Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Overlooking the River Corrib, this makes up the best remaining chunk of the old city wall.
A reminder of Galway's former importance in trade, the Arch (c. 1584) is the place where
Spanish ships would unload their cargo (primarily wine).
Fragments ofoldGalway are kept inthis modern museum, located just behind the Spanish
Arch. Enjoy temporary art exhibitions by local artists and occasional live music perform-
ances. Permanent displays include an intact Galway “hooker” fishing boat hanging from
the ceiling. The museum also houses prehistoric and ancient Galway-related treasures
(medieval pottery, Iron Age ax heads, and Bronze Age thingamajigs).
Cost and Hours:
Free, Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun-Mon; handy café with cheap
lunches, tel. 091/532-460,
www.galwaycitymuseum.ie
.
At the River Corrib, you'll find a riverside park that's perfect for a picnic (or get takeout
from the recommended McDonagh's, the town's best chipper, across the street). Over the
river (southeast of the bridge) is the modern housing project that replaced the original
Claddagh in the 1930s.
Claddagh
(CLA-dah, like the “cla” in clatter) was a picturesque,
Gaelic-speaking fishing village with a strong tradition of independence—and open sew-
ers. This gaggle of thatched cottages functioned as an independent community with its
own “king” until the early 1900s, when it was torn down for health reasons.
The old Claddagh village is gone, but the tradition of its popular ring (sold all over
town) lives on. The Claddagh ring shows two hands holding a heart that wears a crown.
The heart represents love, the crown is loyalty, and the hands are friendship. If the ring
is worn with the tip of the heart pointing toward the wrist, it signifies that the wearer is
married or otherwise taken. However, if the tip of the heart points toward the fingertip, it
means the wearer is available.
Look at the
monument
(just before the bridge) given to Galway by the people of
Genoa, Italy, to celebrate Columbus' visit here in 1477. (That acknowledgment, from an
Italian town known for its stinginess, helps to substantiate the famous explorer's legendary
visit.) From the middle of the bridge, look up the river. The green copper dome marks
the city's Cathedral of St. Nicholas (described on the next page). Down the river is a tiny
swan-infested harbor with a few of Galway's famous square-rigged “hooker” fishing ships
tiedupandondisplay.Called“hookers”fortheirmultiplehooksonasinglelinemethodof
fishing, these sturdy yet graceful boats were later used to transport turf from Connemara,
until improved roads and electric heat made them obsolete. Beyond that, a huge park of
