Galway

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Galway Travel Guide

Travel Author

Stig Albeck

City Map

City Introduction

Galway is a cozy town on the west coast of Ireland, an area of ​​magnificent scenery. You can enjoy lovely walks here and you can in the city of Galway too with its medieval streets, beautiful churches, colorful houses and much more that makes the trip memorable.

At the Galway Museum you can experience the history of the city, and from here you can easily walk around to the sights in the streets. The Latin Quarter with Kirwans Lane is a must during a visit where the lawns of Eyre Square and the houses along The Long Walk should be seen.

Galway’s churches are also worth a stroll. The old St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church is one of Ireland’s largest medieval parish churches, and the impressive Galway Cathedral stands as one of the newest, large stone cathedrals in Europe.

The West Irish city is also a good starting point for trips to impressive landscapes and monuments. The world-famous Cliffs of Moher are located to the southwest, and to the northwest you can see the beautiful building, Kylemore Abbey, which is located in a breathtaking landscape.

Top Attractions

Galway Cathedral

Galway Cathedral

This is an impressive Catholic cathedral, which was built between 1958 and 1965 on the site of the city’s prison. The inspiration comes from several styles of European architecture, and the 44 meter high dome stands beautifully in the city’s skyline.

It was the architect John J. Robinson who designed the beautiful building, which offers a particularly beautiful interior, where you can really enjoy the dimensions and details of Robinson’s work. Among other things, you can enjoy the beautiful glass mosaics, the church’s rose window and beautiful artwork behind the central main altar.

 

The Long Walk, Galway

The Long Walk

The Long Walk is the name of one of Galway’s most famous streets. It lies down to the River Corrib and Galway Bay and is known for the many houses painted in different colours.

On a walk along The Long Walk you can enjoy the view over the water, and in good weather you will be joined by quite a few locals enjoying the fresh air by the water’s edge, which is a few minutes’ walk from Galway’s busy shopping streets.

 

Kirwans Lane

Kirwans Lane is one of the finest examples of lanes from old Galway in the so-called Latin Quarter. Beautiful 16th-17th century buildings can be seen in Kirwans Lane, named after the Kirwan family.

In Kirwans Lane there are quite a few bars and eateries, and that way you can really enjoy the atmospheric surroundings, which are just a few steps from the newer parts of Galway city centre.

 

Eyre Square, Galway

Eyre Square

This square is the center of Galway and its history dates back to the Middle Ages when the city’s market place was located here. Today, Eyre Square is a lovely and well-used urban space where residents enjoy the sun on the lawns. Eyre Square is officially called John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, and you can see a bust of the US president here.

After a rebuilding in the Georgian style in the 19th century, the middle of the square was surrounded by a cast iron fence, which is also familiar from many contemporary parks in squares in England. The fences no longer stand in Eyre Square, but they can be seen around the church of St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, to which they were moved in the 1960s.

US President John F. Kennedy visited Galway in 1963, giving a speech in the square on 29 June. Two years later, the square was given its official name, John F. Kennedy Memorial Park. The commonly used name, Eyre Square, dates from 1710, when Mayor Edward Eyre opened the park.

There are several works of art in Eyre Square, where you can also see the Browne Doorway. It is the old entrance gate from a house from 1627, which was moved here in 1905. The gate stands as an example of the architecture of Galway’s heyday from the 16th century to the 18th century.

Other Attractions

Spanish Arch, Galway

Spanish Arch

The Spanish Arch is the everyday name for the two arches, Spanish Arch and Caoċ Arch, which are the ones remaining in Galway’s so-called Front Wall from 1584. The Front Wall was built to protect the city’s harbour.

The Front Wall was built as a kind of extension of the old Norman city walls, which had been built a few centuries earlier. The building with The Spanish Arch housed soldiers manning cannons on the roof. The arch’s name comes from the Spanish galleons and merchant ships that often docked here.

 

Galway City Walls

After the foundation of Galway, walls were built over time to defend the city. The walls were built from the 13th century and came to enclose around the 11 hectares on which the city was located. The citizens of Galway paid an extra tax to build and maintain the walls so that the city had an effective defence.

