Galway City
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National UNIVERSITY of Galway |
National University of Galway
25min walk from the Periwinkle B&B, Galway City.
The National University of Galway, formerly known as University College Galway,
was built by the banks of the Corrib River in 1845 and officially opened in 1849.
The stone quadrangle is one of the city’s most famous landmarks.
The University which is merely a ten minute walk from the city centre, as well as educating thousands of studends each year, plays an
important role in the cultural life of Galway. It is the venue for many
musical, literary and sporting events.
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The Spanish Arch
10 min walk from the Periwinkle B&B (Bed and Breakfast accommodation Galway).
The Spanish Arch is one of Galway’s most historic landmarks it is located on the East Bank of the River Corrib Estuary, where the river meets the sea. Medieval Galway was almost completely enclosed by massive walls, however, the dock area near the Spanish Arch, was at that time, outside the walls. While the Arch’s origins are lost in history, It is believed that it was built in 1584 and was part of the city walls, built to protect merchant ships from looting. A medieval map of 1610 shows a rectangular fort at the location, which was known as Ceann na Bhalla (end of the wall).
The Arch leads to the “long Walk” where in times past, Galway Gentry strolled. It got its name “The Spanish Arch” because of the frequent visits of Spanish ships that came to trade in Galway. The Spanish Arch consists of two arches. One was known as the Blind Arch.
At the front of the Arch is the historic Fish market area, adjoining Spanish Parade. Here the Claddagh women folk came to sell the catches of fish caught by the Claddagh fishing fleet. A wooden sculpture by Claire Sheridan who lived in the adjacent building during the 50s now adorns the Arch. Beside the Spanish Arch is now the City Museum which houses a cross section of Material relating to live in Galway over the centuries. The Claddagh (an Irish word meaning strand) is located directly across on the west bank of the river, and it was a fishing village where the people spoke Irish and dressed in traditional costume and lived their lives apart from the
city of Galway. They socialised and married people from other Gaeltacht ereas. The old houses were knocked down and rebuilt in 1934 but the same families are living there for generations although now they have lost the old traditional ways and all speak English. Sometimes they married Spanish sailors so there are many families there with raven black hair and beautiful brown eyes! Columbus Sculpture The Columbus Sculpture at the other end of the Spanish Parade resembles a seabird and was presented to the city of Galway by the city of Genoa, the birthplace of Columbus on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America 1992). It also commemorates Columbus’s stay in Galway in 1477. It is believed that during his stay Columbus prayed in the Church of St Nicholas.
Museum opens 7 days in summer, 3 days in winter, 11.M- 5PM CLOSED 1-2PM) ADMISSION €2.00 STUDENTS €1.0 |
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Saturday Market
10 mins walk from The Periwinkle B&B (Bed & Breakfast Accommodation, Galway City). Visit the Market outside St Nicholas' Church on Saturday morning and you can buy a picnic fit for a king! Small food producers from the region will be there, with cheese, bread, preserves, cake and oganic fruit and veg. It is feast for the eyes as well as all the other senses. The market has taken place in Galway every Saturday for 500 years and in that time has undergone many changes. Long ago it was held at Eyre Square but for the past many years it has been held in front of St Nicholas Church. As a child I remember people buying fowl, live, or cleaned and plucked, home made country butter and of course the vegetables and plants we can still buy there. Many of my friends and neighbours never miss a Saturday morning at the market, they buy their fruit and vegetables, plants, cheeses candles, olives, hot crepes, bread, jewellery, woollens and hand made items to name a few. It’s a place where you allow time to bump into neighbours and friends and might even go for coffee with them, its both a productive and a very social occasion as everyone relaxes, browses, bargains and takes time to chat and yet come home with vegetables for the week and plants and advice for the garden! This is the way we have done things for centuries and its just as relevant today as it was in the past. And as we are fast becoming a multi cultural society the changes are being reflected in the market where one can now get an even greater variety of food available, Madras curry, Yummy Crepes, Japanese Sushi, and mouth watering handmade chocolates among many others or you can buy the ingredients for a delicious gourmet picnic. To get the best fruit and vegetables etc one should be there early in the morning but the more social shoppers are time enough at 11.am or 12.am! The Market normally finishes around 2pm (depending on the weather!). There is now a market on Sundays also 2pm – 6pm, but so far I have not been there, somehow I don’t think it could have the same atmosphere but maybe I am wrong!
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Nora Barnacle's House
15 min walk from the Periwinkle B&B. (Bed & Breakfast accommodation. Galway
Nora Barnacle, wife of James Joyce, (1882-1841), lived in No 8 The Bowling Green, adjacent to St Nicholas’ Church. This auburn-haired, fiery woman was the perfect foil for one of literature’s most influential writers.It is said that she provided the inspiration for the character Molly Bloom in 'Ulysses'.
James Joyce was a regular visitor to Galway and has written several poems and articles based in Galway including. She Weeps Over Rahoon’.
The house in which Nora Barnacle grew up is now a small museum. It is open to the public from late May until end August, Tuesday to Friday and some Saturdays.10.am - 5.pm and a knowledgeable guide is available. .tel 091 564743 |
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Lynch's Castle
12 min walk from The Periwinkle B&B (Bed & Breakfast accommodation, Galway City).
Lynch’s Castle is located on the northwest corner of Shop Street and Abbeygate Street, and is a fine example of a town castle. Town castles were popular homes for wealthy merchants in Ireland in the 15th and 16th centuries.The Lynch family were first among the 14 Tribes in power.
The earliest recorded member of the family is Thomas de Linch, provost of Galway 1274. Moreover, the name Lynch features prominently in all surviving records of Galway life from the 13th Century onwards.The family were instrumental in wrestling the town from the lordship of the Burkes and setting it on the path to independence. Also, they were almost entirely responsible for the instrument of Autonomy, the Charter of Mayoralty granted by King Richard 111 in London in 1484 and so a Lynch became the first Mayor of Galway and in total 64 individual Lynches have occupied the office of Mayor of Galway since that time.
The castle has been beautifully restored over the years. In fact it is the only medieval building left intact and in present day use in Galway, it is now used as a bank. The castle contains beautiful stone carvings on the exterior along with a number of decorative windows and dates back to the late 15th century.On the Abbeygate side it has two harness like half arches with round holes parallel to the window. The holes once contained wooden beams, which were used to haul up furniture too large to come through the door. It has been in use for various commercial purposes since atleast the early 1800’s, and in 1930 was bought by Allied Irish Banks, who undertook a programme of restoration. In the course of the renovations they discovered an early 17th century fireplace, which has been re erected in the vestibule.
Lynch’s Castle is one of Galway’s great treasures, most of us pass by without a second glance, but it is worth taking a few minutes to pause and look at the wonderful carvings, and to wander into the vestibule and look at the amount of Galway history on display on its walls.
The most well known story concerning the Lynch family is the connection with Mayor James Lynch Fitz Stephen, who is alleged to have hung his own son after being found guilty of murdering a young Spaniard who winked at his girlfriend, in the 1490’s. However those suspicions of the veracity of the incident which is said to have taken place at what is now a free standing wall with a pointed window adjacent to St Nicholas’ graveyard, have pointed out that the date of the stone =work is wrong for the period in which the story is set. Moreover, there is no record of such an event, because as was pointed out some years ago “you can’t hang a 15th century man out of a 16th century window”! Many of us still believe that that is the origin of the word “lynching”.
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