Well it’s day 7 of my trip around Ireland so we’re halfway. Today we’re going to spend the day wandering about the city of Galway and we’ll stay again this evening at the Dean Hotel. The Dean is really hopping as there seem to be a number of events going on with lots of very young people dressed to the “nines” as me mum would have said.
I think I’ll just add some images to give you a sense of what downtown Galway is like. Very busy would be an understatement, but then it is a Saturday and the weather is fantastic.
The Spanish Arch was a bit of a disappointment as there’s not much left and it was tricky to find. I walked past it at one point without realizing what it was. It should be noted that it was seriously damaged in 1755 when the “Lisbon Earthquake” caused a tsunami which destroyed a great portion of the gate.
The link with the Spanish is quite interesting as it all started when the remnants of the Spanish Armada were wrecked during storms at various points along the west coast of Ireland. In July to August of 1588, the Armada had escaped a pursuing English navy by sailing north along the east coast of Ireland then coming around to come down the west coast and home. Unfortunately bad weather ensued and 24 of the ships were lost. At various points along the Irish coast there is evidence of Spanish sailors who were saved and stayed to find a home in Ireland.
It’s quite interesting to go for a walk through the Dunnes Stores mall and find remnants of the original defensive wall of Galway. The rest of the walls are long gone but it’s nice to see these remnants preserved in such a peaceful environment.
A fitting way to end a wander around Galway is to rest with a book in Eyre Square park.
I’ll post these and other photos to Flickr.
Stand down.
Great images as usual Ken. Very evocative.
That old boat sitting aside the seawall hasn’t moved for a tad has it?