Exploring Galway & Its History

Today we got to sleep in a bit, because we didn’t have to meet as a group until 1:30. In the morning all the girls in my hostel room and I got ready for the day and then headed out into Galway to walk around and explore the city. Jill and I went into a few claddagh ring stores to look at jewelry. The Irish claddagh ring was first designed in a village called Claddagh in Galway. The heart in the center of the ring represents love, the crown above the heart represents loyalty, and the hands clasping the heart represent friendship.

The first claddagh ring shop, Galway

A few of us also popped in for a quick look around a small market. We bought some snack bars and tea. After walking around for an hour or so and stopping in other tourist shops, Ashley, Jacob, Claire, and I headed to a pub called McKearney’s for lunch. We enjoyed some really great Irish pub food and drinks.

We met with our group and walking tour guide, Conor. He is studying for his PhD in archaeology and astronomy, so he was very knowledgeable about Galway history and Irish culture. We began in Eyre Park, which is named after Jane and Edward Eyre. Conor explained to us that a hooker was the kind of sails on Irish ships and that there are 14 tribes of Ireland. What I found interesting was what Conor told us about execution in earlier times. The first lynching was performed by a member of the Lynch family, who was mayor of Galway. He had to hang his son for committing a serious crime against a woman, and the process was thus named after him. We got to see the window where Mayor Lynch tied rope around his son’s neck and threw him out.

Hooker sails in Eyre Park

Lynch

We then went into St. Nicholas’s Church, which is an Anglican/Episcopal church that dates back hundreds of years. One of the more famous visitors of the church to us was Christopher Columbus. Both Jane and Edward Eyre’s tombs are located in St. Nicholas. Conor also showed us one of the older buildings in the city, a 500 year old Lynch family building that was turned into a bank. The gargoyles on the top of the building are a classic architectural design whose purpose was to spit water when it rains. This is where the term “gargle” comes from.

Jane Eyre's tomb in St. Nicholas's Church

National Bank of Ireland

We concluded the tour with the breathtaking Galway Cathedral and the National University of Ireland at Galway. The cathedral was built in the 1950’s (very new compared to most architecture in Galway) and has been named the greatest cathedral in Europe. I was taken back by the marble floors and cedar pews. We ended at the old main quadrangle at the university’s campus, which really looked like an old stone castle with vines crawling up the sides.

JFK

Galway Cathedral

NUIG

Later that night, we had a three-course dinner reservation at a local Irish pub and restaurant as an entire group. I loved chatting with Kelly and Dr. Haavisto and the girls around me at the table. I also have found a new love for Irish vegetable soup! After coming back to the hostel, all the girls in my room and I went out to the pubs to enjoy Irish folk music. Jill and I stayed out pretty late, but we got to meet so many great Irish people, and some visitors from England and even Idaho in the States. I feel that going to pubs and interacting with the locals is one of the best ways to really get to know the people here and learn about their identity.