What Galway has...!

An Capall Dubh

I think Galway has that small town sense of "everybody knows each other" atmosphere even though it's a city.

FouxDaFaFa

ErnieBert wrote: »

- Little newsagent with massive range of mags (I can't remember name)

O'Brien's?

surime

ErnieBert wrote: »

In response to the interesting thread "What Galway Needs"
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055714223
I propose a thread on what Galway has that other towns/cities would like to have:

Here goes...

The Prom. It is brilliant. There is no other urban costal walk like it anywhere.

-are you serious? Have you ever been anywhere? :rolleyes:

inisboffin

surime wrote: »

-are you serious? Have you ever been anywhere? :rolleyes:

Dunno about anyone else, but I've been to and lived in a lot of places

To me there IS nothing like it to be honest, and that's why I live here...

It's not necessarily a physical thing or a quantifiable thing per se, I have lived in other places with technically more 'stunning' views..but to me the view from Galway bay is, well... magical. There IS nowhere like it that I have been (except parts of the Burren and Connemara )
Old cliche, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it's also what makes you feel at home, wherever you are originally from.

Look, I can only it liken the comparison between a piece of music that is quite complex and has huge orchestral sound, which you tap your toes to, versus something so simple, with a few notes, that moves your heart.


Oh dear, I fear I have waxed lyrical. And not even drink involved (perhaps that's it!):P

majiktripp

Galway has a Fog Horn down the docks apparently, which I had never heard until this morning. Going off every 30 seconds or so, quite eerie.

stunt_penguin

An unmentioned thing : we're RIGHT on the doorstep of Connemara- you can be right out there in 30 minutes via Oughterard, or in less than 10 if you go along the coast. We've got the Aran Islands, the 12 Bens, The Mamturks all just sitting there an easy drive away.

We've also got amazing watersports potential, with the lake and the upper and lower corrib, plus a sheltered bay, too. Fanore beach is a short drive away (and Lahinch is a bit further).

You can sail, dive, kayak and fish in the bay, you can go rock climbing in the burren and connemara... very few of these things are just a 20 minute drive from most city centers, unless you're in New Zealand or parts of the US/Canada

_Whimsical_

majiktripp wrote: »

Galway has a Fog Horn down the docks apparently, which I had never heard until this morning. Going off every 30 seconds or so, quite eerie.

We dont actually have a fog horn.We had a visiting ship that had one.
The fog horn is for the "what Galway needs" thread.A little acoustic atmospherics never hurt any place.

inisboffin

Fog horn was deadly! Even though it woke me up every min!
Apparently it was from a tanker or large ship, which is somehow obliged to sound if it is close to dock for some reason.
Maritime folks please expand if you know...

*edited to say, just read some other posts, red wine is nice
can someone please state here or pm me how to quote other threads
Seriously, don't know how, thanks!

TheCosmicFrog

The Donut Guy from the mental health ad.

inisboffin

TheCosmicFrog wrote: »

The Donut Guy from the mental health ad.

What about him?

Oh! Good things about Galway?


Yes then

surime

inisboffin wrote: »

Dunno about anyone else, but I've been to and lived in a lot of places

To me there IS nothing like it to be honest, and that's why I live here...

It's not necessarily a physical thing or a quantifiable thing per se, I have lived in other places with technically more 'stunning' views..but to me the view from Galway bay is, well... magical. There IS nowhere like it that I have been (except parts of the Burren and Connemara )
Old cliche, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And it's also what makes you feel at home, wherever you are originally from.

Look, I can only it liken the comparison between a piece of music that is quite complex and has huge orchestral sound, which you tap your toes to, versus something so simple, with a few notes, that moves your heart.


Oh dear, I fear I have waxed lyrical. And not even drink involved (perhaps that's it!):P

Ok, if you put it that way I can understand.. , very romantic , I love those hills on the other side of bay ,specially early in the morning. It's just usually it's just gray , sad and depressing for me. This stone shore and plain grass... I am used to much more milder view :sandy beach on one side , forest o the other :
http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Plaza-poludnie-8612.html?id_g=0&pozycja=100

-this is how it looks like where I come from (Poland -Gdansk) , there is path for pedestrians and bikes along shore and its about 10km long.
But maybe I am just homesick. and you are right -beauty is in the eye of beholder..

http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Widok-z-Klifu-Orlowskiego-8135.html?id_g=0&pozycja=107

-city park:
http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Park-Oliwski-jesienia-2832.html?id_g=0&pozycja=214

happyoutscan

surime wrote: »

http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Widok-z-Klifu-Orlowskiego-8135.html?id_g=0&pozycja=107

Is that Sopot? I was there last year for a few days, beautiful place, great little vibe to it.

surime

happyoutscan wrote: »

Is that Sopot? I was there last year for a few days, beautiful place, great little vibe to it.

