Galway: The City Of Music, Culture & Claddagh Rings

I have never loved a city as much as I loved Galway, Ireland, which is located on Ireland’s rocky western coast.

There is something so special about Galway, a combination of the Irish spirit, energy, and quaintness all shoved into one small city. In the inner city, no cars are allowed. It is only foot traffic that graces the brick paths between colorful shops, all sat next to each other. There are dozens of shops (many advertising the Irish goods that they sell) and plenty of pubs.

Galway is well known for being a hub of “trad music” or traditional music. Wander into any pub at night, and there will be a band on stage with a series of fiddles and guitars playing their hearts out. Every once in awhile you’ll be lucky enough to see a harpist on stage, their fingers moving deftly across the instrument. One of the most ancient of all Irish instruments, the harp is a soulful instrument that captures both the joy and the sorrow of the Irish people. If you want to embrace the beauty of this stunning traditional instrument you can shop Biddy Murphy’s harp jewelry here!

One of my favorite aspects of life in Galway is that you don’t even have to go into a pub to hear the music. Wandering through the stone streets, you’ll find that there’s a musician on every corner; a man with a guitar, a couple kids with violins, an adult band singing into a microphone. There are other acts that spring up on the street, from magic acts to tightrope walkers to hip hop dancers and of course, Irish dancers.

Once, I saw a group of Irish dancers dancing away to Ed Sheeran’s 'Galway Girl', which was one of the theme songs of my time in Ireland. Performing on a piece of wood created specially for this reason, the dancers loud shoes hit every beat perfectly. I was captivated by their perfect form, their rigid torsos and pointed toes, the way they proudly showed their skill by joyfully dancing to a song that celebrated their city. Do you know an Irish dancer, or find the art as impressive and special as I do? This little Irish dancer necklace captures the magic of watching these Irish dancers perfectly!

Wandering outside of the main city streets of Galway, it is easy to stumble across the River Corrib and the open harbor. Walking past the museum and through the Spanish Arch (built in 1584) you stumble into a series of colorful buildings overlooking the ocean. These buildings are built on top of what was once the fishing village of Claddagh, where the Claddagh ring originated.

Galway is home to the Claddagh Museum, which tells the legend of the Claddagh ring. The Claddagh symbol represents love, loyalty, and friendship and was traditionally given as a gift to loved one and used to represent one’s marriage status. Shop Claddagh rings here!

The third largest Irish city by population, Galway serves as the entrance to the western coast. From Galway, many tourists take bus tours to the Cliffs of Moher, the Connemara region, and the Aran Islands. If you’re making a trip to Ireland, you should head to the western coast and spend a couple days in the beautiful city of Galway! You will be charmed by this stony-road city and it’s colorful shops, cheerful tunes, and beautiful jewelry.

Whether you’ve been to Galway, are planning a visit, or just love the look of the city, you can appreciate all the great jewelry Biddy Murphy has that is inspired or resonant of the Irish cities special culture!

Have you been to Galway City? Did you love it as much as I do? Share your story in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you!