GalwayGalway is the fastest growing and is the fifth largest city in Ireland and the only city in the province of Connacht. The city is located on the west coast of Ireland...
, one of the largest cities in Ireland, situated on the west coast of
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
, has a complex history going back around 800 years. The city was the only
medievalThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
city in the province of
ConnachtConnacht , formerly Anglicised as Connaught, is the western province of Ireland, comprising counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. Its main urban centres are Galway in the south, and Sligo in the north...
.
(Alternative) derivations of the name
The city takes its name from that of the river, the
Gaillimh. The word
Gaillimh means "
stony" as in "
stony river". Today, the river is commonly called the
River CorribThe River Corrib in the west of Ireland flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay. The river is among the shortest in Europe, with only a length of six kilometres from the lough to the Atlantic...
, after
Lough CorribLough Corrib is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib/Galway river connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the second largest loch in Ireland . It covers some 165.6km²....
, just to the north. In Irish, Galway is also called
Cathair na Gaillimhe ("city of Galway") which is a modern creation to prevent confusion with
Contae na Gaillimhe / County Galway which is often incorrectly called
Gaillimh in Irish.
There are multiple alternative derivations of the name, some conjectural and some mythical:
- The commonly held view that the city takes its name from the Irish word Gallaibh, "foreigners" i.e. "the town of the foreigners" (from Gall, a foreigner) is incorrect, since the name Gaillimh was applied to the river first and then later on to the town. Also the common word gallaibh (which is pronounced with a broad initial letter a has never been used as an alternative spelling of Gaillimh (which is pronounced without a broad initial letter a.
- The daughter of a local chieftain drowned in the river, and her name was Gailleamh, thus the river was given her name. The chieftain was so distraught that he set up camp at the point to mourn her spirit and keep it company. Later, a town sprung up around the point, and was called Gaillimh in her honour.
Early Galway
Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ('Fort at the Mouth of the Gaillimh') was constructed in 1124, by the King of Connacht Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair. The
Annals of the Four MastersThe Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the deluge, dated as 2,242 years after creation to AD 1616.-Text:...
note that in that year
"Three castles were erected by the Connaughtmen, the castle of Dun-Leodhar, the castle of the Gaillimh, and the castle of Cuil-maeile." This fort is also called a caislean (castle) in the annals. It was attacked in 1132 and 1149. Galway lay in the
túathTúath is an Old Irish word, often translated as "people, tribe or nation". It is cognate with the Old English word theod people, nation, the Welsh tud people and the German root of word deutsch. "Túath" referred to both the people who lived in a shared territory, and the territory they controlled...
of
Clann FhergailClann Fhergail was a cantred located in County Galway, compriseing the baronies of Moycullen and Galway, the parishes of Oranmore and Ballynacourty and Rahoon....
which covered the parishes of St. Nicholas (the medieval city), Roscam and part of Baile an Chláir / Claregalway parish. This district was held by the Ó hAllmhuráin/
O'HalloranO'Halloran ' surname is of Irish descent, as the name breaks down into 'from beyond the sea.' The family motto is 'Clann Fearghaile Abú.' This comes from the Galway branch, Clann Fhergail, whose territory was extensive around Lough Corrib.The name originates from County Clare and County Galway,...
] clan. Clann Fhergail itself was a sub district of Uí Bhriúin Seola the territory of which is called
Maigh SeolaMaigh Seola was a term used to describe the land along the east shore of Lough Corrib in County Galway, Ireland. It was bounded by the Uí Maine vassal kingdom of Soghain. Its rulers up to the 1220s were the Muintir Murchada, who took the surname O'Flaherty...
('plain of Seola'). The Ó Flaithbheartaigh clan held it up until the
NormanThe Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. They descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
invasion of Connacht in the 1230s. As Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe lay in the territory of the O Flahertys they are often recorded as holding this fort for the O Connor Kings of Connacht.
Following an unsuccessful week-long siege in 1230, Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe was captured by
Richard Mor de BurghRichard Mor de Burgh . was the eldest son of William de Burgh and More O'Brien. He was the founder of the towns of Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Galway....
in 1232. Over the following century Galway thrived under the de Burghs (Burkes), becoming a small walled town. After the sundering of the de Burgh (Clanrickards) dynasty in 1333, Galway sought its independence from the feuding Clanrickard Burkes , receiving a murage charter (authority to build a defensive wall) from the Crown in 1396. The English oriented merchant families in the city were anxious to have control over their own affairs without the interference of the gaelicised Burkes in the plains to the east of the city. With independence from the Burkes achieved, Galway became to large degree culturally and politically isolated from the surrounding Gaelic and Gaelic-Norman territories.