Yeah ,Sopot is great ,but I think that picture is taken from cliff in Gdynia .

( I wrote long post and this happen again -it dissapeared!!! :mad:)

Thats Sopot :

http://static.playmobile.pl/blog/7389/244432.4.jpg

inisboffin

surime wrote: »

Ok, if you put it that way I can understand.. , very romantic , I love those hills on the other side of bay ,specially early in the morning. It's just usually it's just gray , sad and depressing for me. This stone shore and plain grass... I am used to much more milder view :sandy beach on one side , forest o the other :
http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Plaza-poludnie-8612.html?id_g=0&pozycja=100

-this is how it looks like where I come from (Poland -Gdansk) , there is path for pedestrians and bikes along shore and its about 10km long.
But maybe I am just homesick. and you are right -beauty is in the eye of beholder..

http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Widok-z-Klifu-Orlowskiego-8135.html?id_g=0&pozycja=107

-city park:
http://galeria.trojmiasto.pl/Park-Oliwski-jesienia-2832.html?id_g=0&pozycja=214

Really pretty place!

But yeah it's Galway for me, the starkness of the stone, sky, sea are part of what makes the bay so lovely. Sometimes they do have a kind of loneliness, but that maybe is part of what makes it so beautiful.
I am thankful for diversity though, and am not adverse to a bit of desert/forest/sun to broaden my horizons sometimes!

NMoore

Galway has:
McCambridges sandwiches at lunch time by the canal (in the summer)
Murphys and O'Connels pubs.
Great views of the Burren across the bay

EI111

surime wrote: »

-are you serious? Have you ever been anywhere? :rolleyes:

You being negative about the good things Galway has to offer again?

If you don't like it fair enough but your snide comments are not really helping anything are they? If you are homesick or struggling to adapt to a change of scenery it doesn't mean you have to put people's appreciation of the nice things Galway has down.

Glaciers in New Zealand are also great scenic places. Do you not like them because you are used to Gdansk and they don't like like the park and beach you mentioned in your other post?

surime

EI111 wrote: »

You being negative about the good things Galway has to offer again?

If you don't like it fair enough but your snide comments are not really helping anything are they? If you are homesick or struggling to adapt to a change of scenery it doesn't mean you have to put people's appreciation of the nice things Galway has down.

Glaciers in New Zealand are also great scenic places. Do you not like them because you are used to Gdansk and they don't like like the park and beach you mentioned in your other post?

Maybe I am and what you will do about this? Say I should go back home If I dont like prom?:) I've heard enough comment's like this and ask all Irish emigrants abroad if its pleasant..and my comments aren't snide -just honest. I know there are much more amazing places then beach in Gdansk ,but it was about prom which is in my opinion nothing special.. that's it! Sorry for offending all prom and Galway scenery fans!!!

EI111

surime wrote: »

Maybe I am and what you will do about this? Say I should go back home If I dont like prom?:) I've heard enough comment's like this and ask all Irish emigrants abroad if its pleasant..and my comments aren't snide -just honest.

No I wouldn't ask you to go home, just stop being condescending towards people who like where they are from, which that post was. A comment where you ask somebody if they have ever been anywhere is condescending.
I live abroad and have done so for 5 of the last 6 years.
I've rarely had someone tell me I should go home and leave their country. I would like to think that is because I don't constantly put down the things they are proud of, in fact i try not to ever do it, I sometimes wonder why they are proud of certain things or enjoy certain things (fundamentalist christianity in america was one such thing) but if that's what they are into who am I to hold it against them. Irish people take pride in small things as do people from most countries I have come across. You are obviously proud of the things you have in Poland and nobody will hold that against you, but you should respect other people's opinions too and maybe you will settle and be comfortable here rather than homesick as you say you are.

surime

EI111 wrote: »

No I wouldn't ask you to go home, just stop being condescending towards people who like where they are from, which that post was. A comment where you ask somebody if they have ever been anywhere is condescending.
I live abroad and have done so for 5 of the last 6 years.
I've rarely had someone tell me I should go home and leave their country. I would like to think that is because I don't constantly put down the things they are proud of, in fact i try not to ever do it, I sometimes wonder why they are proud of certain things or enjoy certain things (fundamentalist christianity in america was one such thing) but if that's what they are into who am I to hold it against them. Irish people take pride in small things as do people from most countries I have come across. You are obviously proud of the things you have in Poland and nobody will hold that against you, but you should respect other people's opinions too and maybe you will settle and be comfortable here rather than homesick as you say you are.

