This week I would like to tell you all about my favorite restaurants and pubs around Galway. Galway isn’t a huge city, but it still has a lot to offer. Hopefully my recommendations will help any potential Galway visitors find some nice places to eat and relax. I like to consider myself an adventurous eater. I don’t shy away from anything without trying it first. So, when I first came to Ireland I was really excited to try some traditional Irish dishes. I tried my first Irish dish, shepherd’s pie, at Finnegan’s (pictured below). I highly recommend Finnegan’s to anyone looking to try traditional Irish food because they have it all and are not too expensive. My meal was around 8.50 euro, which is fairly cheap compared to some other places. Finnegan’s is located about one block into the city after you cross the bridge from the NUIG campus. Another restaurant I would recommend for traditional Irish food is Riordan’s. Riordan’s is a smaller establishment than Finnegan’s and is located further into the city, but it has the same quality of food for about the same price. If you’re looking for more traditional “bar food” I would recommend the King’s Head located on Shop Street. The King’s Head has the European essentials such as fish and chips, but it also has the American essentials like burgers and fries. It is a little more expensive than Finnegan’s and Riordan’s but affordable for a college student. My last restaurant recommendation is The Cellar Bar. This restaurant/pub is located right off of Eyre Square. The Cellar Bar has food that would be considered “home style cooking.” They serve dishes like chicken and rice, and broccoli pasta, meals that your mom or grandparents would serve you on a cold day. This restaurant is also not too expensive; it is affordable for a college student. Now, what I’m sure you have all been waiting for…my pub recommendations! If you’re looking for live music I would suggest going to either The Quays or An Púcán. The Quays is huge and always has a live band playing at night. The only thing that I don’t like about this pub is that it is always very very crowded. An Púcán is usually less crowded than The Quays, but on most nights it has a 21 and older restriction. I’m only 20 so I have to go to this pub on slower nights when there’s no age restriction (usually during the week). If you’re looking for more of a social venue where the main focus isn’t a band then I would recommend either the Front Door or Busker Browne’s. These pubs are right across the street from one another and are very popular with the NUIG students. Both of these pubs are multiple stories, but they still get really crowded on the weekends. My last recommendation is Sult which is the on campus pub (pictured last). Sult is located right next to the Student Union on campus and is great for a night when you don’t want to walk all the way into the city. Sult also hosts many events like Karaoke night, Bingo, and open mic.
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This week I’ll be discussing what it’s like to cook for yourself during a GO Long and what food means in a cultural sense to the Irish people.
For most SU students, going abroad is most likely the first time that you will have to cook all meals for yourself. At Susquehanna most students have the luxury of a meal plan, so cooking isn’t something that is necessary when living on your own at school. At NUIG there are no meal plans offered, so even though I live on campus I still cook all my own meals. At first this seemed a little intimidating, only because I’m not the greatest cook, but now that I have the hang of things I actually prefer not having a meal plan. Not having a meal plan saves you a tremendous amount of money. I only spend around 20-25 euros on groceries per week. There are four main grocery stores in the Galway area, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, and Dunnes. Dunnes is the most expensive, Tesco has average prices, but Aldi and Lidl are definitely the cheapest when it comes to groceries. I recommend making a list of what food items you need before going to the grocery store. This will prevent you from buying unnecessary things and wasting money. It is a good idea to buy enough food to last you a few days. I usually cook twice a week and eat leftovers on the days I don’t cook. This saves me a lot of time and I waste less food. Another recommendation I will make is learning how to cook a few dishes before leaving for your GO Long. If you have no cooking experience it is a good idea to learn the basics while you’re at home and can ask for help so you’re not the person who is stuck eating cereal every day. Cooking for yourself may seem intimidating at first, but in reality it only requires a little bit of planning and time. Do a little research and preparation before leaving home and it will be a breeze once you reach your host country. I also want to talk about how food plays a role in Irish culture. Food is a large part of social life in Ireland, as it is in America. There is often food at social gatherings, club meetings, campus parties, etc. Food is something that brings people together and that everyone has a shared interest in. A difference between America and Ireland is that most bars (or pubs) in Ireland do not serve food, as they do in America. In fact, if a pub in Ireland does serve food it is not considered a “real” Irish pub. The pubs that only serve alcohol almost brag (i.e. hang up many signs) about being an authentic Irish pub because they do not serve food. Potatoes are also a big deal in Ireland. I thought this was a stereotype, like “Oh yeah those Irish love their potatoes. Can’t get enough of them since that Great Potato Famine hahaha…” but it is very real. Almost every meal that I have ordered at a restaurant so far has come with multiple sides of potatoes. I usually get potatoes in mashed and baked form and then they are also incorporated into the main dish somehow. I have yet to figure out why there is so much emphasis on the potato in the Irish culture, perhaps it is because of the famine, but it is something to be aware of when studying abroad here because I was certainly unprepared for it. It is important to keep in mind that you are most likely going to study abroad once. Living in another country for a semester is a privilege and you should always take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you during your time away.
