Eyre Square was originally a town green in front of the old city gates, used for markets. In the 2000s Eyre Square was completely re-landscaped at huge expense, becoming a modern plaza. There’s a bronze cast of a statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire, one of Ireland’s foremost Irish-language writers, and a bust of John F…
View DetailsThe Latin Quarter is on the left bank of the River Corrib from O’Briens Bridge down to the Spanish Arch. In this small and sociable place you’ll come by many of Galway’s favourite pubs, bars, restaurants, galleries and shops. If you’re on the hunt for classic Irish arts and crafts you’ll be in luck at…
View DetailsSloping down to the river in the Latin Quarter, Quay Street is a fun and friendly pedestrian route with colourful storefronts, trendy shops, restaurants and bar terraces under awnings. Rain or shine there are buskers along the way playing jaunty tunes. There’s a fun, welcoming buzz in all the pubs, which also have live music,…
View DetailsRight in front of the Galway City Museum are the last surviving arches of the Ceann an Bhalla, or Front Wall. Known as the Spanish Arch, this structure was part of defences running from the old Martin’s Tower to the Corrib River to defend Galway’s quays. While the arches aren’t exactly a stirring monument, it’s…
View DetailsHead southwest of the city centre and you’ll soon come to the Salthill Promenade, two kilometres long with a beautiful perspective from the north side of the bay. If you’re fortunate enough to walk the promenade when the skies are clear you’ll see the outline of the Burren down in County Clare, while up in…
View DetailsNamed after one of Galway’s 14 Tribes, the quaint Kirwan’s Lane lies inside Galway’s former city walls. This tight pedestrian street curves through a ravine of rustic stone houses that have elements dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These buildings hold pubs, restaurants, cafes, arts and crafts shops, and outdoor tables skirt the…
View DetailsRight by the Corrib River, the Galway City museum opened in a new building in 2007 and is a free and multifaceted attraction covering Galway’s archaeology, folk history, art and natural history. You can see a traditional Galway sailboat, known as a “hooker”, and the “Great Mace”, a magnificent piece of ornamental silverware produced in…
View DetailsTo look at Galway Cathedral you could be mistaken for thinking that this dignified limestone construction is centuries old. In truth it was begun in 1958 and completed in 1965, on the site of Galway’s old city prison. The architecture is a big jumble, and has Romanesque influences in its plain walls and narrow semi-circular…
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