Page 76 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

t was a bit blustery and rainy, but that didn’t bother
us nor the hundreds of happy campers sitting in
Icovered pub patios drinking Guinness and enjoying
the music coming from bands inside and street mu-
sicians outside. They were like proverbial postmen:
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these fun lovers from the swift completion of
their appointed rounds.”
Our favorite shop by far in Galway was the Ó’Máille
Store at 16 High St., in the heart of Galway city’s
pedestrian district. The 75-year-old icon sells high-
end knitwear including classic Aran Sweaters, tweed
jackets, and caps as well as the latest fashion from
new Irish designers.
But the biggest claim to fame for the family busi-
ness came in 1951 when John Wayne and Maureen
O’Hara strolled into the shop for fittings for their
costumes in the hit movie “The Quiet Man.” The staff
traveled to nearby Ashford Castle to complete outfit-
ting the stars. We would soon be visiting Ashford
Castle and the location where “The Quiet Man” was
most filmed. Mary cared less about the movie but did
buy a beautiful designer hand-knit angora/cashmere
shawl from another Mary, the knowledgeable shop
manager and one of its founders.

It’s fun to shop, drink and eat in Gal-
way. Here Mary shops for a new scarf
in the same store that John Wayne
and Maureen O’Hara had a fitting for
the movie “The Quiet Man.”

76 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018