Today you can see a beautiful piece of preserved city wall in the shopping center Eyre Square Shopping Centre, which is located by Eyre Square. Inside the center you can partly see a piece of the medieval wall and partly see two towers from the old city wall; Shoemaker’s Tower and Penrice’s Tower. Penrice was one of the leading medieval clans in Galway.

 

Corrib Walk

The River Corrib rushes through the center of Galway, and in its course the Corrib Walk has been laid out as a beautiful and green footpath along the river. One can start the walk at the William O’Brien Bridge and head north to the Salmon Weir Bridge area.

Along the way, you meet many locals who also enjoy the surroundings by the river, which is only six kilometers long. And you can see Galway from the water side with brightly colored houses, fishermen and a generally nice atmosphere.

 

Galway Town Hall Theater

This is one of Galway’s theaters and it is housed in a building with an interesting history. The theater was built in the 1820s as the city’s courthouse, and in 1901 the courthouse with its monumental architecture was converted into Galway Town Hall.

In the 1950s, the building was once again rebuilt for a new purpose. A cinema was set up at that time, which was in operation until the 1990s. At that time the building was dilapidated, but after a restoration and new reconstruction in 1993-1995, the current theater could open as the city’s theatre.

 

Galway Courthouse

In 1812, Galway’s courthouse was designed by the architect Richard Morrison and subsequently erected in Courthouse Square. The building continues to function as a courthouse, and over time it has had an important and busy function in the city.

In the decades following the opening of the courthouse, there were about 200 crimes punishable by death, and although the judges in some cases refrained from sentencing or used the harshest sentences, the city jail was filled to capacity. The prison was located where the city’s Catholic cathedral is today, and there were just under 70 inmates at the beginning of the 19th century. By the middle of the century, that number had risen to 650.

 

Lynch's Castle, Galway

Lynch’s Castle

This current bank building was built by the Lynch family several times as a residence. The largest part of the fortified house dates from the 16th century and is today a beautiful example of the Galway of that time.

It was a time of flourishing and fine buildings, which is clearly seen in the decoration of Lynch’s Castle with, among other things, the coat of arms and gargoyles on the facade. The Lynch family descended from Angles and Normans and were one of Galway’s 14 leading clans.

 

Galway Museum

This is the Galway City Museum and the place to get an interesting overview of Galway’s history from the Middle Ages to the present day. The museum has various exhibitions with exciting themes and effects.

There are permanent exhibitions in archaeology, geology, art and natural history, so you get a broad insight into many aspects of Galway’s history in one visit. Among the specific collections, there is an exhibition related to Galway’s maritime history and a theme around 19th-20th century shops, factories and city life in Galway.

 

Forthill Graveyard

This cemetery is a place with both an interesting and dark history. In 1589, William Fitzwilliam ordered that 300 arriving sailors from the Spanish Armada be executed here. It happened, and after the beheadings, the locals buried the Spaniards so their souls could rest in peace.

In 1602, a fort was built on the site. It was the English who built the fort after the successful siege of Kinsale that ended the English conquest of Gaelic Ireland. The fort was later in the same century demolished by the townspeople, and from the 18th century Forthill developed into a cemetery.

 

University Library, Galway

National University of Ireland, Galway

This is Galway’s traditional university, founded as Queen’s College in 1845. Today it is a large educational institution with a beautiful main building, newer buildings and various works of art in the area.

The university opened for students in 1849, and at the beginning there were 68 students. The oldest building is the beautiful Quadrangle Building, which welcomed the first students in 1849. The building was built in Tudor Gothic and was architecturally inspired by Christ Church in Oxford, England.

 

Galway Fisheries Watchtower Museum

This little tower is one of Galway’s lesser known sights. The tower was built as a fishing tower in 1853, and it is today a museum of fishing in the Corrib River, which is known for its salmon.

