Galway, Ireland

GALWAY : Overview

OVERVIEW

Galway is one of the larger cities in Ireland, located on the west coast. It is about a 2 ½ hour drive west of Dublin and accessible for a day trip or overnight.  There is a new road, making the trip a lot quicker.  Galway has a quaint city center area offering several pedestrian streets, shops, restaurants, a modern museum and various other sites.  One can easily spend an afternoon there.  The town is also known for its many pubs. Accessibility can be challenging unless properly planned. Please read below for information on accessible hotels, accessible restaurants, and accessible activities in Galway.

LANGUAGE

The official language of Ireland is English and Irish Gaelic.

CURRENCY

The official currency of Ireland is the Euro.

QUICKLINKS

LOGISTICS: Air – Water – Ground
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels – Resorts
ENTERTAINMENT: Tours – Activities – Restaurants & Nightlife
EMERGENCY SERVICES: Hospitals – Medical Equipment
ABILITYTIPS: Precautions

GALWAY : Logistics

AIR TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORT

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FERRY

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GROUND TRANSPORTATION

Wheelchair accessible public transportation in Galway does not exist, nor does accessible rental cars. Your best bet would be to fly into a nearby country (i.e., Germany or the UK) that offers accessible rental vans/cars and drive to Galway.

TAXI

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SHUTTLE

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RENTAL CAR

Wheelchair Travel: Wheelchair Travel is located in the UK, but rents wheelchair accessible vehicles.

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BUS

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TRAM

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TRAIN

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GALWAY : Accommodations

HOTELS

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LUXURY RESORTS

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GALWAY : Entertainment

SIGHTSEEING TOURS

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ACTIVITIES

Eyre Square: Eyre Square is an accessible park located in the center of the old city.  This is a great place to start your exploration as it is recently renovated and has lots of greenery.  Surrounding the square is a shopping mall and many restaurants, bars, etc.

Lynch Castle: Now home to a bank, this former medieval townhome was the residence of Galway’s most historic and leading families.  The lobby way is accessible and provides pictures and an overview of the home’s history

St. Nicholas Church: An accessible, renovated Medieval church that dates back to around 1320.  It is worth a look around.

Galway City Museum: Located near the river, this newly built, accessible museum is a good quick stop.  It is also free and offers a few floors of interesting Galway history.

Williams Street: Williams Street, a pedestrian walkway through the old city of Galway.  This cobblestone street is home to many shops, restaurants and bars.  While not all the shops are accessible, many are at ground level.

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RESTAURANTS/NIGHTLIFE

Zatsuma: Zatsuma is a small, but accessible crepe shop located on the main Pedestrian way – Williams Street.

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GALWAY : Emergency Services

MEDICAL SERVICES/HOSPITAL

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EQUIPMENT RENTALS

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GALWAY : AbilityTips

PRECAUTIONS

The cobblestones and old nature of the city make it often challenging to get around in a wheelchair or other mobility devices.

Curb cuts are not always to be found and not located in the most convenient place so it can be difficult to get up curbs.

Accessible toilets when traveling abroad can sometime be difficult to find. For access to accessible toilets, the UK has a program called the National Key Scheme (RADAR Scheme), which allows acess for people with a disability to over 7,000 toilets in the UK. Keys can be purchased through RADAR The Disability Network.

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USEFUL LINKS

Listed are links of useful contacts when traveling to Ireland:

National Disability Authority (Dublin)
Adpat NI