Why Galway?

It's a good jumping off point for Connemara, and it's easily reached from Dublin, which is why it's popular. I haven't really noticed any large number of rowdy students, though it is a university town.

Galway is a good spot for shopping (quality items, not tourist "junque"), and it is a convenient location for touring Connemara and for taking a day trip to the Aran Islands. However, you could base yourself in Clifden instead. I would shorten time in Dublin to have two full days for County Galway.

Its proximity to Connemara would be my reason to stay in County Galway... I spent my first few days ever in Ireland in Connemara and while I thought it was beautiful, I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. I wish I had paid closer attention! (And taken more photos!)

I've been there more than once and IMO the city of Galway is definitely NOT a must see on a trip to Ireland. You can find good pub music virtually anywhere in Ireland.

As others have mentioned, I think the best use of a trip to Galway is an afternoon/night of shopping, eating and listening to good music. We too went to Dublin and Dingle, so we heard pub music everywhere, but there are some terrific pubs in Galway that we really enjoyed. We used it as a good resting stop while traveling from Cliffs of Moher to Derry.

We drove to Galway arriving late afternoon.Took a city bus tour and then the next day took a bus tour of the Connemara.This was a great day trip.We could have driven there but it was nice not to drive one day.Enjoyed Galway very much.

We spent 3 nights in Galway a few years ago and really liked it. Smaller than Dublin, but larger than most other places you will see in Ireland. Nice variety of services, not too touristy (may depend on time of year). As others have said, it's a great base for day trips.

I don't know if is a "must" see as much as say, Dingle is. However, I really liked Galway. It has really interesting history to learn when you are there. I took a walking tour that talked about more of the "dark" history such as the fact that eyre square is where they used to post everyone's heads as people came into town and they are still under the square. It was really fascinating! There are also some interesting buildings and churches. Salthill is really pretty and not too far away as well. I found the music in Galway to be different than anywhere else I was in Ireland and really liked the bands I saw. I would agree that the nightlife is more of a younger crowd in Galway, but I'm younger so that was okay for me :)

The Aran Islands are pretty cool. I stayed over on the largest one, Inishmore, for a night and I felt it was worth it. I also had two months though so if you have a shorter amount of time, I might skip it just as it takes a full day.

Ken,

Galway is nice but it's take it or leave it. I think the Aran Islands are very nice and give you a different experience than the mainland. But you have to decide if you have time for it. With five days between Dingle and Dublin, how many more days do you have to play with? If it's only a few, then you're probably better off exploring the Southwest, which is IMO the best part of the country.

Thanks for all the input. I'm working on planning my trip now. It looks like its fly into Shannon. The "must do" list so far has two nights at Dingle, a drive by for the Cliffs of Moher and Burren, Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny, Boyne Valley, and two days in Dublin.

The "want list" has the Aran Islands, Connemara and the Ring of Kerry. Obviously, Galway is a natural base for the Aran Islands and Connemara.

I'll be posting some other specific questions for all the wonderful help here. Feel free to comment on any of the things I've included or left out. I've never been there before and my trip will be limited to 10 to 15 days depending on several variables beyond my control.

Ken,

You'll probably find that for Pub music and atmosphere, Dingle will be the highlight of your trip. That was certainly my experience. Depending on the whether, you may be able to visit Great Blasket while you're there.

Galway is a beautiful city and (IMHO) is worth at least one night. However, I really enjoyed visiting Inishmore (the largest of the Aran Islands) and the small town of Kilronan (which apparently has the largest sweater shop in Europe). The islands have an interesting history, and the rugged countryside around Dun Aengus was very impressive. The food in the small country cafe at the base of Dun Aengus was great also!

Happy travels!

Last June my daughter and I went to Ireland and Galway was our least favorite place. We spent the night in a hotel and hurried out of town the next morning.