County Galway – ToBatheOrNotToBathe

Galway Girl

Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, had close trade relations with France and Spain from the Middle Ages. Today, the city is a center for Irish language, music and culture and hosts several festivals, including food, art and film.

One of Galway’s many canals dressed for Christmas.

Many of the houses in Galway are quite old. As an example, the building that houses the pub ‘The King’s Head’, dates from the 13th century. The name refers to King Charles I, who was convicted of treason and beheaded in 1649. In this pub they sell an excellent red beer called ‘The King’s Blood’. This beer has a thick foam (head of the beer) which is reminiscent of the Guinness’ foam (made by adding nitrogen gas). And as our guide pointed out: This beer holds the ‘head’ better than King Charles I could…

But it’s not just the beer that draws you into the Irish pubs, of course. In Galway you will find live music almost everywhere!

Many pubs have their own areas specifically reserved for musicians, but that means hard-core folk music completely lacking international hits.

But yes, there are some pubs that run a simplified version: 1-2 guitarists with a typical Creedence-Cash-Eagles repertoire. Finding bigger bands at play is not too difficult, either. In that case, you will certainly hear this:

And I ask you friend, what’s a fella to do
‘Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue
So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl
And I lost my heart to a Galway girl

… and actually – we found her! Knut could give a handshake ‘to a Galway Girl’.

Knut on a date with ‘the Galway Girl’. The road work around the bench did not inspire any romance.

In retrospect, it turned out that Knut was not very satisfied with the meeting, so maybe it’s still hope for Idun – even if she doesn’t have blue eyes? The song was first released in the year 2000, but this Galway Girl appeared to be at least 100 years old! And where was the hair? Wrapped in a shawl? No, better to stick to the song and the dream..

‘Galway Girl’ was created by the American musician Steve Earl. He spent a few years in Ireland after a troubled period in the United States. The song is written for/about Joyce Redmond, who played bodhrán on the first release. However, she is not exactly a Galway Girl, as she grew up on the Howth peninsula north of Dublin. On the other side, Joyce Redmond’s mother was from the Aran Islands (Inishmore, where we also have had a bath or two), and that is maybe close enough? Joyce had neither black hair nor blue eyes, and never became Steve Earl’s wife – despite the fact that he was married seven times to six different women. But the mood of the song is perfectly Galway-ish:

I took a stroll down the old Long Walk
On the day-I-ay-I-ay
I met a little girl and we stopped to talk
On a fine soft day-I-ay

Much of Galway’s city wall on the east side of the River Corrib was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. But there is still a part remaining, including the so-called Spanish Arch of 1584.

At the Spanish Arch, a major construction project is currently ongoing (2023), to protect the lower part of the city from flooding. During storms and spring floods, basements have repeatedly been filled with water, and they are now trying to do something to stop it. As a temporary measure, two water ‘sausages’ have been laid out as a dam, and on the wall of Nimmo’s restaurant you can see an art installation in the form of a fluorescent tube that shows how high the water will be at spring tide in the year 2150 – if the melting of glaciers continues as today .

Water dam at the Spanish Arch. Horizontally on the wall you can see the assumed sea level in the year 2150.

If you walk along the estuary, southwards from the Spanish Arch, you will reach ‘The Long Walk’ mentioned in the song. This is a row of houses protected by masonry, and a nice place to stroll. And it is not unlikely to have a romantic encounter here. Even Ken Bruen writes beautifully about ‘The Long Walk’ in the crime novel ‘Priest’.

Actually, this trip is not so long that you shouldn’t also stop by the ‘Galway City Museum’, which is next door.

The Long Walk as seen from the Claddagh.

Otherwise, you can walk ‘The Long Walk’ both above and below the wall – as ‘Tobatheornottobathe’ did. On the second morning of the Galway trip, we were well informed about the condition of the river, which is not bad at all. As you know, the Corrib flows very fast, and when you add the information that there are salmons both there and in Lake Corrib above, adding the fact that the river is only 6 km long, then pollution is not a big issue. This left us with only two unsettled questions:
1) Where are the backwaters that prevent us from drifting out to sea?
2) How to get into a bathing position when the river is enclosed by both fences and water ‘sausages’?

