They say you never forget your first time....

Your birth, your first day at school, your graduation, your marriage, your first Jimbo Tours, your death. These are the major milestones in a man's lifetime. 

How it's taken 15 years for me to embark on a Jimbo Tours is anyone's guess. Has it got something to do with a lack of invites? We don't know. 

Driving up from Cork to Galway my sat nav decided to play a trick on me and I ended up interrupting a funeral procession for a Cork GAA legend. Was it the sat navs fault, or is it coz I missed the exit off the roundabout? We don't know. 
This, coupled with a series of concerning engine warning lights that appeared on the dashboard display in the car, meant that the journey to my first JT had been an eventful one. I mean, as if I wasn't anxious enough already. 

The car made it to Galway and I hooked up with my JT companions. And what a fine bunch of gentlemen to guide my through my first tour. Jimbo, Shauny, Patch and Steve. The Expendables. 

We set off almost immediately for a walking tour and to visit the famous cathedral. Passing the first pub, Jimbo flips a coin. Heads, we nip in for a pint. Tails, we go to the cathedral. You can imagine my disappointment when the coin toss resulted in a Heads, but in went for a pint, begrudgingly. Did Jimbo rig the coin toss? We don't know. 

It was over this 1st pint that 2 things happened which set the tone for the weekend. Jimbo delivered facts about Galway, including why the city is known as the tribal county. I can't quite remember it, but you should ask Shauny G, coz he was definitely listening. 
The second thing that happened was a bombshell, that nobody saw coming. Patch declared, outrageously, that the Arctic Monkeys and Blur are better that Oasis. It took every fibre of self control and discipline in my body to stop myself from smashing him in the face right there and then. 
Still reeling from this, and after googling local mental asylums to drop Patch off in, we moved on. What followed was the mother of all pub crawls. 
Jimbo had done his extensive research. Or was it that he just picked random pubs as he saw them? We don't know. 

We watched the Champions League final (City beat Inter 1-0, I think....) Jimbo had been missing for about half hour, and just when we were about to phone the guards he returns, bag in hand. My first JT happened to coincide with my birthday, so the contents of Jimbos mystery bag was a Galway jersey from the 4 boys, an absolute treeeeeeeat which I bloody love. 
More pubs were visited and the night was rounded off with the worst kebab of all time. 
Jim, Shaun, Patch and Steve headed off to Westport the next morning. Although it's a good job Patch wasn't driving as they would have headed South and ended up in Cork with me. 
Those pesky engine lights were on in my car the whole drive back, but the motor made it back to Cork in one piece....unlike my body. 

We never did make it to the cathedral. Does Galway even have a cathedral? We don't know. 

Although I was in the tribal city for a mere 24 hours, we packed a hell of a lot in. I can see why Jimbo Tours has been such a resounding success over the last 15 years. I will be back...if invited. 

As for the specific details of our time in this Oasis in the west of Ireland, well, its all a bit of a Blur. 

Thank you to my 4 travelling companions, I love you all. 

A Kiely, signing off.....for now...