Bohemian, bilingual and ocean-salted, Galway dazzles with rainbow shopfronts, buskers' ballads and Atlantic sunsets that set the harbour masts glowing gold. Once ruled by fourteen merchant ‘‘Tribes,’’ its labyrinth of medieval lanes now hosts artisanal silversmiths, eco bookshops and cafés where turf fires scent the air. Festivals punctuate the year: February's Trad on the Prom reels, July's International Arts Festival spills avant-garde theatre into Eyre Square, and October sees oyster shells clink in briny toasts. Locals ‘‘kick the wall’’ on Salthill Prom for luck, plunge from Blackrock Tower into foamy surf, then warm up with smoky sea-salt chowder. Evenings ignite the Latin Quarter—bodhráns duel with flamenco guitars, al-fresco tapas courts fragrant Asian street food and pint-sipping crowds overflow beneath Spanish Arch. Beyond the city lies Connemara's granite grandeur, ferry links to the Irish-speaking Aran Islands and crystal loughs where wild brown trout rise at dusk. Galway is equal parts tradition and invention; it greets the visitor with a wink, a yarn and the promise of craic that can stretch gloriously towards dawn.