Not far along ‘The Long Walk’ we found – lo and behold – a staircase down to the river bank, which made it easy to go back below the wall to the stairs behind Nimmo’s. We found plenty of broken glass there! It seems to be a favorite pastime to sit and drink on the edge of the wall and throw the bottles into the river. Maybe that’s how romance happens?

It was a splendid bath! The stairs were almost free from glass, and we didn’t hurt ourselves even without swimming shoes. But the current was a bit scary, so we didn’t actually swim, it was just a dip.

A dip in the rocky, swift river turned out to be just right.

Galway

On the west side of Ireland, there is a beautiful coast that calls with a Siren’s (Silkie’s?) song to every bathing enthusiast. But if it’s the Irish folk spirit you want to meet, then you also have to visit the city of Galway on the north side of Galway Bay.

Galway, looking north towards ‘The Latin Quarter’.

Galway, with its population of just over 80,000, is a lively city with a long history. The king of the region of Connacht built a fortification in 1124 by the river Gaillimh, which later became a town. In 1484, a city council was formed with a mayor. The city was ruled by 14 trading families, ‘The Tribes of Galway‘. Of these, 12 were of Norman origin and 2 were Irish.

The alley is ready for party, and in 2023 it is also allowed to speak Gaelic here.

People of Irish descent did not have automatic access to the city in the old days, they lived in the Claddagh district at the west side of the river. In a statute in the 16th century the following could be read: ‘Neither O’ nor Mac shall strut or swagger through the streets of Galway without permission‘.

Watch out for green! Ireland’s nickname is ‘*The Green Island*‘.

We stayed in ‘The Latin Quarter‘, where there is partytime both day and night. So lively that all the rooms (some of which had been hotel rooms for more than 700 years) were armed with earplugs. Every afternoon, the street players appear everywhere, and they move around the city space following an intricate system of permits and self-justice.

Harp concert in Galway for Oscar Wilde and Estonian Eduard Wilde.

The name of the city of Galway has several erroneous interpretations and myths attached to it, including that it comes from Gailleamh, which was the name of the chieftain Fir Bolg’s daughter. Gailleamh drowned in the river, and her father was so distraught over this that he camped on the spot to mourn her spirit. The town that later grew here is said to have been named Gaillimh in her honour. But – the current opinion is that Galway city got its name from the river, an anglicisation of the Gaelic ‘Gaillimh‘ = ‘The Rocky River‘.

The river is today called the Corrib and is, according to local sources, the fastest flowing urban river in all of Europe. Yes! The Corrib is fast running!

Not all the bridges in Corrib are well maintained.

When it came to swimming in Galway, Tobatheornottobathe were in strong doubt. On the one hand – It looks like great fun flowing with the current in Corrib! On the other hand, such a stunt would require an extended HSE focus, for example by use of a wet suit. And we were on a weekend holiday without extra equipment beyond swimwear and a towel.

River Corrib in full speed under the Wolfe Tone Bridge. At weekends, guards make sure that no one jumps in.

Besides, there was the other bathing issue – hygiene. When we were ready for the first morning bath in Galway, we had no idea about the ‘bathability‘ in relation to water quality. Tobatheornottobathe therefore made the simple decision to swim in the sea instead of the river, and headed west from the mouth of the Corrib.

View towards the district of Claddagh on the west side of Corrib.

On the way we came across this sign, which became an excellent starting point for a lively discussion. ‘Oh, funny, a fishing school!‘ Knut said. ‘Nonsense!‘, Idun (and one of our co-travellers, who shall remain anonymous) replied, ‘Episcopal means that this is a church’s school!‘

Claddagh Piscatorial School: School of the Bishop or for the Fishermen?

… but this time Idun actually had to admit that she was wrong. Claddagh Piscatorial School is not Episcopal. It was the Dominicans who wanted to teach the fishermen new ways to fish, and therefore created this school. Not a very popular idea among the local fishermen that someone should come along and teach them how to fish!

The Galway Tribesmen Rugby League field at South Park, Galway.

It is nice to walk west from Galway city center and we aimed for Mutton Island. On the map it looks like a paradise for a walk, and also perfect for swimming.

