Our Last Day in Ireland- Clomacnoise Monastery, the City of Galway, and Back to Dublin

Without trying to sound like a broken record, we arose early the next morning to begin our last full day in Ireland.

Main plaza in Galway

After breakfast and boarding our bus, we headed toward the port city of Galway on the River Corrib on Galway Bay.

Beautiful downtown Galway

The city was important in shipping days and served as a port and landing site for various raiding parties. Galway is Ireland’s sixth most populous city located in central western Ireland.

The shopping area

We were given a short city tour to orient ourselves, then turned loose for a couple of hours of sightseeing and shopping.

Our first Goldwing sighting

We found Galway to be a delightful little town.

Some beautiful architecture

With Frank and Carol Ann in tow, we headed to the main shopping district along a major street after visiting the “tourist’s square” with the historical statues and commemorative displays.

Not a place to pee!

Frank and Capt. Larry found a much needed liquor  store, while Jane and Carol Ann were taken in by the “ladies shops” and street vendors. After shopping for an hour and one-half, we returned to the designated pickup area to meet our bus.

We proceeded to the monastery and cathedral of Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis in Irish), founded in 546. The strategic location of the monastery on the River Shannnon south of Athlone allowed it to become a major center of religion, learning, craftsmanship, and trade by the 9th century. 

The monastery ruins

Today the site stands as a preserved ruin. An interpretive center has been built around the site and the cemetery and a modern chapel are used for religious services.

One of the gravemarkersa

We had lunch in the cafeteria and viewed a movie about the history of the monastery. We were then taken on a guided tour of the site by a fourth-year medical student who attends a nearby university.

The cathedral ruins

Our guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and gave us some very detailed facts about the cemetery and monastery, and was a pleasure to listen to.

The tower at Clonmacnoise

After viewing the ruins and grave markers, our tour was over, just as it began raining (the weather can change so quickly in Ireland), we boarded our bus and headed out for an uneventful ride back to Dublin.

More ruins and gravemarkers

Our driver, sensing the lack of interest in this segment of the tour and working hard to keep his tips coming, filled us with lots of mundane details about this section of Ireland.

Upon returning to our hotel, Capt. Larry and Jane tried to find an interesting restaurant nearby. But like so many sections near major hotels, the pickings were quite slim. We returned to the hotel and found Frank and Carol Ann for a drink before having dinner in one of the hotel’s restaurant.

Cathedral ruins

We would be leaving our tour group in the morning, as they would be returning to the states, while we would be flying out very early (0700) to Munich, Germany.

View from our Dublin hotel balcony

That meant that in order to clear airport security, we would have to leave the hotel by 0500. So, we put a request in for an early cab and retired early.