The little tower stands almost out in the Corrib River, and it was built by the Ashworth family as part of the so-called draft netting fishery. During draft netting, one side of a net was attached to shore while the other side of the net was pulled by a boat.

 

St Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway

St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church

This church is one of Ireland’s largest medieval parish churches. The oldest parts of the atmospheric building date from the 14th century. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors, who throughout Galway’s history have been an important part of the city’s development. It is also said that Christopher Columbus prayed in the church in 1477 before one of his attempts to sail west to the New World.

The church was elevated to a diocese in 1484, which Pope Innocent VIII confirmed by a papal bull the following year. With that, the importance of the city of Galway also increased. With the Reformation, which the English royal house carried out, the church became Anglican. It remains so and belongs to the Church of Ireland.

 

The Claddagh

The Claddagh is a neighborhood located southwest of Galway city center. From the 4th century it was a separate fishing village, where the inhabitants sold their fish in Galway. You can take some nice walks in The Claddagh and look across the water from Claddagh Quay to the colorful houses along The Long Walk.

The Claddagh was divided from Galway by the Anglo-Norman city wall that protected the city itself. The Claddagh lay outside the city walls and existed as a fishing village where the sailing boats called Galway Hookers were used in great style. At the street Claddagh Quay you can also see the lock to the Eglinton Canal, which was built 1850-1852 as a stable waterway between the sea and Lough Corrib. If you fancy a stroll, you can walk along the canal to the north.

 

Nora Barnacle House

Nora Barnacle was born in Galway and later became the wife of author James Joyce. They met on June 10, 1904, with the first romantic date on June 16, which Joyce later chose as the day in the book Ulysses. The day is also known as Bloomsday.

In Galway, Nora Barnacle lived with her mother and uncle in the small house at Bowling Green 4. The house was built in the 19th century and converted into a museum in the 1980s. James Joyce and Nora Barnacle visited the house several times and stayed, among other things. here during a holiday in 1912.

Day Trips

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Cliffs of Moher

The beautiful coastal cliffs along Ireland’s west coast are one of the island’s greatest attractions. The cliffs consist mostly of shale and sandstone, and they rise over 200 meters from the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The most famous view is from the tower O’Brien’s Tower, which was built in 1835 by Cornelius O’Brien as a viewing tower for tourists of the time.

From the tower and the top of the cliffs there is a magnificent view, where you can see the archipelago of the Aran Islands to the west, Loop Head to the south and the mountains of Maumturks and Twelve Pins to the north. The name Cliffs of Moher derives from the now demolished Moher Fort, which stood on the site where the ruins of the Napoleonic era Moher Tower can be seen today.

The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience opened in 2007 and most visitors to the Cliffs start here. At the centre, the area’s geology, flora, fauna and history are communicated. However, you can also choose a number of other places and paths along the cliffs.

 

Kylemore Abbey, Galway

Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey is a beautifully situated Benedictine abbey founded on Kylemore Castle in 1920. The castle had been built in the 1860s by Mitchell Henry and the abbey was founded for Belgian nuns who had fled the First World War. At the castle and monastery you can see a fine Victorian garden.

Kylemore Abbey also stands as one of Ireland’s best-known buildings. The place with the beautiful nature is often photographed. It is very beautiful in the region of Connemara, where Mitchell Henry wanted to show the world what could be done in the wild Irish nature. Therefore, during a visit you can also enjoy some lovely walks in forests and along lakes.

 

Limerick, Ireland

Limerick

Limerick is a beautifully situated town on the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland and the British Isles. The city is the third largest in the Republic of Ireland and it is one of the cozy towns along the west coast of Ireland, where there are quite a few sights and a good atmosphere.

The Vikings founded the city, and the historic city center is located on King’s Island along both the Shannon River and the Abbey River. On King’s Island are i.a. the Englishtown district, where you can see the beautiful King John’s Castle and St Mary’s Cathedral.