Knut stretches his back on the way out to Mutton Island.

But no. The entire island is closed off, and there are also signs prohibiting swimming from the pier. And when we discovered what the island is used for, all temptations to sneak in a bath disappeared like dew in the cold November sun. Mutton Island is used in its entirety for cleaning the sewage from Galway!

Bathing ban at the walkway to the Waste Water Handling Island.

So then it was just a matter of giving up? No, Tobatheornottobathe doesn’t give in that easy. There was a beautiful sandy beach just inside Mutton Island and the walkway. As long as we entered the beach from the beach promenade, there was no prohibition – according to our interpretation. It turned out to be a really nice bath, and we were almost completely sure that the water quality was good.

Salt Hill Prom, as mentioned in Steve Earl’s lovely song ‘*Galway Girl*‘. Two tobatheornottobathers seen far left.

When you (Knut) have a backache, a fresh bath is just perfect. The cold water shocks away pain and stiff muscles, and leaves you in really good shape afterwards. At least with a small taste of Irish whiskey in the body.

If the Scots can make the ‘*Water of Life*‘, then the Irish must be able to too?

It is believed that Irish monks started distilling and producing whiskey from the 13th century. The drink was popular into the 19th century, but after many years of decline there were only two Irish distilleries left in 1966. This trend has now been completely reversed, with Irish whiskey being the fastest growing spirit in the world every year since 1990.

Behind the headland in the west lie ‘*The Aran Islands*‘. Salt Hill to the right.

Silkie was, according to the legends, a kind of mermaid. She had a human form but also a seal-figure. In the moonlight she came ashore and danced on the beach. The Silkie was beautiful, with dark hair and deep soulful eyes. A young fisherman saw the seal woman, they fell in love and lived together for a while. But the sea called Silkie, stronger and stronger, until finally she gave in and went back to the sea forever.

Tobatheornottobathe has the general opinion that it’s always a good time for a bath, but this time we feel the fisherman might not quite agree.

Plassy

On an island with almost no soil at all, one might wonder how they found wood in the past, for all possible needs. Some use simply had to be stopped – for example, firewood could be replaced by dried livestock dung. Other needs are more difficult to quit, be it trusses for roof structures, or wood for boat building. One solution could be trading with the ‘mainland‘. But something that always helped was wreck looting, stranded boats were not left untouched – everything that could be used was salvaged. And on the Aran Islands they also built boats almost without the use of wood.

The Aran Currach is a light type of boat, built up of moldings covered with canvas and tarred. It is very well adapted to heavy sea and can withstand quite bad weather. It is said that the fishermen at the Aran Islands did not learn to swim back in the days. The idea was that if the sea was so rough that the currach went down, they wouldn’t survive anyway. Swimming skills would only prolong the agony, which would end in a certain death anyway.

In ancient times, the currachs were covered with cattle hides, and it is considered likely that the first islanders came to Ireland and the Aran Islands in such boats (in the Stone Age). The canvas boats are vulnerable to punctures, and normal shoes cannot be used. Instead, traditional Irish leather moccasins with the hairs out, the so-called pampooties, are worn.

Slightly discolored pampooties, on display at *Tigh Ned’s Pub*, Inisheer.

A somewhat more solid boat, Plassy, shipwrecked on a reef outside Inisheer in 1960. HMS Juliet was commissioned by the British Navy at the beginning of WWII, and it served, among other assignments, during the Allied landings in French North Africa. After the war the navy no longer had use for the ship and it was sold as a merchant ship in 1947. In 1951 it was bought by the Limerick Steamship Company, and renamed MV Plassy, after the bank Plassey by the river Shannon, upstream Limerick city. When she sank, Plassy was filled with general cargo consisting of, among other things, whiskey, woolen yarn and shoes.

