Galway and The West of
Ireland
Galway (Gaillimh
- Irish) is the largest county in the province of
Connacht situated in the centre of the western seaboard of
Ireland. It covers nearly 6,000 sq. kms, (with over 2,000 km
of highly indented coastline) and is divided by Lough
Corrib, Ireland’s second largest lake. It has two distinct
landscapes - the vast mountain land of Connemara to the west
of Lough Corrib and the rich farming plains of Galway East.
The population of the County (all the areas outside of
Galway City) is estimated at just over 143,000.
Galway City
is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe with a
population of approx. 71,983 (Census 2006) making it the
third largest city in Ireland after Dublin and Cork. The
medieval city is the perfect mix of old and new with a
bustling shopping centre with wonderful little boutique
cafes along the pedestrian streets and plenty of craic at
night with a host of live music venues to choose from. There
is certain chemistry and vibrancy to this friendly City,
which many delight in, and few forget. Galway city is unique
among Irish cities because of the strength of its Irish
language, music, song and dancing traditions - it is often
referred to as the 'Bilingual Capital of Ireland'. The city
is well known for its ‘Irishness’, and mainly due to the
fact that it has on its doorstep the Galway Gaeltacht
(Irish-speaking area). The hub of the city is a pedestrian
park at Eyre Square (pronounced Air Square),
officially called the John F. Kennedy Park in commemoration
of his visit in June 1963, a few months before his
assassination.
For a taste of the real Ireland Connemara
is a must. Gaeilge is the predominant language of choice
here and the people are warm and friendly with a typical
Cead Mile Failte Irish welcome. The beautiful rugged
landscape is as yet unspoilt by progress. Mountains,
castles and stone walls, banks of turf, long sandy beaches,
clear lakes, joyful leaping streams and flowing rivers.
Delightful countryside punctuated by pretty villages, and
traditional pubs.
There are four main inhabited Islands off
the coast of Galway including the world renowned Irish
speaking Aran Islands and Inisboffin. In total there are 18
inhabited islands in County Galway. It is worth a visit
across to the islands to enjoy such activities as walking,
cycling, swimming, horse-riding, diving, basket-making and
learning a little of the Irish language and culture. Inis
Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, is home to the world
famous Dun Aonghasa monument and the islands heritage centre
is wonderfully informative of the lives of previous
inhabitants. An overnight stay is highly recommended in
order to sample the traditional night life.
The Galway Races are renowned worldwide.
Veteran race goers, and indeed those who simply love the
atmosphere, travel from around the world for this unique
experience. The Festival runs for seven consecutive days
starting from the last Monday in July each year attracting
well over 200,000 during the week long period. There are
special race days, such as, Ladies Day, The Big Bash and Mad
Hatter’s Day which add fun and excitement to the event.
In addition to good road access, Galway is increasingly well
serviced by over 100 direct flights a week to Galway
Airport, Shannon and Ireland West Airport (Knock) as well as
daily train services from Dublin through Galway East to
Galway City provided by Iarnród Eireann. Bus Eireann
services the area with regular coaches to and from the rest
of the country.
History
Galway City was founded, as with most
ancient cities, because of its access to water. The city
takes its name from the Gaillimh river (River Corrib) that
formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement,
which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe, or the fort at the
mouth of the Gaillimhe. The word Gaillimh means 'stony' as
in 'stony river'. Fresh water is provided by the River
Corrib, which flows in from the lake 'Lough Corrib', located
a few miles north of the city. Salt water is also to hand in
the form of Galway Bay, providing relatively safe and
sheltered access to the Atlantic Ocean. There is evidence
that people have been living in Galway for almost 10,000
years. Stone monuments on the nearby Aran Islands date back
as far as 2000 BC, and there was even a Stone Age axe-head
found there which was dated at over 300,000 years old,
though debate is still ongoing as to how it got there. The
fort of Dun Aengus, which was built on a cliff - and half of
which has now fallen back into the sea - dates from around
the time of Christ.
Galway began as a fishing village, but after an invasion by
the Anglo-Norman forces of Richard de Burgo in the early
13th Century, it developed into a walled town. Elevation to
city status followed with the granting of a royal charter by
Richard III in 1484. Around this time, 14 wealthy merchant
families ruled the city, giving Galway the nickname it still
bears today - 'City of the Tribes'. The tribes ruled over a
wealthy and cosmopolitan city for the next 170 years, with
particularly strong trade links to Spain - including a visit
by a young explorer named Christopher Columbus.
The city's untroubled prosperity lasted only until
Cromwell's forces laid siege to it in 1651. Galway
surrendered, and the tribes lost all their power to the
English invaders. Although the locals rebelled and
temporarily regained control of the city, this was soon lost
again at the Battle of Aughrim. Ireland in general was
having a particularly bad time around then, its population
having been reduced in various atrocities from 1.5 million
before the arrival of Cromwell in 1649 to a mere 500,000 by
the time of his death in 1658. Cromwell's famous saying 'To
Hell or to Connaught'; was used to evict Catholics from
their land for repossession by Protestants, and make them
move to parts of Connaught and Galway in the west where the
land quality was poorest.
The 18th Century was a particularly hard time for the
natives, with oppression of the Catholic majority and over
93% of Irish land held by Protestant landlords. There was
even a famine in 1740 called, appropriately enough, 'The
forgotten famine'. Galway was in steady decline during these
years, and in 1841 lost its classification as a city.
However, it did maintain some strong trading links, and in
1845 Queen's College Galway was founded by Queen Victoria.
This still stands, although it has been renamed as the
National University of Ireland, Galway. The late 1840s were
also the time of the Great Famine, when tens of thousands
died in the city and the surrounding area, and many more
left for the New World, especially America. To this day the
locals still point out that 'Boston is just the parish next
door'. By 1899, the population of Galway had been halved due
to deaths and emigration. There were various risings using
direct force against the British throughout the country
during all this time, the most recent of which in Galway was
instigated in 1916 by Liam Mellows.