Read more about Limerick

Shopping

Eyre Square Shopping Centre

Eyre Square
eyresquarecentre.com

 

Galway Shopping Centre

Headford Road
galwaysc.com

 

Shopping streets

High Street, Quay Street

With Kids

Aquarium

Atlantaquaria
Seapoint Promenade
nationalaquarium.ie

 

Svimming pool and more

Leisureland
Salthill
leisureland.ie

 

Skating, trampolines and more

JumpLanes
Monivea Road
galway.jumplanes.com

Geolocation

In short

Galway, Ireland

Galway, Ireland

Overview of Galway

Talkeetna is a small town located roughly halfway between Anchorage and Denali, making it a town on one of the most popular drives in Alaska. Located at the confluence of the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna rivers, Talkeetna is a popular location for salmon fishing, and it is also the starting point for many trips to Denali National Park.

The town has about 1,000 inhabitants, and its history dates back to 1916, when the Alaska Railroad chose the site as the company’s regional headquarters. Soon after, a post office opened, and a trading post, a sawmill, and a donkey sale were also added as examples from Talkeetna’s early years. The Alaska Railroad began formally dividing parcels of land in 1919, however, many were already inhabited at that time.

About the Whitehorse travel guide

Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
Published: Released soon
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.com
Language: English

About the travel guide

The Whitehorse travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Canadian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

Whitehorse is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

Read more about Whitehorse and Canada

Canada Travel Guide: https://vamados.com/canada
City tourism: https://visitwhite-horse.ca
Main Page: https://www.vamados.com/

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Whitehorse you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Travel Expert

Stig Albeck

Gallery

Gallery

Other Attractions

Spanish Arch, Galway

Spanish Arch

The Spanish Arch is the everyday name for the two arches, Spanish Arch and Caoċ Arch, which are the ones remaining in Galway’s so-called Front Wall from 1584. The Front Wall was built to protect the city’s harbour.

The Front Wall was built as a kind of extension of the old Norman city walls, which had been built a few centuries earlier. The building with The Spanish Arch housed soldiers manning cannons on the roof. The arch’s name comes from the Spanish galleons and merchant ships that often docked here.

 

Galway City Walls

After the foundation of Galway, walls were built over time to defend the city. The walls were built from the 13th century and came to enclose around the 11 hectares on which the city was located. The citizens of Galway paid an extra tax to build and maintain the walls so that the city had an effective defence.

Today you can see a beautiful piece of preserved city wall in the shopping center Eyre Square Shopping Centre, which is located by Eyre Square. Inside the center you can partly see a piece of the medieval wall and partly see two towers from the old city wall; Shoemaker’s Tower and Penrice’s Tower. Penrice was one of the leading medieval clans in Galway.

 

Corrib Walk

The River Corrib rushes through the center of Galway, and in its course the Corrib Walk has been laid out as a beautiful and green footpath along the river. One can start the walk at the William O’Brien Bridge and head north to the Salmon Weir Bridge area.

Along the way, you meet many locals who also enjoy the surroundings by the river, which is only six kilometers long. And you can see Galway from the water side with brightly colored houses, fishermen and a generally nice atmosphere.

 

Galway Town Hall Theater

This is one of Galway’s theaters and it is housed in a building with an interesting history. The theater was built in the 1820s as the city’s courthouse, and in 1901 the courthouse with its monumental architecture was converted into Galway Town Hall.

In the 1950s, the building was once again rebuilt for a new purpose. A cinema was set up at that time, which was in operation until the 1990s. At that time the building was dilapidated, but after a restoration and new reconstruction in 1993-1995, the current theater could open as the city’s theatre.

 

Galway Courthouse

In 1812, Galway’s courthouse was designed by the architect Richard Morrison and subsequently erected in Courthouse Square. The building continues to function as a courthouse, and over time it has had an important and busy function in the city.

In the decades following the opening of the courthouse, there were about 200 crimes punishable by death, and although the judges in some cases refrained from sentencing or used the harshest sentences, the city jail was filled to capacity. The prison was located where the city’s Catholic cathedral is today, and there were just under 70 inmates at the beginning of the 19th century. By the middle of the century, that number had risen to 650.

