Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What Galway lacks in sights it makes up for in ambience. Spend an afternoon just wan-
dering its medieval streets, with their delightful mix of colorful facades, labyrinthine pubs,
weather-resistant street musicians, and steamy eateries. Galway also offers tourists plenty
of traditional music, easy train connections to Dublin, and a convenient jumping-off point
for a visit to the Aran Islands. After dark, blustery Galway heats up, with fine theaters and
a pub scene that attracts even Dubliners. Visitors mix with old-timers and students as the
traditional music goes round and round.
If you hear a strange language on the streets and wonder where those people are from,
it's Irish, and so are they.
Galway's History
In 1234, the medieval fishing village of Galway went big time, when the Normans
captured the territory from the O'Flaherty family. Making the town a base, the Nor-
mans invited in their Angle friends, built a wall (1270), and kicked out the Irish.
Galway's Celtic name (Gaillimh) comes from an old Irish word, gall, which means
“foreigner.” Except for a small section in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre and a
chunk at the Spanish Arch, that Norman wall is gone.
In the 14th century, 14 merchant families, or tribes, controlled Galway's com-
mercial traffic, including the lucrative wine trade with Spain and France. These
English families constantly clashed with the local Irish. Although the wall was built
to “keep out the O's and the Macs,” it didn't always work. A common prayer at the
time was, “From the fury of the O'Flahertys, good Lord deliver us.”
Galway's support of the English king helped it prosper. But with the rise of Oliv-
er Cromwell in the 1640s (see sidebar on here ) , Galway paid for that prosperity.
After sieges by Cromwell's troops (in 1651) and the Protestant King William of
Orange (in 1691), Galway declined. It wasn't until the last half of the 20th century
that it regained some of its importance and wealth.
Planning Your Time
Galway's sights are little more than pins on which to hang the old town. The joy of Gal-
way is its street scene. You can see its sights in three hours, but without an evening in
town, you've missed the best. Many spend three nights and two days: one for the town
and another for a side-trip to the Burren (see previous chapter), the Aran Islands, or the
Connemara region (see following chapters). Tour companies make day trips to all three
regions cheap and easy.
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