The Galway Races

Season 5 begins at one of the most electric events in Ireland, the Galway Races. The energy, the color, the style, the music in the air. There is nothing quite like it. It is a celebration of sport and spirit that brings the entire west of Ireland to life.

While in Galway, I reconnect with some of my favorite musicians from Ireland Trad on the Prom. These are artists I deeply admire, performers who carry the heart of Irish music onto the stage night after night. To share time with them again, in the place where so much of that music lives and breathes, is something special. Click for tickets to what I believe to be the best music show in Ireland.

From the buzz of the racecourse, we retreat into the quiet beauty of Connemara and arrive at one of my favorite hotels in all of Ireland, Ballynahinch Castle. Nestled along the river and surrounded by mountains and woodland, it feels like stepping into another world. The history, the stillness, the landscape. It is Ireland at its most poetic. Yes, it is expensive but I guarantee impeccable service and food, rooms designed to relax in, a world class art collection and an upscale but not uptight castle stay

And of course, no visit to Galway would be complete without a night of music. We finish the journey at The Crane Bar, one of the true homes of traditional music, where Galvian Way fills the room with tunes that lift the spirit and remind you why this country is so deeply connected to song.

It is a rich, joyful, music filled beginning to a brand new season.