From the ocean, you will see a host of marine life, including seal colonies, and watch indigenous bird species navigate the weather-beaten islands scattered around the bay. Like the islands themselves, the people have been shaped by the forces of nature and the grace of the sea. The crew onboard will share stories of the long-held beliefs and local customs that forged relationships to the land and sea. Join us on Galway Girl Cruises boat tours and explore the Galway Bay and the one and only Wild Atlantic Way with us.
The wildness of the Galway coast reflects the very forces that have shaped it over millennia. Galway Bay was originally known as Lough Lurgan, back at a time when there were only three significant lakes on the island of Ireland.
Loch Lurgan was a large lake between West Connaught and the County of Clare, and it was separated from the Atlantic Ocean by strong banks, until the Atlantic burst these banks, flooding everything but the three Aran Islands.
Modern day coastal explorers can join the Galway Girl Cruises crew onboard and set sail from the mouth of the Corrib, the fastest flowing river in Europe. From there, cruise past Nimmo’s Pier and the Claddagh into the expanse of Galway Bay and experience the thrill of leaving the edge of Ireland.
The crew will point out the landmarks and coastal markers of interest including the Leverets, Martello Towers, seal colonies and more as we make our way to South Sound (An Súnda ó Theas), also known as Bealach na Finnise, between Inisheer/ Inis Oírr and County Clare.
The Wild Atlantic Way marks 2,600km of spectacular coastline along Ireland’s west coast, from the most northerly point at Malin Head in County Donegal, to the most southerly tip at Mizen Head in County Cork.
Galway City, the City of Tribes, is nestled midway along the coast – the beating heart of the Wild Atlantic Way! Cruising Galway Bay, onboard The Galway Girl, passengers will see the Aran Islands in the distance and will be treated to the ever-changing colours of the Burren and the majesty of the County Clare coastline rising out of the Atlantic.
No fewer than 3 of the 15 designated ‘Signature Experiences’ along the Wild Atlantic Way are located in County Galway and include trekking across the sands on a Connemara pony, listening to the echoes of history at Derrigimlagh Bog, and exploring Inis Oirr by pony and trap.