Andrew Lynch, 14th Mayor of Galway

Mayor of Galway

The office of Mayor of Galway is an honorific title used by the of Galway City Council. The Council has jurisdiction throughout its administrative area which is the city of Galway – the largest city in the province of Connacht, in the Republic of Ireland. The office was originally established by a...

, died 25 March 1523.

Lynch was a member of The Tribes of Galway, and served the term 1498-1499. He is notable in that he attempted to connect the Corrib

Corrib

Corrib has multiple meanings. Among the possible ones are:*Lough Corrib, a lake in the west of Ireland, north of Galway.*River Corrib, a river connecting Lough Corrib to Galway Bay through the city of Galway....

 with Lough Atalia on the east of the town. The work was never completed and was afterwards referred to as 'Lynch's Folly

Folly

In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...

.' He was the Mayor who oversaw the first recorded curfew

Curfew

A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...

 in the town.

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, Galway was engaged in a trade war

Trade war

A trade war refers to two or more states raising or creating tariffs or other trade barriers on each other in retaliation for other trade barriers...

 with Limerick

Limerick

Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

. Merchants from the latter city were licenced by letters patent

Letters patent

Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 from Edward IV to arrest any inhabitants of Galway found in Limerick and have their good impounded until a owed by Andrew Lynch fitz Stephen was paid. This was dated 1477 yet the dispute seems to have continued long after. Andrew is stated in a contemporary document to have died while under arrest

Arrest

An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...

 in Dublin in March 1523.

He married Eleanor Martin and had two known children, John Lynch fitz Andrew

John Lynch fitz Andrew

John Lynch fitz Andrew, Mayor of Galway, September 1528-September 1529.Lynch was the son of Andrew Lynch and Eleanor Martin. He had a brother, Arthur Lynch fitz Andrew, who would served as Mayor 1539-40...

 and Arthur Lynch fitz Andrew

Arthur Lynch fitz Andrew

Arthur Lynch fitz Andrew, Mayor of Galway, 1539–40.Lynch was a son of Andrew Lynch who's failed attempt to connect the lower Corrib with Lough Atalia in 1498 was called Lynch's Folly. Arthur died in office, though the date is not precisely known...

. Both would serve as Mayors, for the terms 1528-1529 and 1539-1540 respectively.