BootsnAll Travel Community

I am moving to Galway from Sydney, Australia with my 3 young children and husband.

I would love to hear about Galway and why so many people love it so much.

Any details would be fantastic.

Thanks

Caz

- Wild swans a-swimming.

- Picture-pretty cobblestone streets.

- Proximity to the Aran Islands.

- The Irish fiddlin'.

- A Filipino restaurant. Probably not a good Filipino restaurant, but still, props.

Well, the city's nice, very picturesque and reasonably compact. It's probably grown even more since I lived there 5 years ago, but I used to live at the edge of town and I could walk to the centre in 30 minutes. This is the same amount of time I walk to Edmonton's city centre now, and I'm considered to live in the downtown area.

Then there's the proximity to Connemara and the Aran Islands.

And really, who wouldn't want to live here:

You will love it! If you can cope with the rain!

It's a fabulously relaxed good energy filled (due to all the students and tourists) town in a great spot- perfect base to enjoy the amenities of town within a few minutes of the sea and conemara and the islands- brilliant in the summer with its festival packed schedule. And it's only a couple of hours to Dublin if you need to go there!

I love Galway- I've lived here forever and soon I'll be moving for work reasons- I'll miss it loads!

Oh man what's NOT to love about Galway?

Well, if you're coming from a city and expecting a city, know that it's more like a big town. Yes, everything is in walking distance, but it's about the atmosphere of having a local pub to be a regular at, recognising faces, getting your food from local shops who grow/raise/source their food from the county, being in a place that has pride in the Irish language, having great educational institutions at your doorstep, and having a great young buzz about the place.

If I could have done my degree in Galway, I most certainly would have - I hated to leave (especially for Dublin!!). Will you be in Galway town or outside the city?

Good luck with relocating!

Where to start!!
Born and raised in Galway and actually lived in Sydney last year for about 7 and a half months so can compare a little.
'The prom' (2 - 4 km promenade on Galway Bay) is one of my favourite parts of Galway. It can be extremely windy sometimes but that's part of the charm...a good way to blow off the cobwebs.
If your children are into swimming (I'm guessing they are being Aussies )the diving board at Blackrock (at one end of the prom) could be fun for them, they can work their way up to the top board...a right of passage for every Galway child who likes swimming!
The city centre is compact and packed with historical features and charm which is a nice reminder of the cities heritage.
Galway is a great base for tourists and natives alike to explore the west coast. Leitir Mor is a beautiful part of the Gaeltacht (native Irish speaking region), Connemara is obviously on our doorstep, and there's a number of forests for walking within 15 mins of the city.
There are plenty of beaches within the city and farther afield (an hour south) in County Clare like Fanore or Lahinch where there's great surf.
It will be an adjustment coming from a city the size of Sydney to Galway. For example the main street through town (that's what we call it...going into town!), shop street, is maybe the lenght from Town Hall to the Australia Museum on College street in Sydney city centre i.e. not very long
The one thing I would recommend when you guys get here is to take in a game of hurling if you can. The season runs from February to April (League) then May/June to the first weekend in September (Championship...the big one!). Galway have a pretty good hurling team who tend to fall at the last hurdle of late but we'll get there eventually. The team always need support so a few Aussies in the crowd could make all the difference!
Anyways, I'll stop rambling now! Drop me a pm if you need any other info on anything & I'll try to help. Good luck with the move!