It was an hazarduous rescue operation by night, March 8^th, 1960. The crew of 11 couldn’t get ashore on their own, because the lifeboat had disappeared in the storm. Conditions at Inisheer were even simpler then than now; no cars, electricity, roads – or even toilets (!), as was stated at the 50^th anniversary of the incident. The 15 rescuers – also known as ‘The Rocket Men‘ were already struggling to get the equipment cart out (which got stuck 4 times on the way to the sea), but the weather was getting worse and there was almost no visibility due to swirling sand. Once by the shore, they needed 3 attempts to get a line shot over to the ship. Most of the men wore pampooties on their feet, but as they became too slippery on the rocks, some of the rocket men ended up working in their woolen socks.

Pictures from the rescue operation. From the *Tigh Ned’s Pub*, Inisheer.

The rescue itself took 4 ½ hours, using a breecher buoy. This is a device where short canvas trousers are attached to a lifebuoy, which is pulled forward using a rope and a pulley (as a zip-line). This way you can save one person at a time, and the operation at Plassy was very successful. The whole crew were rescued, albeit quite chilled, after being pulled ashore through the cold water. This happened during lent, but the islanders immediately broke it by giving the shipwrecked whiskey to warm themselves. The crew had been paid the day before and the money was in their pockets, so they went straight to the pub to dry the money in front of the fire. That was how the money could be spent straight away.

Two weeks passed until the weather became suitable for the ship to be embarked again. The islanders boarded at low tide, and salvaged both wool, shoes and whiskey. They were also able to pick up doors and other wood, which fit well into ongoing construction projects. The priest insisted from the pulpit that robbing the wreck should not happen, but that didn’t help at all, instead that’s when the looting really picked up speed. Bottle after bottle of Scottish ‘Black & White’ was hidden in the potato fields (they wanted to avoid problems with customs), and shoes exchange took place for months afterwards. It took time to get the right and left shoes interchanged so that a suitable pair was obtained. As a well-deserved ‘punishment’, the customs officer had the flu with him when he finally showed up – which put all the islanders to bed.

Knut in search for the right place to have a bath.

We wanted to swim at Plassy’s! The wreck is now situated on Inisheer itself, this happened in a later storm. Here it is relatively shallow with a continuous train of incoming swells. There were some discussions about the bathing place. Knut wanted to swim as close to the wreck as possible, but Idun was skeptical. After all, we had been warned against swimming on this side of the island, because of the tides. But a short distance away there was a small beach, and there it was possible to have a bath without being knocked unconscious against stones and rocks.

A wreck bath was just right, even if it got a little bloody.

Plassy has become a tourist attraction in itself, and it has been decided to leave the wreck where it is. As part of the opening sequence of the TV series ‘Father Ted’, she has become part of the Irish folk soul. And fine, she is, we think. Rust can be very beautiful!

Sources:
– The article ‘The Plassey Shipwreck‘, Ireland’s Own, on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the sinking.
– Wikipedia

Inisheer

Inisheer has an airport, but we recommend arriving by boat either from Galway via Inishmore, or from Doolin, County Clare. In the summer season, up to 1,000 day-trippers come ashore here every morning at 11 am.

The name Inisheer means ‘The Easternmost Island’, it is also the smallest of the three Aran Islands. Smallest and nicest, we think! The island is approximately circular, with a circumference of 12 km. This is a wonderful place to be! The winds are strong and the weather is steadily unstable, but the village by the harbour is cosy, warm and friendly with myriads of stone fences, green grass and ancient monuments.

The stone fences date partly from the Bronze Age, when the first soil was made from seaweed, kelp and sand. Further subdivision into very small fields came with population growth and potato cultivation some 3000 years later. Nevertheless, it is the remains of ancient graves, forts and churches that make the biggest impression on this island.

Cnoc Raithní. The lowest layers are dated 2500-1500 BC. The light mast is of a slightly more recent date.

The Bronze Age tomb of Cnoc Raithní was well hidden and forgotten until the sand suddenly blew away during a storm in 1885. Excavations revealed urns with cremated bones and a bronze awl. The upper parts were built by early Christian islanders around 500-800 AD.

Cultural landscape, Inisheer. In the background to the right, Inishmaan (the middle Aran Island) can be seen.