Ok, first of all I DON"T " constantly put down things irish people are proud of" ,because I think Ireland is beautiful... so I have no reason to do so.. I was simply surprised about gloryfing prom. I'm soooooooooooooooooorrrrrrryyyyyyyy! Prom is cool (in a way) and if you haven't noticed in my previous post I tryied to understand this point of view...

surime

"Ok, if you put it that way I can understand.. , very romantic , I love those hills on the other side of bay ,specially early in the morning. It's just usually it's just gray , sad and depressing for me. This stone shore and plain grass... I am used to much more milder view :sandy beach on one side , forest o the other :"

July

The Galway Girl

surime

???

Mrs OBumble

surime wrote: »

???

It's a song ... google "galway girl" + "steve earle". Should be banned from all public places, IMHO.

I've been working on my own version: "and I ask you friend, what's a girl to do? 'cos he had red hair and freckles too. And I knew right then, it would end with a thud, when I kicked the wall with my Galway stud" ... yes, I've heard the "Galway Sult" version too ...


'Fraid I agree with Surime's comments about the prom: if she hadn't asked if you'd been anywhere, I would have. However I'm not comparing it with overseas, just with Silverstrand, or even Ballyloughan. IMHO, there's nothing special about a strip of footpath that lots of people like to be seen on with a bit of water, and sometimes(*) a few hills, in the background


(*) sometimes because sometimes it's raining so you can't see 'em ... and the rest of the time it's going to rain.

Race week, both the actual races and the craic around the city at night during the week.

EI111

JustMary wrote: »

'Fraid I agree with Surime's comments about the prom: if she hadn't asked if you'd been anywhere, I would have.

Well that would have been an ignorant thing to ask then. The poster likes the prom, who are you two to question how qualified they are to like it?

EI111

surime wrote: »

Ok, first of all I DON"T " constantly put down things irish people are proud of" ,because I think Ireland is beautiful... so I have no reason to do so.. I was simply surprised about gloryfing prom. I'm soooooooooooooooooorrrrrrryyyyyyyy! Prom is cool (in a way) and if you haven't noticed in my previous post I tryied to understand this point of view...

Here is an idea, find something you like about Galway and post it to the thread. Something small, anything. If you can't think of anything then either Galway is not the place for you or you are unwilling to adapt. There has to be one thing you really like and would miss if you were to leave.
There is also the option of creating another thread about Gdansk where people who know it are more likely to notice and discuss with you. Unfortunately I have never been so I couldn't but someday I am sure to go and would be handy to have a thread to look back to for recommendations.
I'm not trying to be a d**k towards you, you sound miserable in Galway, I'm just trying to make you appreciate things around you, when you start doing that it will be a lot better.
About people telling you to go home if you don't like it. If you came on complaining about how you don't like cadbury's chocolate would you be offended if people told you to stop buying it? You shouldn't talk like that, you are as welcome to Galway as anybody, why would you bring up such a thing and create a barrier between you and Galway natives.

surime

-thanks for enlightening me about song just mary.

Why someone who wrote about prom first doesn't have problem with other people saying that it's not that great?

I was thinking what I like about Galway and I must say It's river for sure (specially close to Menlo castle) and pubs -Irish pubs are amazing - just if they would take off those TV's it would be great and I like a lot city center-just in the morning as well when there isnt that many people around- (not happen to often I can see this last time! , oh and I like market on Saturday too , I just wish it would be bigger -but it has a charm.

EI111- I wrote this before your suggestion -just couldnt log in .. and please stop blowing it up (about me dislikeing Galway) because you have wrong impression..

EI111

surime wrote: »

please stop blowing it up (about me dislikeing Galway) because you have wrong impression..

Ok, I said what I had to say, just keep looking for positives and you will grow to love the place like thousands of other 'blow-ins' (which includes people from all over Ireland and the world) have in the past. For example the donut guy who was mentioned earlier in the thread- he's from Hell's Kitchen in New York- a place with all kinds of everything- and he has become a much liked character around Galway. You should talk to him at the market next time.

happyoutscan

Galway is great, simple as. May not be everyone's cup of tea but then some people like teabags while others like tea loose (?). I don't think the burren is 'grey and cold' although I can understand that sentiment. Easiest way of getting a new experience regarding these is to go for a climb on a nice day over there. The view is unbelievable and the limestone comes alive, far from being dull then. A nice enjoyable climb is directly behind Fanore beach, the view of the islands, burren and Galway is simply unreal.

Put's everything into a new perspective when viewing from the promenade, people should try it when the weather picks up a bit.