Galway Today
The traditional hub of Galway City is
Eyre Square, with the bus and railway station on its south
side and the main shopping district to the north and west,
and is the place from which John F Kennedy gave an address
when he was granted the freedom of the city in 1963, shortly
before his assassination.
Williamsgate Street leads off Eyre Square and down to Shop
Street, a pleasant and characterful pedestrianised street
whose name tells you most of what you need to know. Shop
Street contains central Galway's best-preserved ancient
building, Lynch's Castle, which was home to the first
mayor's family and whose thick stone walls today protect the
cashiers and vaults of the local branch of the Allied Irish
Bank. When Lynch's son murdered a Spanish merchant staying
with the family: Lynch put his duty as mayor - before family
sentiment, and hanged his son from the window of his home,
which overlooks the main street. At its lower end, Shop
Street becomes Quay Street, an area where in recent years
many restaurants and bars have sprung up, particularly aimed
at the 'young and trendy' market. One more traditional
eating-place to have survived the changes is Mc Donagh's, a
fish restaurant which has won many awards and
recommendations.
The River Corrib runs past the bottom of Quay Street, and
here there is a small monument to Columbus' visit.
Ironically, just behind this statue commemorating Spain's
most famous emissary is another memorial, this time to the
efforts to stop the Spanish from invading. The Spanish Arch
is the last remnant of a defensive wall built by the English
landlords against the threat of the Spanish Armada in the
1580s. Walking upstream along the Corrib from the Spanish
Arch brings you to the Salmon Weir Bridge, the river is
split in two by Nun's Island, formerly the home of the
city's convent and now the site of its cathedral. Galway's
cathedral is modern, having been completed in 1965. It does,
however, have a great deal of charm through having been
built of local stone and decorated with Connemara Marble,
one of the region's finest and most traditional exports.
Across the river from the old city you will find Claddagh,
the site of the original fishing village from out of which
Galway eventually grew, but nowadays considered part of the
city itself. This was traditionally home to the fishermen
who kept the city fed, and home to Richard Joyce, who is
traditionally credited with having created the classic
design of the Claddagh Ring - two hands holding a heart,
with a crown above it - though the concept it represents of
a 'faith ring' dates back to Roman times. Wearing the ring
on your right hand with the heart facing outwards and the
crown in indicates that the wearer is available; with the
crown on the outside, then the wearer has someone in mind as
a potential love. When the ring is worn on the left hand and
with the heart pointing inwards, look elsewhere - that
person's love is irrevocably committed; the ring may even be
acting as a wedding ring.
Culture
Galway is nicknamed Ireland's Cultural
Heart (Croí Cultúrtha na hÉireann), and is
world renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and numerous
festivals, celebrations and events. In 2006, there were
three dance organisations, ten festival companies, two film
organisations, two Irish language organisations, 23 musical
organisations, twelve theatre companies, two visual arts
groups and four writers' groups based in the city.
Furthermore, there were 51 venues for events; most of which
were specialised for a certain field (e.g. concert venues or
visual arts galleries), though ten were described as being
'multiple event' venues. Eyre Square, in the very centre of
the city; and Spanish Parade, next to Spanish Arch. In 2007,
Galway was named as one of the eight 'sexiest cities'
in the world. A 2008 poll ranked Galway as the 42nd
best tourist destination in the world, or 14th in
Europe. It ranks well ahead of all major European capitals
(such as Paris, London and Rome, and many traditional
tourist destinations (such as Venice).
The West of Ireland
The most westerly seaboard in Europe,
Ireland's West is richly endowed by nature: the majestic
Cliffs of Moher; the rocky expanse of the Burren (whose gray
rocks hide a profusion of wild plants); Connemara's
combination of rugged coastline, mountains, moorland, and
lakes; and the famous Oileáin Árainn (Aran Islands), which
do constant battle with the fury of the Atlantic. But the
West also abounds in characterful small country towns and
villages, such as Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Clifden, and
Westport, rife with good restaurants and pubs, and Galway,
the city that loves to celebrate.
The West refers to
the region that lies west of the River Shannon; most of this
area falls within the old Irish province of Connaught. This
region faces its nearest North American neighbours across
3,200 km (2,000 mi) of the Atlantic Ocean: 'Boston is just
the parish next door' as they say in the West. Towns as
communities were unknown in pre-Christian Irish society, and
even today, more than 150 years after the famine, many
residents still live on isolated small farms rather than in
towns and villages. Especially during the wet, wintry
months, you can still walk out of your country house, hotel,
or bed-and-breakfast in the morning and smell turf fires
burning nearby.
Today, the West is,
for many, the most typically Irish part of the country.
Particularly in western County Galway, the region has the
highest concentration of Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking)
communities in all Ireland, with roughly 40,000 native Irish
speakers making their homes here. The country's first
Irish-language TV station broadcasts from the tiny village
of An Spidéal (Spiddle), on the north shore of Galway Bay
in the heart of the Gaeltacht. Throughout this area, you'll
see plenty of signs printed in Irish only. Who would suspect
that Gaillimh is Irish for Galway? But wherever you go in
the West, you'll not only see, but more importantly hear,
the most vital way in which traditional Irish culture
survives here: musicians play in pubs all over the West, and
they are acknowledged to be the best in Ireland.
Volvo Ocean Race Galway
Volvo Ocean Race Galway is not only a professional, world-class sporting event
but also a cultural and recreational carnival. When planning your trip to see
the Volvo Ocean Race Galway make sure to have enough time to sample Galway and
the West of Ireland!
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