The West of Ireland

We visited Galway and the Isle of Innismann these past couple of days. I was actually really resistant to leave Dublin because I have fallen in love with the city. I feel like I can navigate Dublin pretty well by now (maaaaybe thats a stretch) and feel pretty connected to it. Overall, Galway was beautiful and much more urban than I imagined. The city was really busy when we arrived and was bustling with activity. The crowd looked really young (college aged) in general, and the public park in the center of the city was packed with people enjoying the warmth and sunshine. I especially loved the market on Galway's main strip. I bartered with a man from Argentina for a silver ring. I talked to him for a bit and he said he came to Ireland to find work. He missed home, but he said he had a much better life in Ireland. Immigration seems to be a really controversial topic in Ireland; some native Irish seem to think that the immigrant population is eroding traditional Irish culture. In ways, this predicament mirrors America's own political and cultural tensions with immigration. However, the problem is magnified because Ireland is such a small country and they have had such strong national traditions with ancient history.
The Isle of Innismann was entirely rustic. Exploring was most fun when we were able to interact with the local people. It seemed that many people left this teeny island in their young adult years, and returned in their older age. Specifically, Sara and I saw a couple of middle aged alcoholic men at the island's only bar. It was sad to see, but rather telling, because there isn't much to do in the form of entertainment on the island. The island was mostly what I expected after seeing a movie about the Aran Islands in class. The stone fences covering the entire island were amazing. They looked like they wouldve taken hundreds of years to make. It was wild to see the sacrifices the people of Innisman made to made the land livable.