Introduction to Galway
County Galway is known as the 'stone wall County', due to the predominant use of stone walls as boundary markers throughout the county. This use of stone is probably due to the abundance of limestone to be found within the region. The county is one of Ireland's beautiful costal counties with a rich history and a great sporting and cultural heritage.
A Brief History of Galway
Galway received a municipal charter from the crown in December 1484. This ensured the town's independence from the Clanrickard Burkes. At the same time, the creation of the wardenship of Galway gave the townsmen control of the large parish church, St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church.
Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours. A notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Oge Martyn fitz William, stated "From the Ferocious O'Flahertys may God protect us". A bye-law forbade the native Irish (as opposed to Galway's Old English citizens) unrestricted access into Galway, saying "neither O' nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway" without permission.
During the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen1 merchant families (12 of Anglo-Norman origin and 2 of Irish origin), the 'Tribes of Galway. The city thrived on international trade. In the Middle Ages, it was the principal Irish port for trade with Spain and France. There is a legend of uncertain truth which claims that Christopher Columbus, on a trip to Iceland or the Faroe Isles, found signs of land beyond the Atlantic Ocean in or near Galway in 1477.
The population of medieval Galway is thought to have been about 3000. After the Irish Rebellion of 1641, Galway was in a delicate position, caught, in effect between the Catholic rebels (Confederates) and an English garrison ensconced in a fort just outside the city. Eventually, Galway citizens, who were predominantly Catholic, went against their garrison and supported the confederate side in 1642. The fort was besieged with the aid of Confederate troops until it surrendered and its garrison was evacuated by sea. During the 1640s, Galway was heavily fortified against an expected counter-attack by English forces, which eventually materialised when English Parliamentarian forces re-conquered Ireland in 1649-52. Galway surrendered to Cromwellian forces in 1652 after a nine-month siege; plague and expulsions of Catholic citizens followed. After the demise of the English Commonwealth and the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Catholics recovered lost ground and the economy of Galway recovered somewhat. In the next crisis, centred around the deposition of the Catholic King James II, in 1689, Galway supported the Jacobite side. It surrendered without a siege under the articles of Galway of 1691 after the annihilation of the main Jacobite army at the nearby battle of Aughrim. Thereafter, the city become an economic backwater, and the capital of its old great families were spent overseas. The Acts of Settlement and of Explanation caused major upheavals, as peoples from east of the Shannon were transplanted to Connaught and slipped back. It took about 300 years for the city to regain its former status.
After the 17th century wars, Galway, as a Catholic port city, was treated with great suspicion by the authorities. Legislation of 1704 (the Popery Act) stated that no new Catholics apart from sea-men and day labourers could move there. On top of that, when fears arose of a French invasion of Ireland in 1708 and 1715 (during a Jacobite Rising in Scotland), all Catholics were ordered to leave the city. The corporation, which ran Galway was also confined to Protestants. This is all the more surprising given that a 1762 census showed thatof the town's 15,000 or so inhabitants, only 350 were Protestants. The persecution of Galway's old Catholic merchant elite meant that trade declined substantially, and the once busy harbour fell into disrepair. Local traders compensated to some degree for this by smuggling in goods like brandy through gaps in the town walls.
Galway's economy recovered somewhat from the late 18th as the Penal Laws were relaxed. However the city's rural hinterland suffered terribly in the Great Irish Famine on the 1840s. Unlike other urban centres in 19th century Ireland, which experienced an explosion in their populations, Galway's population actually declined such was the devastation wrought by the famine.
The second half of the century saw some improvement in Galway's position however, as the railway lines reached the city in 1850. Another important development was the creation of a university in Galway in 1845, then named "Queens University of Ireland".
