IRELAND - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 326

At 19 Eyre Square, the Bank of Ireland displays the priceless Silver Sword and
Great Mace, the finest examples of Irish silver work remaining in the Republic.
Galway is a ferry port for the Aran Islands, which lie 30 miles offshore, as are
Doolin and Rossaveal. Air service is available via Connemara Airport. The islands
are a tribute to traditional Irish life and culture, and, as in Galway and Connemara,
Gaelic is still proudly spoken among the natives.
The Galway Bay Conference and Leisure Centre ( Tel: [phone]) is a prime
example of Galway City's growth. The deluxe facility is located on Galway's prom-
enade, just minutes from Eyre Square and the City Center. It includes a fitness
center with swimming pool, sauna, and steam room. Restaurant, bar, and lounge
each have panoramic views of Galway Bay. With its proximity to Leisureland, the
hotel is one of the most extensive conference and leisure centers in the country.
Or if you decide to base yourself in Galway for a night or two, try Jury's Galway
City Hotel, a mere ½ mile from Ceannt Station. The inn overlooks Galway Bay
and is located in the heart of the city beside the historic Spanish Arch. Tel: (091)
566444; Fax: [phone]; www.jurysinns.com .
Supposedly, the word lynching entered the English language through an act of
Galway's chief magistrate, James Lynch-FitzStephen, elected to his post in 1493.
According to a popular but dubious legend, his son, Walter, murdered a Spanish
visitor and then confessed to the crime. He was condemned by his own father, but
no one could be found to carry out the execution. So Judge Lynch, no doubt a
firm believer in “spare the rod and spoil the child,” hanged his own son and after-
ward retired into seclusion. Lynch's Castle stands today on Shop Street, and the
Lynch Memorial attesting to this stern and unbending justice lies nearby, close to
the Church of St. Nicholas, erected in 1320. Legend has it that Columbus wor-
shiped in the church before setting out on his voyage of discovery to America.
An unusual feature of Galway is its downtown salmon weir, where shoals of sal-
mon swim in the clear river en route to spawning grounds. This unique sight may
be viewed from the Salmon Weir Bridge, which crosses the River Corrib by the
city's cathedral.
Roundstone is a picturesque fishing village on the southern shores of Conne-
mara. Already well known for superb seafood and quaint bed-and-breakfast-style
hotels, Roundstone is also “the home of the bodhran”—a one-sided framed drum
made from goatskin—Ireland's oldest product, made famous more recently when
played by Christy Moore in Riverdance . A bus leaves daily during the summer from
Foster Street in Galway City for Roundstone and Clifden.