Ireland – Day 2 – Travels with Carolyne

Howth/Galway – Day 2 of a 9-Day Trip in Ireland

Howth is a small town east of Dublin, situated on the coast. It is a good location for fishermen and seafood. There is a lovely cliff walk with wonderful ocean views. Galway is a city to the west of Dublin, about a 2.5 hour bus ride from Dublin. The town is cute and is a great base for the many attractions in the area (ex. Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher).

Day 2
Howth/Galway

I started my day with breakfast at the hostel, which was included in my stay. From Dublin, the train takes about 40 minutes to Howth. I had picked up a TFI Leap Card from the local convenience store, Spar, the night before and loaded it up with 25 euros. The TFI Leap Card is a great way to get around Ireland as it allows you to tap in and out on select buses and trains. The Howth train station is right by the central seaside strip. I was headed to the Howth Cliff Walk first however. It was a great day for a hike – the sun was shining and the sky blue. From the Howth train station, I took the bus to the highest point of the hike. My plan was to hike back down to Howth, which is about an hour downhill hike. There are multiple alternatives trails in the area depending on your difficulty and length preference. The views on the Cliff Walk are magnificent, including a view of the Baily Lighthouse, and there are many locals that use the trail. I even crossed paths with a local riding their horse on the trail!

On the way back to town, I passed by what once was the home of W.B. Yeats. W.B. Yeats was a world-famous Irish poet, writer, and politician.

I got back to the Howth Pier around 11:30am.

Most restaurants don’t open for lunch until 12pm, so I went to Bodega for a coffee and waited until Wrights of Howth switched to their lunch menu. For lunch, I ordered the seafood chowder which came with Irish brown bread. The butter that came with the brown bread was so soft, milky and delicious!

Afterwards, I headed to back to Dublin to catch my bus to Galway. I had booked a reservation on the Citylink bus. The process was simple and there was a lot of open seating on the bus, so I would say a reservation was not required (but better safe than sorry!). Upon arrival at Galway, I checked in at my Airbnb, which was only a 10 minute walk from the City Centre. Galway is a lovely harbour city as well as a tourist hub. I spent the afternoon exploring the streets before having dinner at the Quay Street Kitchen, where I enjoyed a lamb shank and a glass of red wine.

To end my day, I visited the Galway Cathedral. The Galway Cathedral was completed in 1965 and is a Roman Catholic Cathedral that is still in use today.