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My husband and I are older parents of a teen girl with autism. We love to travel as a family, creating trips that are that are both manageable and fun for our daughter G. As of this writing, we’ve made it to 23 US states, 7 European countries, over a dozen US National Parks, a few places in Canada, Puerto Rico, and Morocco. G eagerly rises to every challenge and is always ready next Great Adventure!
Ireland is one of the most autism-friendly countries in the world, and had been on my travel short list for a long time. When I opened an email offering a great deal on round trip tickets to Dublin during spring vacation week, I immediately chose Ireland for our next big trip. We decided to split our time between Dublin and Galway to get a good mix of big city and traditional Irish cultural experiences.
Galway is the cultural capital of Ireland, celebrated as the country's most "Irish" city. With lots of charm and relatively few sensory triggers, it’s a great travel choice for a child with autism.
An Afternoon in Galway
Galway is a vibrant city with real sense of place — cobblestone streets, signs printed in both Gaelic and English, shops selling Claddagh rings and Irish knit sweaters, pubs, restaurants, and since it’s a university town, lots of young people with seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm. After arriving in Eyre Square by train from Dublin, we had our afternoon free to explore the nooks and crannies of this lovely city.
We started our afternoon at the in Hardiman Hotel in Eyre Square for Afternoon Tea. G absolutely loves fancy things and princessy things, so this was right up her alley. I had made a detailed reservation a few days in advance, so when we arrived, our table was already set up perfectly for 3 people. G took charge of serving, making sure that each of us received exactly one piece of each sandwich or pastry at a time, and did an excellent job of sticking to her indoor voice. She was very proud of herself for having such good manners!
After Tea, we made our way to the Spanish Arch, built in 1584 to protect the city from marauders. We sat overlooking the Corrib River, looking down to Galway Bay and across to Claddagh village, and laughed at the kayakers fighting powerful currents.
We explored the Latin Quarter, wandering down cobblestone streets, visiting a few shops and admiring the colorful pennants strung between ancient buildings.
We crossed the river at the Salmon Weir, and checked out the Cathedral. If you stop there, look for the Holy Family stained glass window where Mary is knitting an Aran Sweater while Jesus is handing Joseph a cup of tea!
Sensory: Most of the downtown area is pedestrian only, so no problems with traffic noise. Some of the Latin Quarter streets are extremely narrow. That area could become overwhelming if it gets too crowded.
Spotlight on The Cliffs of Moher
The Wild Atlantic Way runs along the entire west coast of Ireland, featuring sheer cliffs, rolling hills, sandy beaches and charming sea side towns. The Cliffs of Moher stretch almost nine miles, soaring to over 700 feet above sea level, offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, miles of coastline, and on a clear day, the Aran Islands. The Cliffs are the most recognized natural landscape in Ireland, with over one million visitors each year.
The Doolin Ferry company runs a one hour cruise along the bottom of the cliffs, showcasing dramatic views that you just can’t get from land. Harry Potter fans will especially enjoy riding past the sea cave featured in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We took our cruise on a sunny day with no wind, and it was phenomenal. On a less ideal weather day, sea sickness and/or anxiety could be an issue here.
At the top, the Cliffs of Moher are extremely accessible, with a large viewing area, additional hiking paths, and a large Visitor Center with two cafes, a 4D movie theater, a nature exhibit, and an enormous gift shop. The all of the front line staff at the Visitor Center have autism training, and are ready to help.
Getting to the main viewing area is a bit of a climb up a combination of stairs and sloped path. Once you arrive at the top, the viewing area itself is wide, flat and smooth, and is surrounded by a stone wall ranging 3-5 feet tall. If you don’t want to get too close to the edge, there are great views as much as 50 feet back from the wall.
If someone in your group has mobility problems or is sensitive to heights, the Lifts of Moher service is there to help. The electric golf carts will quickly bring you to the viewing platform, and when you’re ready to leave, bring you back down just as quickly.
The official paved walking trails have about a 2 mile loop, featuring packed surfaces, protective stone walls, and fenced-off viewing platforms. They’re extremely safe. There are also unofficial trails, usually marked with caution signs, that are not paved and which may not have safety barriers. Use your eyes and your common sense, and your family will have a great time at the Cliffs of Moher!
Sensory Friendly Day Trips from Galway
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Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands, is home to fewer than than 300 year round residents.
The Aran Islands
Located near the mouth of Galway Bay, and inhabited by about 1200 Gaelic speaking natives, the three Aran Islands show a fascinating side of traditional Irish life. Known for their rugged landscapes, thatched cottages and ancient stone forts, a visit to the Aran Islands is one of the most popular day trip options from Galway.
If you have a full day available, ferry tours to the Islands leave right from downtown Galway. We had two days available with three places we wanted to see. Luckily, we found this tour to Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher that combined two great destinations in one long day.
Our bus took us out of Galway and through the Burren, a moon like rocky landscape and a geologist’s dream, and brought us to the quaint little town of Doolin with its colorful thatched cottages. From Doolin, we took a short ferry ride to Inisheer, the smallest and closest of the Aran Islands.
Upon arrival, we arranged for an pony and trap tour of the island with a local driver. Our driver took us all around the island and gave us a very detailed picture of daily life on a remote, sparsely populated island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The steady rhythm of the pony hoofbeats was very soothing and contrasted well with the distant sound of waves on the shore. Sunny weather was like icing on the cake of a perfect mid-day.
After leaving Inisheer, our tour continued with a cruise along the base of the Cliffs of Moher, bus transportation to the top of the Cliffs, and return to Galway. See above, Spotlight on the Cliffs of Moher.
Sensory: Fortunately, this eleven hour tour worked out well for our family. If the weather hadn’t cooperated, the ferry ride might have been a little rough, but we had a perfect crossing on smooth seas. The island itself was peaceful and rural. I was worried that the length of the bis ride would be a problem, but that also worked out. The bus had USB chargers and wifi, so G stayed busy with her iPhone. The lunch stop is late, around 3 PM. The driver warned us about this, so we made sure to eat a good snack in Inisheer. Definitely bring some food and drinks for the road.
Connemara and Kylemore Abbey
The Connemara region of Ireland is known for rugged mountains, vast areas of bog land, pristine lakes and abundant wildlife. We signed up for another bus tour to Connemara and Kylemore Abbey.
We were very excited to find this Connemara tour. Throughout the day, we were treated to great views of mountains, lakes, the Killary fjord, charming thatch cottages, and walled farms full of black and white sheep with their lambs. Our driver had interesting anecdotes to share about the villages we passed through and told us a lot about what is being done to preserve Gaelic culture in West Ireland.
Kylemore Abbey is the high point of the tour. It was built in 1868 as a private castle and was later sold in 1920 to a group of Benedictine nuns. Nestled on the shores of a pristine mountain lake, and surrounded by beautiful gardens, the castle is wonderfully sensory-friendly. Don’t leave without visiting the gift shop where you can buy chocolates, jam, soap, and other handmade merchandise created by the small community of nuns who remain at Kylemore today.
The 1952 classic movie, The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, was filmed in the village of Cong, the final stop on our tour. We love the movie and especially appreciated the chance to visit Cohan’s Pub in Cong!
Sensory note: We had time to walk through the ruins of an old castle at the edge of Cong village. This area abuts Ashford Castle, a 5 star hotel that offers falconry and gun classes. While in this area, the sound of some gunshots in the distance was a bit disturbing to G.
Have you been to Galway?
Every family like ours notices different things that matter to our children’s very specific sensory needs. Please leave a comment if you have any information that might be helpful to members of our community.
