Kennys bookshop is right in the centre of the most interesting parts of Galway with restaurants etc. on High Street - just up from Quay Street.
check out www.kennys.ie

happy browsing !

Hi ceezee,
Yep, I think you have time to drive around one of the peninsulas before you arrive at Bantry. It'll be wonderful. If you stop at Bantry house to see the gardens, it's a nice place for tea.

I'll track down the mystery book you recommend - sounds fun. We have 3 weeks until we leave for Ireland!

I can't believe that we have never seen any complaints about the Irish roads being infected with horrible potholes on the left side of those very narrow roads, so much that if you are driving in the rain you cannot see the pot holes. While hitting each pothole jerks your car across that very narrow divide. We were there in first week of June 2005 and that was our biggest problem driving. The left hand side of road is very doable. The steering wheel on the right can be learned. But the potholes are a nightmare. We missed the Cliffs of Mohar because of this and the fog and rain. Hasn't anyone ever hit the potholes???

McShane: Ken Bruen's books are very very very intense noir mysteries. Start with "The Guards" – it won the Shamus Award for the best Novel of 2003 and was nominated for a 2004 Edgar. It's in paperback and you can see if you like his writing. I think he gives you a real sense of place (Galway).

Also, yesterday's (July 10th) New York Times had an article in the Travel section about Galway. You should be able to check it out on their web site: nytimes.com. You may have to register (which is free) to view it. Select travel on the left side of the page and then page down until you see the entry for Galway.

A great guest house would be Sea View it is central on the similar lines of Quay House if they are booked out this place is diffently worth a try.
A great place to eat in Clifden is Spice Club on the square in Clifden some people are put off by the name thinking all things spicey which is not the case at all the Chef himself is from the East boy can he cook.
Also a fantastic place to go is the Connemara Smokehouse in Ballyconneely for €5 you get a personal tour of the smokehouse process and methods and a tasting at the end and ask as many questions as you like they also got a Smoked Tuna which I was weary of thinking of tinned tuna but nothing like it, it was fantastic and a Honey Roast Smoked Salmon diffently a girly food yum we buy reguarly online www.smokehouse.ie you must try this place if you are in the Clifden area 20min from Clifden it is diffently worth it if you do go try and get the owner Graham a lovely young man