Galway City
Posted in: Cities & Towns
Galway is known as “the City of the Tribes”, a reference to the fourteen merchant families who dominated the city between the 14th and 17th centuries and built it into a leading centre of trade and shipping in Europe.
This golden period in the city’s history came to an end abruptly in 1691 when the city backed the wrong horse, throwing its support behind King James II in his fight against his rival for the throne, William of Orange.
When William sealed his victory at the Battle of Aughrim he lost no time in replacing the landowners and merchants of Galway with others loyal to him. Galway’s decline was immediate, and lasted until the latter part of the 20th century.
Now it is a booming place again, a lively University city with excellent shopping, a rich cultural life and a very vibrant social scene.
If Ireland is famous for it’s festivals then Galway may be the place to thank. There is one major festival or another on here pretty much constantly throughout the Summer and their influence on how others around the country are conducted has been substantial.
What to see in Galway
The city centre is very small, easily walked in under an hour, and a pleasant walk it is too. By night the place comes alive, with numerous bars and restaurants, and the revelry regularly spilling out into the streets.
Eyre Square in the heart of the city has undergone extensive renovations in recent years, but lost some of its soul in the process and is now a fairly banal urban park. Worth seeing are Lynch’s Castle, now a bank but once home to one of the foremost of the city’s tribes, and the 14th century Church of St Nicolas of Myra.
The weekly Galway Market which takes place on Saturdays outside the church comprises mainly of food stalls, but there are some local craftspeople there also and its good for finding unusual souvenirs of your trip.
The world-renowned Galway based Druid Theatre Company has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years, including a number of Tony awards, and getting along to one of their productions, if there is one running, is highly recommended.
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