Spirit of Adventure blog

Our arrival at the planned anchorage off Galway was met by slightly gloomy, ‘Irish’ weather conditions.

Being British though, we were undeterred by a bit of adverse weather and soon started running our all-weather tenders ashore for those eager to grab a breakfast Guinness or listen to some fiddles to awaken their senses.

Known as the ‘City of the Tribes’ from times of old, this relatively small hub has a population of around 85,000 but was named European Region of Gastronomy in 2018 and was joint winner European Capital of Culture in 2020, so there must be a fair amount going for it.

Whatever was on offer here (poor old Captain didn’t manage to get ashore) it must have been a jolly day, for many I saw returned back to the ship with smiles on their faces despite the weather.

Just before supper, it was time to weigh anchor and proceed northwards to the republic’s largest fishing port, Killybegs.

With a population of some 1,200, we managed to more than double that by our mere visit. The town is situated at the head of a scenic harbour and at the base of a scenic mountainous tract extending northward.

A simple wander ashore to roam the little village is pleasant enough, but many chose to head further afield to enjoy the sights of Donegal Bay, Donegal town itself and the spectacular scenery of the nearby “Slieve League” sea cliffs, some of the highest in Europe.

On our departure from the bay that evening, we sailed nice and close to these cliffs to give everyone a good view…

Kind Regards
Captain Kim Tanner