Galway city played a relatively minor role in the upheaval in Ireland from 1916-1923. In 1916, during the Easter Rising, Liam Mellows mobilised the local Irish Volunteers in the area to attack the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at Oranmore, just outside Galway, however they failed to take it and later surendered in Athenry. During the Irish War of Independence 1919-21, Galway was the western headquarters for the British Army. Their overhwelming force in the city meant that the local Irish Republican Army could do little against them. The only initiatives were taken by the University battalion of the IRA, who were reprimanded by the local IRA commander who was afraid they would provoke reprisals. This fear was not without justification, as the nearby town of Tuam was sacked on two occasions by the Black and Tans in July and September 1920. In November 1920, a Galway city Catholic priest, Fr. Michael Griffin was abducted and shot by the British forces. His body was found in a bog in Barna. Galway businessmen launched a boycott against Northern Irish goods from December 1919 onwards in protest against the loyalist attacks on Catholic nationalists in Belfast, a protest that later spread throughout the country.
In the Irish Civil War 1922-23, Galway again saw little fighting, as the city and its military barracks were occupied by troops of the Irish Free State's National Army.
Areas of Interest in Galway
Kilcolgan Castle
Kilcolgan Castle is located on the banks of the Kilcolgan river overlooking Galway Bay, just 11 miles (approx. 17 km) from Galway City. Imagine waking in the morning to view the many swans outside the window of the tower.
Loughrea Cathedral
St. Brendan's Catholic Cathedral in Loughrea is arguably one of the country's greatest contributions to European art of the twentieth century. It is an absolute must for anyone interested in modern Irish stained glass. The building was designed by William Byrne in 1897, and completed five years later. Its only unusual architectural features are its double transepts. But it is the decoration of the church interior that makes a visit such an enriching and spiritual experience.
To explain its significance, one must realise that it was the result of a uniquely successful cooperation between an enlightened clergy who were prepared to reject tradition in favour of experimentation, and a vigorous and visionary layman who wanted to have Irish churches decorated by Irish artists and craftspeople, instead of being filled by outmoded foreign furnishings. That layman was Edward Martyn, who was born in Loughrea Parish. He was as passionate about setting up the Palestrina Choir and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, as he was in assuring the creation of a new school of stained glass in Ireland, which in turn, was to lead to the opening of An Túr Gloine. It became one of the most influential stained-glass studios in the Ireland of the first half of the twentieth century. Trained teachers in this field were lacking in Ireland, so Martyn got English experts such as Whall and Childe to come and instruct budding Irish artists. It was these Englishmen who supplied some of the earliest windows, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement in England. But the earliest window of all was by Sarah Purser, foundress of An Túr Gloine, and it was this studio which was to provide most of the windows over a period of fifty years, including Michael Healy's marvellous Ascension and Last Judgment of 1936-40 in the West Transept.
But Loughrea has a treasury of other crafts as well. The John Hughes statue of the Virgin and Child on a side altar is a symphony of controlled movement. One has to go back seven hundred years to find parallels for the remarkable series of historiated capitals by Michael Shortall telling of the adventures of St. Brendan, and of events in the history of the diocese of which he is patron. (Two of the capitals left uncarved by Shortall were completed by Tom Glendon in 2003, to mark the centenary of the cathedral.) Shortall was also responsible for the attractive bronze angels in the altar rails. Their marble accompaniments display Celtic motifs which remind us of the revival of ancient Irish patterns that were all the rage at the time. Metalwork designed by William Scott, and admired by the poet T.S. Eliot, is also in evidence.
Kylemore Abbey and Gardens
Kylemore Abbey, built in 1868, is one of the great baronial-style Castles remaining in Ireland and it's six acre Victorian walled garden, created by Mitchel Henry in tandem with the building of Kylemore Castle (now Kylemore Abbey) is one of Ireland's finest gardens.
In 1920, the Castle was turned into an Abbey when it was purchased by the Irish Benedictine nuns. Visitors to the three reception rooms in the Abbey are touched by its history, steeped in romance and tragedy.
