Music, dancing and beer- Galway, Ireland

The best thing you can do in Galway is spend a night or two or twelve relaxing in one of the many different pubs available. There's nothing quite like laughing the night away with your friends over a pint of Guinness, or leaning in to hear the stories and opinions of the always talkative locals. The best way to get to know the locals is to go into the pubs. Everyone is interested in your story and in telling their own.
My best suggestion is to go to as many different pubs as possible. It's easy to find one place you like and go back to it again and again, but each place has it's own atmosphere and ambiance, and every place is worth a visit. Try something new as often as possible, and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.
My personal recommendations are:
The Kings Head Pub and Taffes (both on shop street) are the best place to go to meet other fellow travelers, especially within the college-aged crowd. Lively and loud, they're a fun place to go for a lot of laughs and good times.
If you're looking for something a little quieter, go towards the spanish arches, cross the river, take an immediate right for a block. On the opposite corner you'll see Monroe's. Music every night, an traditional dancing every tuesday night, Monroe's is a great place to go when you're looking for something a little more popular with locals as well as tourists. If you go next door, you can order pizza that will be delivered right to your table in monroe's. We took advantage of that many a night. Continuing down Dominik street, you'll see the Rosin Dubh, (it's alright, you can just call it "the black rose." If you're looking for the local rock music scene, this is the place to go. Check out their schedule, many nights they'll have bands in the back playing for free. Even when there isn't music playing, the place is a great place to relax and talk with friends. The dark, wooden interiors give the place a pretty awesome ambiance that's great for a quiet night out with friends. Further down dominik street, you'll run into the Crane. If you're looking for a local favorite, this is it. we saw very few tourists there, but did not feel out of place being tourists ourselves. If you're really looking to get to know the locals, this is the best place to do it. Look out for spontaneous music sessions.
These are just a handful of my favorites, but as I said, don't limit yourself. Each place is totally different. In the same way, don't stick to one drink either. There are a variety of different beers to try, don't limit yourself to only drinking Guinness each and every night. A personal favorite for a light, refreshing beer is Carlsberg, and of course, you HAVE to try the locally made Galway Hooker.

Music, dancing and beer, Galway

Galway Hotels

Music, dancing and beer, Galway

Visiting Galway?

Visiting Galway?

Galway Hotels