Galway City – City of the Tribes | Galway

Overview

The row of colourful houses known as the Long Walk along the harbour in Galway City — The Long Walk, Galway City Courtesy of Stephen Duffy

Galway is the only city on the 2,500 km Wild Atlantic Way, which makes it the natural base for the west coast, but it is worth a couple of days in its own right. It sits where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, and its old core is genuinely small: you can walk from Eyre Square down through the Latin Quarter to the Spanish Arch in about ten minutes. The pleasure is in the lanes – Shop Street, Quay Street, Kirwan’s Lane – where 16th-century merchant houses now hold pubs, bookshops and buskers.

If you only have an afternoon, spend it on foot between Eyre Square and the Spanish Arch, then cross the Corrib to the Claddagh. That single line takes in most of what makes the city.

A short history

Galway grew up around a crossing of the Corrib from 1124, but its character was set by the Tribes of Galway – fourteen merchant families who ran the town’s trade from the 13th century to the 19th. Their mark is still on the centre: Eyre Square, the Browne Doorway, Lynch’s Castle on Shop Street, and the medieval town walls that survive in fragments.

The sea made the place. In the 14th century King Richard II granted Galway the right to trade directly with the Iberian Peninsula, and the city’s merchants grew rich on wine and salt. The first purpose-built commercial dock followed in 1832, raised by the Harbour Commissioners, and over the next century the port crept outward on reclaimed land. The Galway Harbour Company still runs the docks and is planning a major redevelopment for offshore wind work and larger vessels.

Two landmarks bracket that long history. The Spanish Arch of 1584 marks the old harbour wall, and the Hall of the Red Earl preserves the medieval foundations of the Anglo-Norman lords. Galway Cathedral, by contrast, is recent: it was completed in 1965 on Nun’s Island, and its green copper dome is the youngest thing on the skyline.

What to see and do

People sitting by the 16th-century Spanish Arch beside the River Corrib in Galway — The Spanish Arch, Galway City ©Tourism Ireland

Latin Quarter, Shop Street and Kirwan’s Lane – the pedestrian heart of the city, lined with traditional pubs, craft shops and the daytime trad sessions Galway is known for. Kirwan’s Lane is the narrowest and oldest of the medieval laneways, with 16th-century buildings still standing.
Spanish Arch and Galway City Museum – the arch (1584) stands over the river beside a free museum that runs from the city’s prehistoric roots to its maritime past. The ground-floor café overlooks the arch and the water.
Eyre Square – the central park, properly Kennedy Memorial Park, ringed by the medieval Browne Doorway and a five-minute walk from the docks and the train station.
Galway Cathedral – the 1965 cathedral on Nun’s Island, with its dome and a vast pipe organ; a good rainy-hour stop and free to enter.
Claddagh and the Salmon Weir – cross the Corrib to the old fishing village that gave its name to the Claddagh ring, and watch for salmon running the weir in early summer.
Salthill promenade – a 3 km seafront walk that begins just beyond the docks, with cafés and the long-standing local habit of ‘kicking the wall’ at the far end before turning back.

Traditional Galway hooker sailing boats moored at the Claddagh in Galway City — Galway Hooker Boats, The Claddagh, Galway City Courtesy Chaosheng Zhang

Eyre Square and the docks

Aerial view of Eyre Square park in the centre of Galway City — Aerial View, Eyre Square, Galway City Courtesy Failte Ireland

The working harbour sits right at the edge of the old town, which is unusual for an Irish city. Cruise ships tender passengers in at the gated wet-dock, a short signposted walk from the centre. The marina has 31 pontoon berths plus 8 more along a 60-metre walkway pontoon, with shore power and fresh water, if you are arriving under your own sail.

Reading and a wet afternoon

Galway is a UNESCO City of Film, and it keeps a serious public library system to match. The central branch, on St Augustine Street, is free to use and acts as the hub for a county network of 29 branches (administered from Island House on Cathedral Square). It has a large print collection, e-books, free Wi-Fi and an events programme that runs from toddler storytimes to local-history talks. A mobile library serves the outlying villages, and there are island branches out on the Aran Islands – Inis Mór, Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr – and on Inishbofin. It is a reliable place to wait out a Galway downpour with a coffee and a borrowed book.

Practical information

Getting there – Galway is served by Bus Éireann and Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann); the train station is a 10-minute walk from Eyre Square. Cruise passengers tender in at the wet-dock, a short walk from the centre.
Galway City Museum – free entry; check the museum website for current days and times.
Central library hours – Monday 14:00–17:00, Tuesday 10:30–20:00, Wednesday 10:30–17:00, Thursday 10:30–20:00, Friday 10:30–17:00, Saturday 10:00–17:00, closed Sunday. Mobile library schedules are posted on the council website.
Accessibility – the museum and central library both have wheelchair access and free Wi-Fi, and the promenade and dock walkways are flat and suitable for buggies and mobility aids.
When to come, and what to expect – the centre is compact and busy, and it gets properly crowded in July for the Galway International Arts Festival and the Galway Races, when accommodation fills and central parking all but disappears. Use a park-and-ride or come by train if you can. And bring a raincoat: this is the wettest city corner of a wet country, and the weather turns on a sixpence.

The city rewards walking over planning. Park once, leave the car, and let the lanes between Eyre Square and the Corrib do the work.