From Shannon to Shop Street: Aisling’s First steps in Galway
When I write my books, I have a very specific Galway in my head. It’s a beautiful, compact city with a lively pedestrian center, where music spills out of pubs and you’re never far from the water. To me, Galway is magical, which is why Aisling’s story fits there so well.
My husband and I were fortunate to live in a residential area close to downtown for two years, and during that time I walked all over the city. Those walks—through wind, drizzle, and the joyful bursts of sunshine—worked their way into my imagination. When I sat down to write my first novel, The Dreammasters, Galway was already there on the page, waiting.
I thought it might be fun to share a few of the real places that inspired the story. Let’s start at the beginning of Aisling’s journey.
Arriving in Galway
In The Dreammasters, Aisling arrives at Shannon Airport in October and takes the bus into Galway, about an hour away. I made that same trip many times myself. It was always simpler to hop on the bus than to arrange a pickup, and the route drops you right at the Galway Coach Station in the city center.
That’s where Aisling’s story in Ireland truly begins—at the coach station, a little jet-lagged, a little overwhelmed, and trying to cross a busy street when she’s not entirely sure which way to look for traffic.
It’s also where she first meets Fergus.
In the book, Fergus saves her from stumbling into the street and an oncoming car. It’s a brief, slightly chaotic moment, but it changes everything. Because, well…Fergus. You’ll understand when you’ve read the book. From there, once she makes it safely across, she heads past Eyre Square and into the pedestrian area of downtown Galway.
Writing in Cafés (and Taking a Little Literary License)
When we lived in Galway, I loved heading to a coffee shop for a spot of writing. Sometimes I’d work in Salthill, by the seaside. Other days, I’d find a spot right in the middle of things.
One of my favorite spots, right downtown, was Little Lane Coffee Company on Abbeygate Street Upper. In my mind, that little corner of the city became Violet’s Café.
In the book, I nudge the geography a bit and imagine Violet’s sitting where Lynch’s Castle is on Shop Street. In real life, Lynch’s Castle is a bank; if you step inside the entryway, you’ll find information about the history of the building and its medieval past. On the page, I added a downstairs level to Violet’s, a place Aisling can duck into more than once when she needs a refuge. I also compress the surrounding buildings a bit.
Galway purists will know that the map doesn’t quite match reality, but that’s part of the fun and magic of fiction: rearranging the city you love to work with the story you’re writing.
Lynch’s Castle
Milligan’s
Across the street from Lynch’s Castle there’s a phone store in real life. In Aisling’s world, that’s where I placed Milligan’s.
Milligan’s is loosely inspired by Anthony Ryan’s, a clothing store a little farther along Shop Street. I borrowed some of that feeling of a long-standing, family-run shop and gave it my own twist.
Aisling’s first encounter with Torin and Mel Milligan happens right in front of the store, in the heart of the pedestrian area. Earlier in the book, Tommy visits Milligan’s to confront Geraldine Fitzgerald, who works there as the head of human resources.
Geraldine is a forceful character, and so much more than just the head of HR. Geraldine is layered, to say the least. She’s one of the story’s point-of-view characters, and her relationship to Aisling is complicated—both in the family sense and in the story sense. For now, I’ll simply say that she’s connected to Granny and leave the rest for readers to discover on the page.
Most of the early action in The Dreammasters is concentrated on Shop Street and the surrounding lanes, and I wanted that energy—the buskers, the shoppers, the tourists, the locals—all braided together.
Downtown Galway: The King’s Head pub, Anthony Ryan’s, and Shop Street
From Buskers to Granny’s House
After Aisling’s first, chaotic meeting with Fergus at the coach station, their paths cross again later near The King’s Head pub on High Street, where he’s busking. Music is such a constant presence in Galway that it felt natural to root one of the book’s key characters right there, guitar case open, songs spilling into the street.
From there, Aisling continues down High Street to Quay Street, crosses the River Corrib, and makes her way toward Granny’s house.
The River Corrib
That house—and the secrets waiting there—deserve their own spotlight, so I’ll save them for the next blog!
Is there a city that feels a little bit magical to you? Leave a comment and tell me about it—I love hearing about the places that live in other people’s imaginations.
Until next time,
Kelley
