Galway Tour and Walk by the Wild Atlantic

Monday October 7 turned out to be mainly sunny, but very windy.  High of about 16C.  It had rained during the night, but stopped by early morning.  We had a 10 minute walk to the Skeffington Arms Hotel on Eyre Square, the meeting place for the Tribes Free Tour of Galway.

Ailis, our guide 

Our first stop was Eyre Square just in front of the pub.  The plot of land that became Eyre Square was officially presented to the city in 1710 by Mayor Edward Eyre, from whom it took its name.  In 1965, the square was officially renamed "John F. Kennedy Memorial Park" after Kennedy made a speech in the square on June 29, 1963 to an adoring crowd.  However, it is still known locally as Eyre Square.  Ailis, our guide, who was a born storyteller, told us that older Irish people often have three pictures in their homes- Pope John Paul II, their favourite Pope; a particular picture of Jesus Christ; and John F. Kennedy!!

Ailis gave us a summary of Irish history with a focus on the many foreign invaders of Ireland and the reactions of the Irish.  There was also an emphasis on Galway.  She started with the Celts who settled in Ireland beginning in the 8th century BC.  The last of the Celts, known as the Gaels came ashore in the 3rd century BC.   The next group of foreigners were the Christians who arrived between the 3rd and 5th centuries.  St. Patrick (389-461 AD), who actually came from what is now Wales, is Ireland's patron saint.  The next group were the Vikings who arrived in 795 AD and began plundering the prosperous monasteries.  Eventually, the Vikings began to intermarry with the Celtic tribes, introducing red hair and freckles to the Irish gene pool.

The 800 years of English rule in Ireland nominally began with the Norman invasion of 1169, which was really more of an invitation from locals.  The Anglo-Normans built castles and cities but were largely loyal to themselves and established power bases independent of the English Crown (1350-1530). 

Ailis told us about the 14 tribes of Galway, the fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of Galway between the mid-13th and late 17th centuries.  Of the 14, twelve were of Anglo-Norman origin and two were Normanised Irish Gaels.   Ailis noted that many of the early invaders, including the Anglo-Normans were generally accepted and integrated into Irish society.

However, the invasion of Oliver Cromwell in 1649, was brutal.  Cromwell famously said that the Irish could "go to hell (i.e. be killed) or to Connaught".  Cromwell captured Galway after a nine-month siege.  Cromwell confiscated the best lands in Ireland and many families had to move to the less arable land of the west coast of Ireland.  Ailis said that it was at this time that the potato was introduced and it became the main crop in the Galway area, as it could grow almost anywhere, including among the rocks.  Cromwell also called Galway derogatorily "a city of Tribes", which is now a symbol of pride.

Ailis then described the devastating effect of the Great Hunger (1847-1851) in Galway.  Galway didn't really recover until the period of strong economic growth of the late 20th century.

Flags of the 14 Tribes fly in Eyre Square

More of the flags

Eyre Square also contains the Browne doorway, which was the original doorway of the Browne family's home on Lower Abbeygate Street (in the city centre),  In 1905, the doorway was relocated to Eyre Square.  Recently, it had to be encased in plexiglass due to neglect.  The Brownes were one of the 14 tribes.

Browne doorway dating back to 1627

Ailis also pointed out the sculpture at end of the square that depicts a typical Galway boat known as a Galway Hooker (reference to the hook and line method of fishing).

Ailis in front of the Galway Hooker

As we walked through the city, we passed a number of signs for Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture.  European Capitals of Culture are cities designated by the EU for a period of one calendar year during which the chosen city or cities organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension.  The designation usually raises the city's visibility and profile on an international scale.  In 1985, Melina Mercouri, Greece's minister of culture and her French counterpart Jack Lang came up with the idea of an annual Capital of Culture to bring Europeans closer together.  More than 40 cities have been designated so far.  There can be more than one capital designated per year.  We visited Valletta, Malta when it was one of the Capitals of Culture in 2018.

Ailis then took us into a shopping centre where a tower and part of the old town wall was discovered by archaeological excavation in 1987 and 1989.  The tower had a number of names, and dates back to 1583.  It was called Penrice's Tower in the1651 pictorial map of Galway.

We then stopped at Lynch's castle, which is now an AIB Bank.  The Lynches were one of the 14 tribes. The castle was built around the 15th century.  The facade's stonework includes gargoyles (used to deflect rainwater), and the coat of arms of Henry VII.  The Lynches were the most powerful of the 14 ruling tribes.   Ailis told us one of Galway's most enduring medieval legends.  It was the story of Mayor James Lynch who allegedly hung his son Walter for the murder of a young Spanish man who was visiting Galway.  Apparently, there had been a fight over a woman.

We then visited St. Nicholas Collegiate Church which is the largest medieval parish church in continuous use in Ireland today.  It dates from 1320 and was extended by the "Tribe" families.

St. Nicholas

Timeline in the Church

Old Pictoral map of Galway in the Church

Celtic Cross

We then headed towards the Spanish Arch.  En route, we passed by Blake's castle, the home of one of the 14 Tribe families.  The Blakes were part of the earliest Anglo-Norman invaders who came to Ireland in 1169.  Ailis said it was also the home of the girl over whom Mayor Lynch's son and the Spanish visitor fought.   It now houses a coffee shop.  

