My friends and I traveled to Ireland recently for a long weekend of golf. We worked with Paul…read moreCollins at North & West Coast Links Golf Ireland and they did a fantastic job. Paul arranged golf and accommodations for each day of our visit and provided luxury transportation with a driver. The package cost was very reasonable and the golf courses and accommodations were superb. Our driver was wonderful and worked hard to accommodate our needs and sharing plenty of information on Irish history and the local culture. This is the first golf tour I've ever been on and, based on this experience, I'll look forward to many more with this fine operation!

Golf in Ireland is great, by the coast and with great views makes it awesome. Galway is a…read morechallenging course for beginners...when your ball go out of bounce, they go into the ocean...but the place is great. A great golf experience! Do stop by the bar and get a couple of Guinesses too.

The bike hire: Bernie is super nice. The cabin facility for…read morechanging and showers (2.50 / 5 with a towel) exceed expectations. Helmets were provided. Bikes are very basic and need of some TLC. We had an issue with bashed pedals and a touchy derailleur that affected the level of enjoyment on the trail. The trail: Epic. Gorgeous views, well built and maintained. Would love to ride again. Not really recommended for beginner cyclists. Getting there: Our bus experience was less than stellar. Make sure the driver understands where you are going. We were dropped off in Recess and had to hitch back.

This is the west coast of Ireland's countryside at its very best. This track was created by Coillte…read moreand spans 16km of Derroura mountain and runs through a forest in conemmara that offers fantastic views of lough corrib. This was one of the most exciting and exhilarating days I've ever had. The track at the beginning is difficult, with a few elevated areas and steep inclines, however once you get past this stage the rest is so much fun. The track runs along the edge of the mountain, includes boardwalk areas, bridges, streams and forest trails. I visited with friends and we spent so much time laughing and just generally having fun. The total length of the track is 16km which took us (amateurs) 4 hours to complete. I would rank the difficulty as easy-medium. We rented a bike each which also came with a helmet. They were brand new and in immaculate condition. Bernie (the owner of the bike hire) orientated us and explained the path. She was very friendly and welcoming. It cost €25 to rent the bike. A deposit was also required in case of damage. I cannot recommend this adventure highly enough.

No one can say they've really been to Galway before they've been to the Galway Races. Every year…read morethe festival kicks off on the last Monday in July and runs for seven consecutive days. Each day has a different theme, and the most popular day is Ladies Day (Thursday). This year I made it to Monday's race meeting. Being a races nut back home (we have the Melbourne Cup Carnival and all) I knew how to handle the event, and planned a glammed-up outfit with classy finishings and accessories. To my surprise (and minor embarrassment) I discovered that the Summer Racing Festival at Galway does not necessarily = fashions on the field. Oh no.... while we were primped to the max in tailored dresses, hair pieces and full make-up, the majority of the crowd was hanging out in jeans. We felt SO stupid! So a note of warning to you all - if you want to get dressed up for the Galway Races, go to Thursday's race meeting - it's Ladies Day and everyone gets dressed up. On all the other days you just look slightly out of place... However, we didn't let our inappropriate attire spoil our evening... oh no! Off we trotted, firstly to the bar (Guinness have a v cool oyster and Guinness bar here), and next to place some well thought out bets (aka betting on the horse with the coolest name, or the one that looks the prettiest in the ring). We fought our way through to the front of the bookies' queues and prepared to win big. Needless to say it didn't happen that way. Of course every cent we bet went down the drain (it just goes to show that gambling doesn't pay) but we hadn't bet our life savings or anything, so we weren't too downtrodden. The races themselves were great craic, and everyone gets right into them. I noticed that between races everyone goes off to bet on the next race. That doesn't happen so much back home - must be a healthier betting culture here! Probably the funniest moment of the day was when the skies suddenly opened and it poured rain. The mad dash to the grandstand was a sight to behold, to be sure. A ticket to the Galway Races will set you back 20-30 euros, and you can catch a bus there and back from town. And in case you hadn't cottoned on to the Galway party style, the town goes MAD during races week. Great craic. Get yourself there.

