Cue Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan because I made it to not only Galway, but the lovely little hometown of One Direction’s very own Niall Horan. Both of these stops were rather lovely little adventures amongst our scheduled visits.
Galway: The Birthplace of the Claddagh Ring
I had one mission for this day:
Find my perfect Claddagh ring.
I knew I would probably have a bit of trouble considering I love the coloring of gold but evidently do not have gold money.
My first stop was Thomas Dillons, the original place they started making the Claddagh rings. I knew I also wanted to get my two sisters Claddagh rings and they are silver girls, so I kept this in mind during my search. The shop was super tiny as well as all the other places on the street (which was so super cute). There was a free itty bitty museum in the back of the shop that showed the design of the rings over the years and showcased photos of celebrities or historical figures who owned a Claddagh ring.
I signed my name in the guestbook and then made my way to the jeweler apprehensively (I hate asking to see things if I don’t end up buying). They of course had lovely silver pieces, both ones with a thinner or thicker band (technically designated as female and male). The gold pieces started at $400 so you bet your bottom dollar I wasn’t buying my ring there. I purchased a ring for each of my sisters and then continued on my way to find my ring.
I was accompanied by Grace and Max, so we walked around a bit and enjoyed the beautiful weather and being by the water. I went to one of the Claddagh Jewelry places that we had seen all over Ireland but alas the ones I liked were out of stock in my size. That is when I happened upon McCarthy Jewelry. Just a small jewelry shop down one of the side streets. They had some beautiful options in gold that also were not bank-breaking.
I ended up going between two different options but fortunately the price was a fraction of what I thought it would be so I got not one, but TWO gold Claddagh rings for myself. (Are they gold fill? Maybe. Are they still of nice quality and lovely to look at? Yes!) Needless to say, I was ECSTATIC I was able to find something I loved and could afford (in the birthplace of the Claddagh rings too)!
The rest of this trip consisted of walking along the rocky beach and taking a dip in Irish waters. Galway was seriously just a lovely place to relax.
Mullingar: Niall Horan’s Hometown
Mullingar, though small, was such a significant stop for me. Once I learned I was going to Ireland, one of my first thoughts was the fact that I would be within Niall Horan’s old stomping grounds. Was it a silly thought? I don’t think so. One Direction has been one of my favorite music groups of all time and I’ve never been to any part of Europe, so this was incredibly important to me. God bless Grace for coming along.
The main attraction I was aiming to see was a mural made of Niall. Upon arrival it was actually quite easy to find! It was rather funny, however, because Mullingar is not so much a tourist town and is actually quite like my hometown of Washington, PA in a way. So when I was looking at and taking pictures with the mural, many people were just passing by casually, going to work, etc.
Other than that, Belvedere House was our next stop but unfortunately not super accessible by transit, so Grace and I casually explored and walked around. The park was beautiful and we both got burnt that day since there was not a cloud in the sky.
I am so so glad I was able to visit both places because although vastly different, they both added to my perspective and experience while in Ireland.
