Nightlife

Clubs -- Nightclubs in Galway tend to be wastelands until 11pm, and then packed up until 2am when most close. There are plenty of options if you've got dancing on your mind, including Halo, 36 Abbeygate St. Upper (tel. 091/565976; www.halonightclub.com), which attracts an over-20s crowd with its laid-back vibe; Cuba, Eyre Square (tel. 091/565991; www.cuba.ie), for seriously cool Latin jazz funk Saturday nights; and the GPO, Eglinton Street (tel. 091/563073; www.gpo.ie). In nearby Salthill, new dance clubs with hot guest DJs are popping up all the time. One reliably good option is Liquid (tel. 091/527155).

Fridays and Saturdays are gay nights at the Attic @ Liquid, Liquid, Salthill (tel. 091/527155).

At Galway nightclubs, you'll usually pay cover charges in a range of about €5 to €20, which doesn't include drinks.

Medieval Banquet -- A half-hour drive from Galway, Dunguaire is a splendid 16th-century castle where, in the summer, you can attend a medieval banquet with a show featuring works by Irish writers like Synge, Yeats, and Gogarty. Banquets cost €51 adults, €38 children 11 and under. Reservations can be made at tel. 061/361511 (www.shannonheritage.com). Dunguaire is in south County Galway on the Ballyvaughan road (N67), near Kinvara, approximately 26km (16 miles) from Galway. The castle is open to visitors daily from 9:30am to 5pm, after which there are two banquet seatings -- one at 5:30pm and one at 8:45pm. Banquets are held every night from May to September.

Theaters -- The creative theater group, Druid Theatre, performs in two venues in Galway -- in a recently refurbished, former grain warehouse at Chapel Lane (tel. 091/568617; www.druidtheatre.com), and at the Town Hall Theatre (tel. 091/569777; www.tht.ie). Performances are unique and original, focusing on Irish folk dramas and Anglo-Irish classics. This is widely viewed as one of Ireland's best theaters, and so its shows are frequently either sold out or on tour; book well in advance. Tickets run €15 to about €40. The Town Hall Theatre also hosts an eclectic program of concerts and film screenings.