I think I could be the bookies new best friend!…read more Oh dear, a lot of money was spent on horse that seemed to loose heart in the final sprint to the finish much to my dismay. I was convinced that shouting heart felt curses at them would work, along with cursing the jockeys for their short stubby legs and what not. Obviously the gods of the race course did not favor this. All in all, the races are a highly entertaining day out. I managed to go in Ladies Day (Thurs) in all my finery and found myself highly amused by what can simple described as oranges with legs, in ill fitting shoes and belts for dresses. Oh I was in my element in my white dress trying not to let any of them brush against me. So if you find yourself highly amused with the saying "look what the cat dragged in through orange blotchy paint" then do go along. This is not to say that there aren't a few garments that are beautiful, they just need to be searched for and are often found within the Champagne Tent. Now the Champagne Tent, in my opinion, is designed for those who do not wish to sit in a private box up above all the common riff raff, but still don't want to mingle with them. This carefully constructed scheme is created by simply not selling champagne by the glass. You may think that this is not a great deterrent but oh it is. Considering that yours truly and friend who wasn't to be drinking were just searching for a singular glass, we believed it in our best interests that a bottle would be a bad idea considering I would be absolutely shit faced as I would HAVE to drink it all. If the gowns and champagne isn't for you then head over to the betting stands and place a 5 euro bet. Trust me it gets addictive. The best thing is to set a group of friends in the stands whilst you and another pose go and place some bets. Rush back and see your horse stride to victory. Of course this is all hypothetically speaking as in my case, my horse decided to stumble in the last 50yards with a 50/1 odd with a 10 euro bet. My main piece of advice is to take a car. Ignore what everyone says about taking a bus, the bus is horrible as the wait and ques for the buses are disgraceful along with the behavior of some of the 'young uns.' Take a car and cram it with friends, or as many as seat-belts will allow. The only wait in a car will be to get out of the car park but after that it's plain sailing. Or even more simply, make friends with someone who owns a helicopter.

What's up: While planning my trip to Ireland, I came across a post that described Hawk Walks as…read morebeing one of the most amazing experiences to do. So after a bit of research on the web, I decided on signing up for one at Ireland's School of Falconry. Transit: I travelled here using the bus. I was staying in Galway City and I took the Citylink 430 to Claremorris and transferred over to the TFI Local Link 431 and got off at Cong. From there, it was a short walk (maybe 15-20 mins) to Ashford Castle. After entering the castle gates, it's another 10-15 min walk to the school. If you're arriving by car, the School instructions were to park at the castle visitor car park (near the golf course). Environment: I emailed them months in advance to schedule my Walk. Since I wasn't staying nearby, they asked for payment ahead of time, which was done via credit card. When I arrived at Ashford Castle, I had to inform the staff at the bridge that I was there to go to the Falconry School. He directed me towards the other end of the castle and told me to follow the signs. Along the way, you'll pass by the gardens and fountains of the castle, which made for lovely views. When I arrived at the school, I rang the doorbell and was shown to the office for a short wait. The staff also offered to store my backpack behind the counter so I didn't have to carry it during the Walk. My instructor gave a quick tour of the area and informed me of the proper handling of the hawk. Then I met my feathered buddy for the hour, Andes. As we walked the grounds and surrounding forest, Andes flew along to follow us and when he was signaled, he flew down towards my gloved hand. What was ordered: - 1 hour Hawk Walk (I had so much fun learning about the hawks and walking around the castle grounds and forest surrounding it) Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay! Definitely a Yay! This was such a unique experience and it was amazing to see how well trained the hawks were. Since hawks eat meat, they do warn you that some of their food will resemble animals and may be a bit meaty. Credit cards are accepted.

Incredible experience! Once in a lifetime must do in Ireland. The team and expert falconers are so…read morekind, professional, and funny! They provided such a personalized experience. We walked two beautiful hawks for an entire hour through the woods of Ireland. We also got to fly the resident owl Samradh in the tunnel. I can't even put this experience into words that will do it justice.

This is a nice park for families with small kids. Perhaps also teenagers. Definitely not an adult…read morepark given the rides are not very extreme. They a ferris wheel, a bit rotating swing ride bumper cars, lightning cars and other smaller rides. Their one roller coaster is honestly for those less than 10 years old as there is only one simple small drop. The rides are expensive! It costs about 3 Euro each but you have to pay in tickets. The games are also around 3 euros but you have to pay in cash! What a silly system, obviously there to make people spend more money. Some rides are so not worth it, like the fun house. The food stands charge an exorbitant price but what can you do, you are stuck! With five kids, we at up about 160 euro in an hour and a half. At least the kids were happy!

The best children's park in Galway. There are play structures for all ages including a sand pit…read more With the cathedral in the back drop, you can't ask for a better setting for the parents to enjoy.

Read a lot of the negative reviews and they seem detached from reality. This is a great aquarium,…read moreespecially for kids and we spent over an hour there. There were so many great exhibits. It's not the largest but it certainly isn't small. They have so many great exhibits including the first tank which has a huge wave of water hit it every 50 seconds to mimic actual waves. The staff was really nice and the location is close to downtown. There is a nice cafe attached and the water is across the street. If you have kids, it's a great activity while it's raining especially but a nice spot regardless.

This place is cheap and great for kids. Overall it is small for an Aquarian but very well…read moremaintained. The fish and sea creatures are lovely and never hiding away from view. It is also very diverse range of species displayed. One downside (besides its small size) was there was little information guides and plaques around the place, which I love to read. However, it was overall a very good experience and worth the price!