Local Information

The Gathering 2013

2013 is going to be a great year for ‘the gathering’ in Ireland & Padraicins can offer our venue for your particular type of event. Whether its a small family outing, a community event, a corporate tour group, a clan type of meeting, a musical event for your family & friends, a school, college or friends reunion, or a heritage & tracing your roots get together we can help you with your plans & ideas. Great food, live traditional Irish music & a spectacular venue on the shores of Galway Bay, Padraicins is the perfect venue for your Gathering in 2013.
Email us for more details.

Arts & Crafts

County Galway is synonimous with the Art’s in Ireland. Due to its location Padraicins is just five minutes drive from the Spideal Craft Centre which makes some of the finest traditional Arts and Crafts in Ireland. In these these parts you will also find modern Art and the Woolly Aran Jumper can be purchased in most towns, as well as The Aran Islands.

Galway Night Life

Galway city night life is vibrant and exciting. There are always activities and goings on in the city. Something of notable interest to visitors is the sheer amount of Traditional Irish Music in the city centre. Most bars have live sessions most nights of the week. Its impossible to avoid and most visitors love this part of the Galway experience. The Bars which have some of the more notable acts that are with walking distance are O’Connors Bar, The Crane Bar, The Quays Bar, Cookes Bar.

Galway city has a handful of good nightclubs and theatre is a very important part of the city. There are plays on the town hall most nights of the week. Galway also has more than its fair share of larger concerts.

Activities Close By

Situated at the gateway to Connemara on Furbo beach, Padraicins is the ideal base for your exploration of the west of Ireland.
With lots of diverse and interesting activities within walking & driving distance, you are sure to find plenty to keep you occupied. From horse riding, fishing, golfing, walking through connemara, & with being only a 10 minute drive to the cultural capital of Ireland that is Galway city, theres lots to do & see…

We also have right on our doorstep ‘Give It A Go’ which is a sea kayaking trip and lessons school with Duncan Warner.

Duncan is fully qualified and insured to run sea kayaking trips and lessons you can verify this with him before you go out. Duncan can be contacted at info@giveitago.ie great fun to be had!!
www.giveitago.ie

Connemara National Park

The Connemara National Park is one of the most exhilarating activities to do in Connemara. It will most certainly be one of the highlights of any trip to Ireland. Located just ten minutes walk from the Lodge the park will present an eclectic array of views and landscapes which unfold into better majestic panoramic scenery as you venture up the hill. At top the whole of Connemara seems to feel at your fingertips and one can sense the splendid diverse range of rugged beauty that Connemara has a reputation for.
A recently built path of stone makes the journey more pleasant and accessible to a wide range of walkers. Infact, the park is divided into three different walks which suit the beginner to the more avid walker. Because they cover different areas many people do different paths on different days, so be warned The Connemara National Park could become your second home.

From the start of the walk you are presented with the view of Tully mountain and its adjacent winding bays of clear blue water. As you go further up the view of Lettergesh and Renvyle Strand comes into sight which is North West Connemara. Keeping going up and Cleggen and Clifden will present themselves. At the top of the Mountain Kylemore Lake will introduce itself alnong with Kylemore Abbey, the Inagh Valley, and on a really clear Day Westport and Achill Island

You also may pass various animals and wildlife peculiar to Ireland. Connemara Ponies, Rams, Deers, Insects, Birds, running around marble, natural stones, Heather, rhododendrons and many more.

At this point you may see unusually contrasting views. The Irish weather has its quickly changing moods as it could well be raining on one side and very hot on the another. Clifden could be cloudy and Tully Mountain may have all the sun. By the time you finish the walk it will be vice versa.

Of more practical convenience the path is well signposted so it would extremely difficult to get lost in the wilderness. If something does happen one of a dozen extremely friendly Park rangers will be there to help. We came across a man near the top of the mountain who was searching for a wallet that a traveler had lost.

Once at the bottom of the National Park you can relax in front of the pond area surrounded by large trees, or go for a coffee and browse the Museum.

The Aran Islands

The Aran Islands are one of Irelands most popular tourist destinations and most people who visit Galway will spend a day going to Inish Mor Island and cycling to the world Heritage site Dun Aoghasa. This stands on 300ft cliffs and offers a breathtaking scene of natural beautyof both the Islands, its Cliffs, and the Atlantic. It set within and ancient stone fort.

 

Festivals in Galway

MARCH

St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Parade through the streets of Galway.
www.stpatricksgalway.com
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APRIL

Cáoirt International Festival of Literature
Literary festival.
www.galwayartscentre.ie
The Galway Early Music Festival
Featuring concerts, workshops, street performances of music, dance and historical re-enactment.
www.galwayearlymusic.com

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MAY

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JUNE
Galway Sessions
Traditional music festival. Various venues
www.galwaysessions.com

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JULY
Galway Film Fleadh
Film festival for feature films and shorts.
www.galwayfilmfleadh.com

Galway Arts Festival
One of Europe’s most inventive, vibrant & colourful events. A truly international celebration of the performing and visual arts which takes place in and around Galway City each July.
www.galwayartsfestival.ie

The Galway Races – Summer Festival Meeting.
Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit, Galway.
Ireland’s premier horse racing festival.
www.galwayraces.com

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AUGUST
Connemara Pony Show
Clifden, Co Galway. Premier show for Connemara Ponies in Ireland for breeders and owners from home and overseas.
www.cpbs.ie
Roundstone Summer Festival
Roundstone, Co Galway. A weekend where people can come and sample the beauty of the village of Roundstone and the warmth and friendliness of its inhabitants.
www.roundstonesummerfest.com
Galway Races – Autumn Festival Meeting
Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit, Galway
www.galwayraces.com

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SEPTEMBER
Clarenbridge Oyster Festival
Clarenbridge, Co. Galway
Great food, great Guinness, great music and entertainment all in a splendid marquee on the banks of the Claren River which flows through the village of Clarenbridge on the edge of Galway Bay.
www.clarenbridge.com
Clifden Arts Week
Clifden, Connemara, Co. Galway
www.clifdenartsweek.ie
Galway International Oyster Festival
Galway City
Music, song, dance and food, and oysters, of course!
www.galwayoysterfest.com

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SEPTEMBER
Baboro – International Arts Festival for Children
All day at all the major venues in Galway City. National and International theatre, puppetry, music, dance etc. for children. Including family events and workshops.
www.baboro.ie

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OCTOBER
Galway Races October Bank Holiday Weekend Meeting
Galway Racecourse, Ballybrit, Galway
www.galwayraces.com

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