University of Galway Summer: Irish Studies

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t our control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

• Walking Tour of the Historic City Lanes: Lead by a local guide, walk from the Spanish Arch, through the lanes of the old city to Eyre Square, and learn of the medieval roots, dramatic family feuds and ties of the City of the Tribes, the spooky and the quirky, to end with the wider global political links that Galway has from the central park of Eyre Square.
• Gaelic Games Experience: Ireland has wonderful national Gaelic games such as hurling, Gaelic football, handball, and camogie.  These are ancient sports that are not widely known outside of the country.  Experience the opportunity to try these games and play with coaches from local teams.
• A Gaelic Match! Another option is to go to a local match at Pearse Stadium Located just outside the center of the city, walk to the game with the local supporters taking in the atmosphere. Watch your local team, Galway, play the incredibly quick and skillful sports of Gaelic football or hurling and cheer for a win.
• Stand-up Comedy Show or Theatrical Play: Galway is known as a city of culture and plays host to a festival each month throughout the year. Many of these are film, food, or theater festivals with the city known as a place where comedians come to try out new material on discerning audiences. Take part in one of these activities to get a flavor of local culture and a perspective on life in Ireland that you won’t get anywhere else.
• Day Trip to Connemara and Kylemore Abbey: This bus tour of the wilds of Connemara is a must for anyone living in Galway. See the impressive and rugged landscape along with the most gorgeous scenery of the west coast. The bus stops at Kylemore Abbey and gardens for a tour of the majestic yet intensely rural castle and Benedictine monastery built in the early 1920s on the banks of the Pollacapal Lough.