The highest point on Inishmore is dominated by O’Brien’s Castle (Irish: Caisleán Uí Bhriain). Today’s ruins date from the early 15th century, erected by Clann Teiges, from a branch of the O’Brien family. The castle was taken in 1582 by ‘the O’Flahertys of Connemara‘ and again in 1652 by Oliver Cromwell. O’Brien’s Castle has remained in ruins ever since. But it is beautiful, in all its decline!

Today, there are 260 people living at Inisheer, divided into only 6 surnames. As a result, first names and nicknames are often descriptive, so here you should stay average, not to be ‘doomed by the name‘!

Time moves slowly on Inisheer. Reliable electricity became a fact as late as 1997 (!), and ATMs do not exist (they take credit cards, so there is no crisis without cash). Despite the small population, there are actually several pubs at Inisheer. And Knut was very excited indeed about this one, equipped as it is with a flag quiz in the ceiling:

Flaherty’s pub, Inisheer. A flag quiz is always just right!

The first thing that greets you when you arrive in Inisheer is the beach (An Trá), which we highly recommend. Here we had a really nice Easter bath, and it is perfect also for swimming. At lunchtime you will even have the beach all to yourself, and that’s fine too.

Dún Aonghasa

At Inishmore, human remains have been found as far back as the Stone Age, and some of these remains are very easy to spot. The most impressive monument of them all is Dún Aonghasa, a Bronze Age fortress that was constructed around 1100 BC.

There are two explanations for the name. One is that it originates from the God Aengus, who plays a central role in 5 myths in Irish folklore. Aengus was associated with youth, love, summer and poetry. The other explanation is that the fort was built by King Aonghus Mac Úmhór, who led his people to the shores of Galway Bay and onto Inishmore after losing the war against Clann Chuian.

The walls have been restored several times, and the retaining walls are of recent date.

The fort consists of three sets of ring walls. The two outermost walls form a semicircle against the cliffs to the west. Between the two outermost walls a field of upright stones is planted, called ‘Chevaux de frise’, as a protection against invasion. The area is difficult to pass even today.

The innermost wall on the left. In the background to the right, outside the middle wall, is a glimse of Dún Aonghasa’s ‘Chevaux de frise’.

The innermost (and thickest) wall is believed to have been circular when it was first built, and also when it was restored some 1,500 years later (in the early Middle Ages). After collapsing into the sea, also the inner wall appears semi-circular today.

The innermost wall was restored in 1884-85.

Dún Aonghasa was investigated archaeologically in 1992-95, and a number of interesting findings were made, including house foundations and Bronze Age graves. These islanders cultivated barley and oats. Compared to other Bronze Age settlements, the Aran population had more sheep and less cattle and pigs. The latter probably because the pig’s tendency to dig in the soil is not sustainable on islands with almost no soil at all. The menu was otherwise based on fish, shellfish and birds, especially guillemot, but great auk bones have also been found (extinct in Ireland some 3,000 years later, in 1835 and in the rest of the world some years later).

The podium in the center has an unknown function, but may have been some kind of a stage.

After a visit to Dún Aonghasa, time will be just right for both shopping, lunch and bathing.

Knut has found a café with a thatched roof. It is mostly the tourism industry that builds such houses today.

This far into ‘County Wool‘, we were sure to find woolen hats and clothes to buy. But since Idun knits quite a lot herself, it is not interesting to buy knitted sweaters, and it doesn’t help that they are very, very, very beautiful. In these islands, each family has its own patterns, and ‘Aran knitting‘ is popular throughout all of Ireland. The typical ‘Aran Sweather’ dates from around 1900, and it used to be offwhite with textured pattern all over. This time tweed was what tempted us the most, and Idun found herself a nice hat, she thought. Knut, on the other hand – completely overwhelmed by the selection, didn’t find any new sixpence this time.

Finally we were ready for a bath, and Kilmurvey Beach a couple of km below Dún Aonghasa is absolutely perfect, also for swimming.

Kilmurvey Beach, Inishmore. Bathing temperature at Easter time: approx. 8 degrees Celcius.

Here you will find fine, white sand, a bench to put your clothes on, and great swells that are fun to fight with, but not dangerous. A great bath!

