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 Photos: David Paul Appell

For many in the United States in particular – and not just those of Irish ancestry – visiting the Emerald Isle is a prime bucket lister. Yet in my nearly 40 years and 65 countries´ worth of travel as an adult, I had never gotten there. I was always interested in “different” – meaning mostly non-English-speaking – cultures, and Ireland had always struck me as somehow bland and uninteresting. That changed this year, as I determined to finally get a taste of the country I

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Ireland's fourth largest city (pop. 80,000), located roughly midway along the country's Atlantic coast - and a nearly straight shot of a bit over two hours west of Dublin - boasts a history stretching back nearly a thousand years. But today it's best known for its lively, often boho social, cultural, and music scene (turbo-charged by its youthful university population, a good 20 percent of all Galwegians, as locals are known), as well as its many festivals and events - some 1