Blake's Castle

We then walked down to the Spanish Arch, which dates back to pre-medieval times.  It was built in 1584 but is an extension of the 12th century Norman-built wall.  The name is a reference to the former merchant trade with Spain and Spanish galleons which often docked there.  In fact, Christopher Columbus visited Galway in 1477.  In 1755, the Spanish Arch was partially destroyed by  a Tsunami. Until 2006, the Arch housed the Galway City Museum which has now moved to a new location just behind the Arch.

The Spanish Arch (construction nearby)

View of the side of the Arch

Ard Bia- the restaurant where we had dinner on Sunday- just beside the Spanish Arch

The walking tour only lasted 90 minutes, as there are fewer major historic sites to see in Galway. However, Ailis was a wonderful storyteller and gave us some more insight into general Irish history and the specific history of Galway.

We wandered a bit through town before having a late lunch.

Lots of signs for Guinness and other beers

We noticed that a number of establishments near the water - both the River Corrib and Galway Bay- had sandbags.  We learned that they had been put in place for the recent storm Lorenzo.  Luckily, the storm missed Galway.

Sandbags in front of a house near Galway Bay

We passed by a wonderful statue of Oscar Wilde and Estonian write Eduard Wilde.  It was a gift from Estonia to Ireland on the occasion of Estonia's accession to the European Union in May 2004.  There were two quotes in separate plaques, from each author.  Eduard Wilde said "Art is, and must be, universal-no national walls should be allowed to partition or divide it" and Oscar Wilde said "It is only by contact with the art of foreign nations that the art of a country gains that individual and separate life that we call nationality."

Irish writer Oscar Wilde and Estonian writer Eduard Wilde

 

We then wandered down a small alley and came across the Hall of the Red Earl, which contained the remains of a 13th century Hall which acted as a medieval equivalent of a tax office, court house and town hall.  It was lost until 1997 when expansion of the city's Custom House uncovered its foundations, along with over 11,000 artefacts including clay pipes and gold cuff links.

Archaelogical remains of the oldest building to be excavated within Galway's medieval walls.

We had lunch at Tartare, where we had briefly stopped on Sunday.  We shared a corned beef sandwich  with greens on wonderful homemade sourdough bread.  

As the weather was clear and no rain forecast, we decided to walk along the coast to the neighbouring village of Salthill, about a 30-45 minute walk.  Salthill is a seaside resort with a series of small rocky or sandy stretches of beach.  There is a Promenade along the Bay.

View back of the Spanish Arch, Museum, and the restaurant we had dinner at our first night

It was windy by the water-- behind us a row of houses in Galway

We passed a memorial to eight fishermen from the nearby village of Claddagh that lost their lives in1902, while sailing on Galway Bay.  Seven drowned and one swam to shore but died of exhaustion on the beach.

In memory of the Claddagh men who tragically lost their lives on Galway Bay on May 4, 1902

An old boat tied to the dock

We took a longer route to walk right beside the water.  It was very windy but beautiful.

Rocky shores and windy grasses

Walk on the wild side- Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean

We passed the Celia Griffin Children's Park, which was dedicated to Celia Griffin, who died of starvation at age six on March 11, 1847 and to all the children who lost their lives in the Great Famine.

Details of the "Starvation Inquest" held on March 13, 1847 into the death of Celia Griffin.  It noted that her family of eight were in extreme poverty.  Celia died a horrible death by starvation,
a fate that over 1 million Irish suffered during the Great Hunger.

Plaque regarding the Great Famine Ship Memorial

Famine Ship Memorial

The houses we passed on the way to Salthill were very large with incredible views of the water.

Very nice homes en route 

We walked along the Promenade at Salthill and then took a shorter route back to town and crossed the River Corrib which was clearly at high tide.  We don't think we have seen a faster moving river anywhere in our travels.  It is not a long river- about 6 kilometres from its source to Galway Bay, and apparently very popular with whitewater kayakers.

River Corrib

There are a number of poems engraved in buildings in the city.  "Galway" by Mary Devenport O'Neill was very apt given our walk by the sea and the wind.

We went back to our Airbnb to rest and then headed out to the West Side for dinner at Hooked.  The place was busy and we had a 30 minute wait for a seat.  We went to Bierhaus for a 1/2 pints of a local Irish beer.  The jeweller we met on Sunday had recommended Bierhaus as a cozy pub with a great craft beer section.

Bar part of Bierhaus

We returned to Hooked at about 8:30 p.m. for dinner.  The place was buzzy and the fish was excellent.  Ailín and I shared 1/2 dozen of the famous Galway oysters.  We had just missed the annual  Galway Oyster festival by a few days.  They were wonderful.  I had grilled fish of the day (hake in this case) and chips and Ailín had monkfish breaded in panko and other spices and chips.  We shared a bit of both types of fish.  Excellent meal.

Galway Oysters

The restaurant 

Fish and chips-- we had already started eating and then I remembered to take a photo

We were very fortunate to have a sunny, though very windy, day in Galway.  It was wonderful walking by the wild Galway Bay that leads to the Atlantic Ocean.  Galway is truly a magical place- a buzzy small city with the ocean and countryside nearby.