 

Lynch's Castle, Galway

Lynch’s Castle

This current bank building was built by the Lynch family several times as a residence. The largest part of the fortified house dates from the 16th century and is today a beautiful example of the Galway of that time.

It was a time of flourishing and fine buildings, which is clearly seen in the decoration of Lynch’s Castle with, among other things, the coat of arms and gargoyles on the facade. The Lynch family descended from Angles and Normans and were one of Galway’s 14 leading clans.

 

Galway Museum

This is the Galway City Museum and the place to get an interesting overview of Galway’s history from the Middle Ages to the present day. The museum has various exhibitions with exciting themes and effects.

There are permanent exhibitions in archaeology, geology, art and natural history, so you get a broad insight into many aspects of Galway’s history in one visit. Among the specific collections, there is an exhibition related to Galway’s maritime history and a theme around 19th-20th century shops, factories and city life in Galway.

 

Forthill Graveyard

This cemetery is a place with both an interesting and dark history. In 1589, William Fitzwilliam ordered that 300 arriving sailors from the Spanish Armada be executed here. It happened, and after the beheadings, the locals buried the Spaniards so their souls could rest in peace.

In 1602, a fort was built on the site. It was the English who built the fort after the successful siege of Kinsale that ended the English conquest of Gaelic Ireland. The fort was later in the same century demolished by the townspeople, and from the 18th century Forthill developed into a cemetery.

 

University Library, Galway

National University of Ireland, Galway

This is Galway’s traditional university, founded as Queen’s College in 1845. Today it is a large educational institution with a beautiful main building, newer buildings and various works of art in the area.

The university opened for students in 1849, and at the beginning there were 68 students. The oldest building is the beautiful Quadrangle Building, which welcomed the first students in 1849. The building was built in Tudor Gothic and was architecturally inspired by Christ Church in Oxford, England.

 

Galway Fisheries Watchtower Museum

This little tower is one of Galway’s lesser known sights. The tower was built as a fishing tower in 1853, and it is today a museum of fishing in the Corrib River, which is known for its salmon.

The little tower stands almost out in the Corrib River, and it was built by the Ashworth family as part of the so-called draft netting fishery. During draft netting, one side of a net was attached to shore while the other side of the net was pulled by a boat.

 

St Nicholas Collegiate Church, Galway

St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church

This church is one of Ireland’s largest medieval parish churches. The oldest parts of the atmospheric building date from the 14th century. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, who is the patron saint of sailors, who throughout Galway’s history have been an important part of the city’s development. It is also said that Christopher Columbus prayed in the church in 1477 before one of his attempts to sail west to the New World.

The church was elevated to a diocese in 1484, which Pope Innocent VIII confirmed by a papal bull the following year. With that, the importance of the city of Galway also increased. With the Reformation, which the English royal house carried out, the church became Anglican. It remains so and belongs to the Church of Ireland.

 

The Claddagh

The Claddagh is a neighborhood located southwest of Galway city center. From the 4th century it was a separate fishing village, where the inhabitants sold their fish in Galway. You can take some nice walks in The Claddagh and look across the water from Claddagh Quay to the colorful houses along The Long Walk.

The Claddagh was divided from Galway by the Anglo-Norman city wall that protected the city itself. The Claddagh lay outside the city walls and existed as a fishing village where the sailing boats called Galway Hookers were used in great style. At the street Claddagh Quay you can also see the lock to the Eglinton Canal, which was built 1850-1852 as a stable waterway between the sea and Lough Corrib. If you fancy a stroll, you can walk along the canal to the north.

 

Nora Barnacle House

Nora Barnacle was born in Galway and later became the wife of author James Joyce. They met on June 10, 1904, with the first romantic date on June 16, which Joyce later chose as the day in the book Ulysses. The day is also known as Bloomsday.

In Galway, Nora Barnacle lived with her mother and uncle in the small house at Bowling Green 4. The house was built in the 19th century and converted into a museum in the 1980s. James Joyce and Nora Barnacle visited the house several times and stayed, among other things. here during a holiday in 1912.

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