten something to eat for dinner.

tomorrow it’s north again, through Cong and Connemara to Westport.

after two fantastic evenings in Dingle, I’m back in the bustle of a city in Galway. today’s drive through Clare and the Burren wasn’t nearly as windy or tiring as that around the Ring of Kerry, and nearly as dramatic. pictures eventually, including the Cliffs of Moher, where i got quite soggy this afternoon! i’m hoping that my pants will be dry enough by tomorrow that i might wear them, instead of getting creative with what else i have, or breaking down and buying something.

calling it an early night tonight with my book, but tomorrow night the plan is to go in search of some music. somehow i don’t anticipate a live music and dance session like the one that broke out last night at Dick Mack’s in Dingle, though …