Day Thirty-Eight - 18/10/2012 - Galway

     After class today, we took the CityLink bus to Galway, a three-hour ride through a lot of suburban Galway neighborhoods.  Irish suburbia looks basically the same as neighborhoods in Orange County.  We finally arrived in Galway, our bus stopping a few streets from our hostel, the Kinlay House, in Eyre Square.  We checked in, walking up to the room.  First off, our booking was a room en suite, a marked improvement from the hostel we stayed in whilst in Dublin.  The rest of the room, including the common room, kitchen, and WiFi proved better as well.
     Famished from the long bus ride, we started walking around the city, looking for a pint.  We walked from the hostel past Eyre Square, a green area near the city centre.  We walked down William Street to High Street, which was lined with pubs.  The first place we stopped was the King's Head, so named for the execution of King Charles I.  The building was first seen in maps from the 13th century, and served for a time as the residence of Thomas Lynch Fitz-Ambrose, Mayor of Galway in 1654.  After the execution of Charles I, Cromwell's army laid siege to Galway, and eventually, Colonel Peter Stubbers of Cromwell's Army was dubbed military Governor of the city, seizing the residence at 15 High Street, where Lynch used to live.  It was rumored at the time that Stubbers neighbor, Richard Gunning, had been the executioner of the King.  Later research suggests that Stubbers himself had done it, due to some personal grievances with the King, and his timely disappearance.  The building changed hands many times before becoming the pub it is today, but it does feature a fireplace from 1612.  Today there is a mask of the beheaded King hanging from a chandelier in the stairwell.  A bit grim, but appropriate nonetheless.
     We stopped in Taafees and a few other pubs before finally finding the Quays which had a table open.  The venue was really interesting, with three levels and stairs all about.  We found a table in the lower level, but to get to it, you walk past the bar, down some stairs, underneath the main stage.  The band was playing music literally suspended above the bar, and we sat below the stage, still able to hear them.
     After a relaxing pint, we headed back to the hostel for some welcome sleep.