Overview
Galway is the only city on the 2,500 km Wild Atlantic Way, which makes it the natural base for the west coast, though it is worth a couple of days in its own right. It sits where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, and the 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. The city was long known as Baile na Sruthán, the ‘town of streams’, for the channels of the Corrib that thread through it.
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, its recorded history running back to 1124, but its character was set by the Tribes of Galway – fourteen merchant families who ran the town’s trade from the 1400s through to the 1800s. Their mark is still on the centre: Eyre Square, the Browne Doorway, Lynch’s Castle on Shop Street, and the fragments of medieval town wall that survive.
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 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 is the newcomer: finished in 1965 on Nun’s Island, its green copper dome the youngest thing on the skyline.
What to see and do
- 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, open Tuesday to Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday afternoons from Easter to mid-September, running 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.
For its size, the eating punches hard. The Dough Bros started as a food truck and their pizza has since been ranked 15th best in the world; Rúibín does careful seafood down by the docks; and Coffeewerk + Press is the specialty-coffee address. Leave time for Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop too, a rambling independent with something like 100,000 books – a Galway institution in its own right.
Eyre Square and the docks
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.
A wet afternoon
Galway is the wettest corner of a wet country, so it is worth knowing the indoor options. The central library on St Augustine Street is free, warm and welcoming, with free Wi-Fi and an events programme that runs from toddler storytimes to local-history talks; check current opening hours on the council website. Out along the Salthill prom, the Atlantaquaria – Ireland’s national aquarium – is the reliable move with children. And Charlie Byrne’s will happily swallow an hour of any downpour.
Practical information
- Getting there – Galway is served by Bus Éireann and Irish Rail; 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.
- Parking – on-street parking is chargeable 8.30am–6.30pm Monday to Saturday and 1pm–6pm on Sunday, paid through the Galway City Parking app, at GalwayCityParking.ie, by phone (091 894 300) or at Payzone shops. For a longer stay, the Port of Galway does a €15 flat rate for 24 hours, and there is a park-and-ride at €12 that includes the bus in and out.
- Accessibility – the museum and central library 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 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 the park-and-ride or come by train if you can. At Halloween, the Macnas parade takes over the streets after dark. And bring a raincoat whenever you come: the weather here 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.