Located about 15 miles east of Galway off the M6, the Athenry Castle dates back to the 13th…read morecentury. Stone walls, a keep and the restored hall are impressive and a fabulous opportunity to look back into medieval life. Check the doorways and arches and battlements and enjoy the castle's impressive artistry. The structure stands at a ford on the Clareen River. After the castle, walk the grounds. Impeccably maintained and there is free parking. Lots of opportunity for photo ops. The Priory down the street is also impressive. If you stop and listen carefully, maybe you can hear the voices of those who were here before? [Review 1966 of 2024 - 147 in Republic of Ireland - 22988 overall]

I could not get enough of Athenry Castle. I am from Chicago, where we have 150ish years of history…read more Ireland has thousands of years of history. Athenry Castle brought history classes to life for me. When I talked with locals, they said the castle has always been there for them so they take it for granted. I walked the grounds on more than one occasion and simply could not get enough of this seemingly ancient building with so much history and energy surrounding it. Athenry Castle is worth a stop, not just for the castle, but the town arch and fences which were all part of the original layout. You can also walk the grounds, check out the cemetery and let the kids burn off any energy in the playlot that is right there.

Beautiful loved my visit here will definitely becoming back 10 /10 ................ What a…read morelocation what great service......

Rindoon is a part of the Irish Walled Towns Network and may not be easy to find as it does not have…read morea Visitor's Center. The parking lot can be found using sat nav co-ordinates N53.54389° W008.00299°. Our guide for the walking tour was a local farmer whose property encloses the city (at least I think so). She was very knowledgeable of the history of the place, taking us through the history and why the city was eventually abandoned. I learned a new name for beehives in stone walls -- bee-boles. The path is shared with the farmer's sheep, so wear appropriate footwear for the pasture. There are two circular hiking paths and if you find yourself fatigued from the day, it is possible to skip the smaller second circle, although most of the interesting buildings are on that circle. The stiles for entering/exiting various pastures are the type that require you take steps to the top of the fence, make a 180º turn and then back down the other side.

The Irish Shop is a great spot to find Irish memorabilia and more in Ennis. They have a large…read moreselection of gifts, clothing, and other items all made in and around Co. Clare and Ireland. Whenever mates from the states call to town, they always make sure to call by The Irish Shop to pick up a few gifts before leaving sure. I personally love it because I can get presents for everyone living abroad around Christmas in one place.

Sadly this wonderful little shop recently closed. No more! I'm here in Ennis every November for a…read moremusic festival and I always would pop in here to buy little gifts for the folks back home. But they're gone. What a shame.

Such a cool place to visit in Ennis! We came on a Sunday and this was one of the few places open…read more Our guide was very knowledgeable about the site and was able to answer many questions for us. Pro tip - if you purchase the Irish Heritage Card you can visit a wide variety of sites around Ireland for free!

Lovely little friary with an interesting history. The docent gave a fascinating tour. It's…read morecertainly well worth a visit. It's within walking distance of the center of town. Or if you take the Ennis Walking Tour with Jane, she ends her tour across the street and you could just stroll to the friary afterwards.

No one can say they've really been to Galway before they've been to the Galway Races. Every year…read morethe festival kicks off on the last Monday in July and runs for seven consecutive days. Each day has a different theme, and the most popular day is Ladies Day (Thursday). This year I made it to Monday's race meeting. Being a races nut back home (we have the Melbourne Cup Carnival and all) I knew how to handle the event, and planned a glammed-up outfit with classy finishings and accessories. To my surprise (and minor embarrassment) I discovered that the Summer Racing Festival at Galway does not necessarily = fashions on the field. Oh no.... while we were primped to the max in tailored dresses, hair pieces and full make-up, the majority of the crowd was hanging out in jeans. We felt SO stupid! So a note of warning to you all - if you want to get dressed up for the Galway Races, go to Thursday's race meeting - it's Ladies Day and everyone gets dressed up. On all the other days you just look slightly out of place... However, we didn't let our inappropriate attire spoil our evening... oh no! Off we trotted, firstly to the bar (Guinness have a v cool oyster and Guinness bar here), and next to place some well thought out bets (aka betting on the horse with the coolest name, or the one that looks the prettiest in the ring). We fought our way through to the front of the bookies' queues and prepared to win big. Needless to say it didn't happen that way. Of course every cent we bet went down the drain (it just goes to show that gambling doesn't pay) but we hadn't bet our life savings or anything, so we weren't too downtrodden. The races themselves were great craic, and everyone gets right into them. I noticed that between races everyone goes off to bet on the next race. That doesn't happen so much back home - must be a healthier betting culture here! Probably the funniest moment of the day was when the skies suddenly opened and it poured rain. The mad dash to the grandstand was a sight to behold, to be sure. A ticket to the Galway Races will set you back 20-30 euros, and you can catch a bus there and back from town. And in case you hadn't cottoned on to the Galway party style, the town goes MAD during races week. Great craic. Get yourself there.