The Community of Nuns re-opened their International Boarding School here, and also established a day school for local girls. Visitors are also welcome to visit the recently-restored neo-Gothic Church (circa 1871), Mausoleum, Restaurant and Craft Shop. Our complimentary shuttle bus will take visitors to the restored Victorian Walled Garden.
With two distinct areas: the Kitchen Garden and the Flower Garden, the garden is completely enclosed by a brick and limestone wall, and won the prestigious Europa Nostra Award for Gardens in 2000. Two of the 21 original glasshouses have been restored. The restored Head Gardener's House and Workmen's Bothy are also open to visitors. The garden visit is a must for both garden enthusiasts and non gardeners alike.
Roundstone
This village has become famous through the work of many well known painters attracted by it's picturesque harbour and wonderful outlook across a deep inlet of the Atlantic to the everchanging peaks of the Twelve Bens. Its founder, Alexander Nimmo, choosehis site well when he wrapped the layout of the village about the harbour basin and the fine stone piers he built there for the Fishery Board in 1822. Each Summer Roundstone celebrates its maritime history by hosting a regatta for the old warboats of theregion, the Hookers, Pucain and Gleoiteoigi which have been lovingly revived and restored.
Aran Islands - ÁrainnInis Mór (Inishmore) is the largest and most developed of the Aran Islands and combines a vibrant history with excellent facilities and lively nightlife. Blanketed in fissured limestone and a patchwork of fields, you can walk, cycle or ride the laneways here to discover the island's most celebrated monument, Dún Aonghusa. One of the most famous and most important prehistoric sites in Europe, this semi-circular stone fort sits dramatically on top of a 100m drop into the sea. Elsewhere circular forts, early Christian remains, 12th century high crosses and medieval churches dot the island.
Traditions are very much alive on Inis Mór and nightly music sessions and regular dances, impromptu storytelling and even currach racing are part of everyday life. Whether you wander the flower-strewn laneways, watch the seals or relax on the beach, you'll be smitten by the people, culture and heritage of this incredible island.
Nora Barnacle House Museum
Just a few steps from Shop Street, by Saint Nicholas Collegiate Church, is the smallest museum in Ireland. This tiny, turn of the century house was the home of Nora Barnacle, companion, wife and life-long inspiration to the writer, James Joyce. Here, in 1909, Joyce first met Nora's mother. Letters, photographs and other memorabilia from the lives of the writer and his wife make a visit a unique experience.
Rathbaun Farm
Rathbaun Farm is a picturesque farmhouse where you will be taken on a journey through Irish farming practices.
Visitors are invited to hand feed the new lambs which are in plentiful supply between March and November. The barns contain a wide variety of animals and the extensive covered areas ensure you can enjoy the farm in any weather.
The Connolly family will describe the different attributes of the various breeds of sheep and cattle and will ensure your visit is both interesting and relaxing. Lunch and snacks are provided in the original 150 year old farmhouse.
Synge House Museum
The island house on Inishmaan (Aran Islands) where John Millington Synge spent four holidays, has now been restored to its former glory. J M Synge first visited the island house in 1898, where his hosts were Brid and Paidin MacDonnchadha (MacDonagh). MsTheresa Ni Fhatharta, the great granddaughter of Synge's hosts started a campaign to have the house restored. This project has now been completed and it was restored as closely as possible to the way it was when J M Synge visited the Mac Donagh family. It is now open in the summer months as a Synge Museum. Memorabilia includes photographs, drawings and letters. A converted stone out-house now holds a small reference library of relevant publications by and about Synge, Yeats and Lady Gregory etc.
Ross Castle
Ross Castle is situated at the entrance to Connemara on the shores of Ross Lake. Built in 1590 the estate consists of a beautiful house set in 120 acres of parkland. The grounds feature walled gardens, an orchard, inner and outer courtyards and a 16 acre park. There is a wide variety of specimen trees and an unusual old greenhouse. A gardener's cottage and lime kiln are also worth a visit.
Traditional Music and Craic in Galway