Our tour commenced at the Hall of the Red Earl where Galway Civic Trust Development Officer, Michael Quinn introduced the group to the remains of the oldest building to be excavated within Galway’s medieval walls. The 13th century Hall acted as a tax office, a courthouse and town hall rolled into one. It is synonymous with the establishment of the town of Galway by the De Burgo family. The group was also shown replicas of some of the numerous artefacts which were uncovered during the excavation of the hall.
Our next stop was at The King’s Head pub. Originally known as Banks Castle, the building was commandeered by the infamous Colonel Peter Stubbers following the Cromwellian invasion of Galway in the 17tho wielded the axe
on the head of King Charles I in 1649. The group was brought inside to examine a fireplace dating from 1612 which bears the family coat of arms of 3 of the 14 ‘Tribes’ of Galway families.
From there the group moved across to St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church which is Ireland’s oldest and largest medieval parish church still in use in Ireland. Dating from 1320, the church is dedicated to St. Nicholas – 
the patron saint of sailors. Michael told the group of one particularly famous sailor, Christopher Columbus, who visited the Church in 1477. The various internal and external medieval features were then pointed out to the group. These include gargoyle waterspouts, a 16th century baptismal font, vocational grave slabs, and various religious statue
s which were destroyed by Cromwellian soldiers who used the Church as a stable in 1652.
Lynch’s Castle was the next stop on the walk and the group was told that this was the HQ of the all-powerful
Lynch family who were the most prominent of the ‘Tribe’ families. The 15th century castle is the finest example of an urban tower house in the country and is the oldest building still in commercial use, housing as it does, a branch of AIB. It was located at the centre of the medieval town of Galway. The various defensive features and medieval carvings were pointed out to the gr
oup who were told of the particularly curious legend of a sleeping baby being carried to safety by a pet monkey belonging to the Lynch’s during a fire in the castle.
The group then moved along to Eyre Square. This was originally an open area in front of the town walls, known as ‘The Green’. Young men would practise medieval sports here such as archery and swordsmanship. Michael showed the group a copy of the famous 1651 map of Galway which featured jousting take place. The group was also shown the Brown Doorway which was brought to the Eyre Square in 1905 as an example of the fine mansions which the Tribe families owned.
The final stop on the tour was the town walls which are located in the Eyre Square Shopping centre. Michael told the group how the walls and its defensive elements had protected the town and its inhabitants from numerous attacks in medieval times. The walls had led the security and
prosperity of Galway for a period of over 300 years. Ultimately, however, the walls were the undoing of the town when Cromwellian forces employed a siege strategy to starve the town into submission in 1652. It was the 14 signatures of the terms of surrender who became known as the ‘Tribes of Galway’. Michael concluded the tour with a medieval poem which depicted how important the number 14 was to Galway, and, which claimed the city to be twice as good as Rome which could only boast 7 hills.
Note: Galway Civic Trust provides a number of tours in the city - for booking and further information contact Michael Quinn 0876466625: Office:564946