I think I could be the bookies new best friend!…read more Oh dear, a lot of money was spent on horse that seemed to loose heart in the final sprint to the finish much to my dismay. I was convinced that shouting heart felt curses at them would work, along with cursing the jockeys for their short stubby legs and what not. Obviously the gods of the race course did not favor this. All in all, the races are a highly entertaining day out. I managed to go in Ladies Day (Thurs) in all my finery and found myself highly amused by what can simple described as oranges with legs, in ill fitting shoes and belts for dresses. Oh I was in my element in my white dress trying not to let any of them brush against me. So if you find yourself highly amused with the saying "look what the cat dragged in through orange blotchy paint" then do go along. This is not to say that there aren't a few garments that are beautiful, they just need to be searched for and are often found within the Champagne Tent. Now the Champagne Tent, in my opinion, is designed for those who do not wish to sit in a private box up above all the common riff raff, but still don't want to mingle with them. This carefully constructed scheme is created by simply not selling champagne by the glass. You may think that this is not a great deterrent but oh it is. Considering that yours truly and friend who wasn't to be drinking were just searching for a singular glass, we believed it in our best interests that a bottle would be a bad idea considering I would be absolutely shit faced as I would HAVE to drink it all. If the gowns and champagne isn't for you then head over to the betting stands and place a 5 euro bet. Trust me it gets addictive. The best thing is to set a group of friends in the stands whilst you and another pose go and place some bets. Rush back and see your horse stride to victory. Of course this is all hypothetically speaking as in my case, my horse decided to stumble in the last 50yards with a 50/1 odd with a 10 euro bet. My main piece of advice is to take a car. Ignore what everyone says about taking a bus, the bus is horrible as the wait and ques for the buses are disgraceful along with the behavior of some of the 'young uns.' Take a car and cram it with friends, or as many as seat-belts will allow. The only wait in a car will be to get out of the car park but after that it's plain sailing. Or even more simply, make friends with someone who owns a helicopter.

The largest island is Inis Mor (Inishmore), the middle island is Inis Meain (Inishmaan), and the…read moresmallest island is Inis Oirr (Inisheer).

This is a beautiful deserted tidal island with deep Irish history. The burial grounds for…read moreCladdaghduff Catholic church are here. I would love to see a funeral in which the casket is carried at low tide to the island to be buried. My friend grew up in the area and played on the island. To her, the waves eroding desolate cliffs underlying the funeral grounds, exposing ancient bones, was normal. It's a tidal island, check your tide tables and don't get stranded! You can walk across the tidelands from the church. It's possible to drive and I wouldn't. But if you drive, there is no American or Irish side of the road! On the island, there is an old church ruin and plenty of deserted places to explore. There once was a school, but they are down to just a few inhabitants, maybe none full time, on the island. The residents of Claddaghduff are awesome, the pub friendly, and the beautiful Gaelic language is well preserved. It's a great spot to visit in the farmost West of Ireland, but as my friends in Dublin warned, you might come back in 20 years, with a beard down to your feet, as a Rip Van Winkle-type character!

Food is ok. Service is very very slow. Took an hour for our food to come. Half of the table got…read moretheirs in 45 rest of the table had to wait another 20 mins. Tables would sit and finish before we got ours

Came with the crew before Trad on the Prom (hello -- that deserves 5 stars but I can't find it on…read moreYelp?!) they were busy enough for a Tuesday night but they found us a nice big table. Waiter was friendly and we all enjoyed beverages -- mine a tasty Bombay and Tonic with a few slices of lemon and lots of ice -- so you know I'm happy. Soup starter was good but the mushroom risotto was heavenly. Well prepared and tender with a real taste of Irish mushrooms. We all left happy, a very enjoyable meal!

A nice tourist attraction when visiting the Burrens. The tour is well organized and the caves are…read moreamazing. The formations however are not fantastic compared to caves I have been into across Australia or the US. Well worth a visit anyway. The cheese factory and the fudge shop are also worth a visit and the view from up above is spectacular. It is a bit expensive for a cave tour but the view from up above is free :-)

Boooooooooo. That…read morewas my reaction after making it through this overpriced, underwhelming tourist attraction. I love caves, and am always ready to tour or explore them when it's nearby on a trip. But this was pure disappointment. For one, it's expensive, like 12 euros a person just for the cave, another 8 euros if you want to visit their "Birds of Prey" center. So for just my wife and I, the cave alone was the equivalent of about $30 for what amounted to a mediocre 30 minute experience. The cave itself isn't very exciting. The lighting is dim, there's one small waterfall, and you go in probably 1/2 mile. You get to learn about complex geological events, like "stalagmites" as you go. There are a couple small formations that are slightly interesting looking, but nothing that's going to really knock you out. Additionally, the guide we had didn't seem terribly invested; it was a lot of "Here's a brief anecdote...(insert story about farmer/geology here). Anyone have any questions? Okay, moving on." Weirdest part: after you make it 1/2 mile in, you basically get to walk out on your own through a long tunnel. No more tour, nothing, just the twenty or so people you went in with, walking in a straight line to get to the exit. The guide stays to make sure everyone who went in, goes out; in the meantime, you get a 1/2 mile walk down a service entrance with very little to look at (especially because the lighting is still dim). Oh, but you start and end your tour in the gift shop, of course. Overall, a poorly-designed, overly priced attraction that isn't terribly attractive. I would not recommend it.