Saturday in Galway

I’m usually in Galway city on a Saturday morning, where I visit the main Galway Market by St. Nicholas’ Church, and pick up food and veg.

On my way down Shop Street this weekend I spotted this cheerful chap with an impressive beard, and his troop of dancing flowers which he keep in good spirits with his lively fiddle playing (and the pedal that jigged them about).

It’s one of the things I love about Galway city, there is always someone new turning up to entertain the passersby. When the days are dour and wet it’s especially welcome, and we get a lot of inclement weather (but not currently).

I cheekily snapped this picture of roses at the market, because there were so outstanding. They seemed almost too beautiful to be real.

After visiting various shops to pick up the foodstuffs I needed, I was ready for lunch. It was after the main crush, so I wandered down to Spanish Arch in the pleasant sunshine, and decided to dare to get into Ard Bia – a very popular restaurant.

As usual it was busy, but I had nipped in at just the right moment. After a bit of standing about I secured a seat, and I didn’t mind the subsequent wait for food, because I was happy to be sitting in a congenial place.

I don’t often take photos of strangers, as I don’t like intruding, but I managed this one snap because I liked the image so much: the lovely array of bowls and knick-knacks, the woman making a coffee in the background, and the lady in front in the sunshine, enjoying the Saturday papers and a glass of white wine. It’s an image of one of those simple pleasures that lift you up.

After my delicious meal I exited and drifted over to the River Corrib where it empties into Galway Bay. The place was teeming with people enjoying the sun, and the swans were out in force. Many of them were trying to cadge food off the onlookers.

This stunning pair glided on water that seemed almost indistinguishable from the sky, except for the separation of the horizon.

A moment after I took this shot someone lobbed a ball for their dog into the water by the swans, and it swam strongly out to retrieve the floating prize. The swans skirted the dog churning through the water with a distrustful hiss.

It ignored them, and completed its task. To compliments and a spray of sparkling water shaken off its coat.