Galway

This morning we drove from Bunratty to Galway for a walking tour. Galway was one of my favorite stops on the tour. The French set up merchant houses here, and the Irish had to have permission from a French merchant family to enter the walled city. The city has a centralized medieval section that is pedestrian friendly, and I really enjoyed the walk about.

Our walking guide was Sean McGrath, a 4th generation storyteller and historian. He did a great job of bringing the city's history to life. This picture was taken in Eyre Square, also known as J. F. Kennedy square. According to Sean, the Irish revere JFK, right up there with the Pope.

This nondescript building on Eyre Square is the visitor information center. This is where the gallows, like a goal post, used to stand in the 1300s and 1400s. Criminals were brought down and hung while village residents watched. After death, their heads were cut off and put on poles along the street to discourage crime. According to Sean, the kids would kick the heads around in a game that became soccer. I'm still scratching my head on that one.

This bank building was once the Tower House of the Lynch family. It was a merchant house. There are gargoyles lined across the top, all with their mouths open. Sean maintained their purpose was not to ward off evil, but to drain water off the roof, like gutters and spouts. This is where we get the word gargle.

This is St. Nicholas Collegiate Church. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the older church building from the 1200s. The older church belonged to the Knights Templar. The King of France owed them a lot of money, and in 1307 he had them rounded up and taken away to be massacred.

The Kings Head public house, since the 1600s.  The building dates to the 800s. Galway felt like being in a real life Ren Fair.

Next to Galway, on the other side of a stone wall, is Claddagh Village. An Irishman was captured as a slave and taken to Morocco where he worked as a goldsmith. He created the first claddagh ring for the King's daughter at her wedding, and thus won his freedom. He returned to his native Ireland and started Claddagh Village next to Galway. Galway is considered the home of the claddagh. Claddaghs are heavily advertised in Glaway. This building also had a claddagh museum.