Galway Hooker Irish Pub

When we visited Galway Hooker on a recent evening, the manager we spoke with asked us, “Would you like to see a hooker?” No, it's not what you think: he took us over to a painting of a fishing boat in Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland known as a hooker, from which this pub takes its name. However, this is actually more of a sports bar than an Irish pub, and we were kind of blown away by the 48 true high-definition TVs that were all tuned into ESPN when we entered. The upscale bar food here is tasty as well. Galway has some dedicated international soccer fans who are regulars, so the pub sometimes opens up early in the morning for live games (like during The World Cup), and also has an impressive collection of framed soccer jerseys attached to the ceiling above the bar room. American Football is also big here; Galway has hand-painted logos of every NFL team up on the walls.