The Bathers of Inishmore

Inspired by the tragicomic – but oh so beautiful – film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin‘ we spent our Easter Holidays in Ireland this year. Inisherin is a fictional island, filmed partly on The Aran Islands at the mouth of Galway Bay on the west coast of Ireland. The name Inisherin can be translated from Gaelic to ‘The Island of Ireland‘. It doesn’t get more Irish than that!

Thatched houses are no longer a common sight, but we actually found one that didn’t sell knitted jumpers.

The Aran Islands consist of 3 islands: Inishmore (the largest island), Inishmaan (the middle island) and Inisheer (the easternmost island). The latter is also the smallest. The highest number of residents was 3,500 around 1840. Today’s population is just under 1,500, of which just over half live in Inishmore. However, the number is steadily decreasing, and that is easy to observe.

One of quite a few very picturesque houses at Inishmore.

The islands were inhabited thousands of years ago, and at that time they had little or no soil at all. The agricultural landscape has been painstakingly built up by humans. Seaweed and kelp was collected from the sea, mixed with sand and then the soil was protected with stone fences.

The cultural landscape at Inishmore consists of a network of stone fences.

Here, Irish is spoken everywhere, and notices and signs are not always translated into English. Many ‘mainland’ Irishmen spend the weekend here, as many as 1,000 day-trippers in the summer season. But as soon as the last boat has left (around four o’clock), it all calms down and you quickly get in contact with the locals, who really like you spending the night on the islands. With one big BUT: The exception is hen/stag parties! The description when we booked the room was that all bachelor parties will be refused entry, they will not get anything refunded and end up having major problems finding other accommodation, since the islanders notify each other! Except that, the inhabitants are very friendly and helpful.

Don’t plan your bachelor party at ‘The Arans’!

We took the boat from Galway to Inishmore and stayed a couple of nights. A fascinating place! Business today is based on tourism, and when you get off the boat you are greeted by an army of taxis, minibuses and horse-drawn carriages offering rides around the island. We rented bikes instead, we think that’s the absolute best way to discover the place.

Cycling in ‘*County Stonewall*‘, Inishmore.

The weather on the islands is stably unstable, you can expect a good mixture of wind, rain and sunshine every day. The average temperature is between +6 degrees in January and +15 in July. The flora of the islands is therefore a blend of arctic, alpine and Mediterranean flora, with a growing season that lasts almost the whole year.

The east side of Inishmore is a quite friendly lowland with white beaches and seal colonies. It’s nice to swim here! In fact, you don’t have to go many meters away from the quay in Kilronan for a swim, the bay has several nice, sheltered beaches with beautiful, clear water.

Kilronan Bay. Our swimming beach far far away.

According to our gentle hostess, this is where the children at Inishmore learn to swim. A bit unpleasant, though, when you get ‘that quicksand feeling‘ on the way out.

Nevertheless, we got an excellent Easter morning swim at Inishmore! A number of cars drove past extremely slowly in the background of the bathing beach, so it’s probably not common to bathe at Easter time. But great for us, as often before, we had the beach to ourselves.

What we didn’t do at Inishmore was having a dive in the 50 m deep ‘Wormhole’. The west side of the island consists of high limestone cliffs. Here the sea hits with great force, there is nothing that slows down during the 3000 km of Atlantic Ocean between New Foundland and Inishmore.

The west side of Inishmore is of a slightly tougher type than the east side. Picture view in the direction of the Wormhole from the Bronze Age fort of Dún Aonghasa.

Based on the description, we thought that ‘Yes! We have to try this!’. … but quickly realized that it was just not the right thing to do, under the current circumstances!

Why we didn’t take a bath in the Wormhole!

There have been cliff diving competitions here twice (2014 and 2017), but after all the scaffolding and ramps were washed into the sea during another attempt later, it is agreed not to arrange any more such events here in the immediate future.

There are swimming pictures on net from the Wormhole and it is probably not very dangerous if the tide and the weather cooperate. And if you have a plan for how to get back up! But unfortunately, every now and then, they have to pick up someone who died here.

After a trip to the Wormhole, a pub visit is just right. And what could be better than enjoying an Aran Island Gin? Flavored with kelp harvested on ‘The Aran Islands’, it has lots of umami. And the taste? It tastes what it is flavored with…