Galway City Guide

Eyre Square, Latin Quarter & Salthill

From the station across Eyre Square into Shop Street, where a castle works as a bank branch between the buskers. Through the Latin Quarter to the Spanish Arch of 1584 and the colourful Long Walk house row, then over the bridge into the old fishing village of Claddagh, whose ring half the world wears. For the finale, the Salthill promenade – with a diving-tower dare and the duty to kick the wall at the end.

1. Eyre Square – The green opener lies right outside the station: Eyre Square, city property since 1710 but officially "John F. Kennedy Memorial Park" – for it was here that Kennedy gave one of his last great speeches in Europe in June 1963, months before Dallas. A limestone memorial with a bronze profile recalls the visit, and the city buses gather around the square. Glance at the fourteen flags on the western edge: they stand for the fourteen merchant families, the "Tribes", who ruled Galway for centuries – the nickname "City of the Tribes" will accompany you all day.
2. Shop Street & Lynch's Castle – Galway's main artery is one long stage: on Shop Street, buskers play everything from traditional Irish folk to jazz, often only metres apart. In the middle stands Lynch's Castle, the town castle of the Lynch merchant family from the 15th and early 16th centuries, with gargoyles and the carved arms of the Lynchs, King Henry VII and the Fitzgeralds. The twist: since 1918 a bank branch has worked inside the castle – so you can withdraw cash in a medieval tower house. During bank hours, the counter hall is worth a look.
3. St Nicholas' Church – This church has stood at the heart of the city since 1320, dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of seafarers – hardly anything could suit a harbour town better. It is considered Ireland's largest medieval parish church in continuous use. Legend has it that Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477 while visiting Galway; there is no evidence, but the story is told fondly anyway. Well documented, by contrast, is the roughest chapter: after the siege of 1652, Cromwell's troops stabled their horses in the nave. On Saturdays a market wraps itself tightly around the church walls.
4. Latin Quarter – Between Shop Street and the river crowds Galway's prettiest quarter: cobbled lanes, brightly painted facades, bunting strung over Quay Street and the city's highest pub density. On the corner glows the cobalt blue of Tigh Neachtain, in the same family's hands since 1894 – a photo motif by day, one of the best addresses for traditional music by night. Simply drift: the quarter is small enough to get lost in and still keep coming out at the water.
5. Spanish Arch & City Museum – At the riverbank the old town ends in a piece of city wall: the Spanish Arch was built in 1584 to protect the quays – its name recalls the thriving trade with Spain that made Galway rich; originally it was simply called "head of the wall". An offshoot of the tsunami after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake is said to have damaged it. Right beside it sits the Galway City Museum with city history from the Middle Ages to the present, free of charge – and its upper windows give you the best elevated view of the river. On sunny days half the town gathers on the lawn by the arch.
6. Long Walk – Behind the arch waits Galway's most famous motif: the Long Walk, a row of colourful houses right on the water's edge, laid out in the 18th century by descendants of the Eyre family. The whole glory is barely three hundred metres long – and still the most photographed piece of the city. Walk the row once, but remember: the actual postcard shot is taken from the opposite Claddagh side, where the next stop takes you. With a little luck, swans pose in the foreground.
7. The Claddagh – Across the Wolfe Tone Bridge you cross into the Claddagh, a formerly Gaelic-speaking fishing village at the mouth of the Corrib whose roots are traced back to the 5th century. It became world-famous through a piece of jewellery: the Claddagh ring, two hands holding a crowned heart – friendship, love, loyalty. It is traced back to the goldsmith Richard Joyce, abducted by corsairs around 1675, who learned the craft in captivity and returned to Galway; his maker's mark is indeed found on early rings, the rest is legend with a heart. From Nimmo's Pier, the Long Walk lies opposite you in full width – the photo of the day.
8. Salthill & Blackrock – The final act belongs to the Atlantic: from the Claddagh the coast draws across to Salthill, where the two-kilometre promenade has been the city's walking route for generations. At the Blackrock end stands the diving tower from the 1950s, once a men's bathing spot, today locals of every age jump into Galway Bay here in any weather. Important if you want to jump in too: people only jump at high tide; at low tide the water below is far too shallow. And then the ritual: whoever has walked the whole promenade kicks the wall opposite the tower before turning back. Nobody remembers why; it is done anyway, and has been for generations. The bus takes you from the kick back to the centre.