If you have been reading my blog thus far then I’m sure you have realized that I am a person who likes to plan out their whole day, week, and even month in advance. This was easy to do at SU because there were fewer distractions (I mean who are we kidding, Selinsgrove doesn’t have all that much to offer😉). When I first arrived in Galway there was a little part of me that said “Don’t go out tonight, you have class in the morning” or “Read that article for class before you go out.” For a while I let that part of myself hold me back from really embracing the culture of Galway. Studying abroad is about continuing your education and furthering your knowledge, but it is more about getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to embrace a new and foreign culture. I noticed that I was holding myself back when I turned down opportunities to see the city because I was worried about an assignment. Reading every article that is assigned to you is unrealistic and the professors are aware of this. Most professors discuss all readings in class so if you miss one or two it is no big deal; in fact, it is expected. Professors at NUIG are very accommodating and understanding when it comes to having visiting students in class. Once I came to this realization I told myself to relax and enjoy being in my host city. It is normal to cling to your old routines, but you will feel so much better once you break them and embrace a new routine. I have seen so many more things and places since I started saying yes to any opportunity that presented itself. So far I have visited Salthill, Tuam, the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, Dunguaire Castle, and have taken countless trips around Galway city with friends. These are all places that I would not have seen had I not taken advantage of the opportunities that the university and Galway presented me with. In the near future I plan on visiting Dublin, Belfast, the Aran Islands and Limerick! The university offers many day trips to the surrounding counties of Galway. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for tickets for trips like these. Often times the university will get a special deal for bringing a large group on a tour and as a result you will get a highly discounted ticket. I have visited the Cliffs of Moher on a trip planned by the university and I will visit the Aran Islands soon through the university as well. Take advantage of every opportunity that your program and host city hand you because at the end of your trip you will be happy that you went out those few nights instead of worrying about course work. Below are a few pictures of places that I wouldn’t have seen if I didn’t leave my routine behind! I am one month into my semester abroad and I already regret bringing some things and not bringing some others. Packing for a semester abroad can be really intimidating and the truth is that you never really know what you will need and what you don’t until you get to your host country and get settled in. As someone who has been through that process already I hope that my experiences can help whomever is reading this pack smarter and stress less. It is important to research the weather of your host country before starting to pack. This is something that I wish I had researched more thoroughly than just checking my weather app a few days before leaving. Galway is an extremely rainy city (luckily I did know this in advance), and its temperatures remain in the 40-60 ºF range (I did NOT know this). Because I was expecting Galway’s constant rain I invested in a high quality raincoat. Anyone living in Galway needs a raincoat! It is also important to invest in waterproof shoes because rain makes puddles…big puddles, and your canvas shoes will be ruined after just a few strolls through those puddles. (See below me at the Cliffs of Moher in my waterproof shoes and raincoat 😉) Being prepared for the rain is something that I’m grateful for; however, I definitely did not need to bring my heavy winter jacket. I have only worn my winter coat twice in the whole month that I’ve been here. If I had researched the average temperature in Galway I would have known that is usually doesn’t get any colder than 40 ºF and when you’ve lived through numerous Pennsylvania winters 40 ºF feels like summertime. So, something not to bring is a big winter jacket. Opt for your lighter jacket and a good raincoat.
Another mistake I made while packing was that I did not bring enough shirts and pants that could be mixed and matched to create different outfits. Four months is a long time to be wearing the same ten or so shirts so its important to bring pieces of clothing that can go with many different looks. On the other hand, something that I am very happy that I brought with me is reusable bags. In the European Union there are no plastic bags used in any stores (I love this. I hope this is true of America soon.) and this came as a surprise to most other international students who I know. As I went out on my first shopping trip with a few friends I found myself sharing my ample supply of reusable bags with my friends who had their arms full of random items. Even if you don’t bring a lot, I would recommend sneaking at least one or two reusable bags into your suitcase if you are studying abroad in the EU because it is something that I’m sure you won’t regret. It is also important to remember that you will have to buy a lot of everyday items once you get to your host country, so don’t pack them. When packing for your semesters at SU you probably pack all of the essentials like laundry detergent, soap, dishes & Tupperware, towels, bed sheets, etc. It might feel odd not to pack any of these very important items, but they are all things that you can buy once you arrive. Packing these items will take up extra room in your suitcase and weigh you down. One last tip about packing is to make sure you bring lots of mementos and pictures from home. The first couple days, and even weeks, away from home will be tough and having little things that are comforting to you will help with feelings of homesickness. |
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