Medieval City
Galway received a municipal charter from the crown in December 1484. This ensured the town's independence from the Clanrickard Burkes. At the same time, the creation of the wardenship of Galway gave the townsmen control of the large parish church,
St. Nicholas' Collegiate ChurchThe Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas is the largest medieval parish church in Ireland in continuous use as a place of worship. It is located in Galway in the Republic of Ireland and was founded in 1320, dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of seafarers...
.
Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours. A notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor
Thomas Óge MartynThomas Óge Martyn, fl. 1533-c.1577 was a merchant of Galway and a member of the Martyn family, one of the Tribes of Galway. He was the son of former Mayor of Galway, Wylliam Martin....
, stated "From the Ferocious
O'FlahertyOrigins of the name O'Flaherty is the anglicized form of an old Irish name written as "Ua Flaithbertach" or "Ua Flaithbertaig" in Old Irish and Middle Irish texts. It is the name of one of the major native Irish clanns, whose lineage derived from the Irish royal families...
s may God protect us". A bye-law forbade the native Irish (as opposed to Galway's
Old EnglishThe Old English were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy and England after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169-71. Many of the Old English became assimilated into Irish society over the centuries and their nobility were effectively the ruling class in the...
citizens) unrestricted access into Galway, saying "neither O' nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway" without permission.
During the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen merchant families (12 of
Anglo-NormanThe Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William of Normandy in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
origin and 2 of
IrishIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
origin), the '
Tribes of GalwayThe Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political, commercial, and social life of the city of Galway in western Ireland between the mid-13th and late-19th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D'Arcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan,...
. The city thrived on international trade. In the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
, it was the principal Irish port for trade with
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
and
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. There is a legend of uncertain truth which claims that
Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus was a navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents in the Western Hemisphere...
, on a trip to
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
or the
Faroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands, sometimes Faeroe Islands, Faroe, or Faeroes are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland...
, found signs of land beyond the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
in or near Galway in 1477.
The population of medieval Galway is thought to have been about 3000.
Decline
After the
Irish Rebellion of 1641The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, but developed into inter communal violence between native Irish and English and Scottish Protestant settlers, starting a conflict known as the Irish Confederate Wars....
, Galway was in a delicate position, caught, in effect between the Catholic rebels (
ConfederatesConfederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
) and its
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
garrison ensconced in Fort Hill just outside the city. Eventually, Galway citizens, who were predominantly
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
, went against their garrison and supported the confederate side in 1642. The fort was besieged with the aid of Confederate troops until it surrendered and its garrison was evacuated by sea. During the 1640s, Galway was heavily fortified against an expected counter-attack by English forces, which eventually materialised when English Parliamentarian forces
re-conquered IrelandThe Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of the English Parliament in 1649...
in 1649-52. Galway surrendered to Cromwellian forces in 1652 after a
nine-month siegeGalway, a port city in western Ireland, was besieged from August 1651 to May 1652 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Galway was the last city held by Irish Catholic forces in Ireland and its fall signalled the end to most organised resistance to the Parliamentarian conquest of the...
; plague and expulsions of Catholic citizens followed. The Cromwellian
Act of Settlement 1652The Act for the Settlement of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against participants and bystanders of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest.-Background:...
caused major upheavals, as peoples from east of the
ShannonThe River Shannon is, at 386 km , the longest river in Ireland. It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
were transplanted to
ConnachtConnacht , formerly Anglicised as Connaught, is the western province of Ireland, comprising counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. Its main urban centres are Galway in the south, and Sligo in the north...
and slipped back.
After the demise of the English Commonwealth and the
English RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
in 1660, (and the further
Act of Settlement 1662The Act of Settlement 1662 passed by the Irish Parliament in Dublin. It was a partial reversal of the Cromwellian Act of Settlement 1652, which punished Irish Catholics and Royalists for fighting against the English Parliament in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the wholesale confiscation of their...
and its Act of Explanation 1665), the economy of Galway recovered somewhat. In the next crisis, centred around the deposition of the Catholic King
James IIJames II & VII was King of England and Ireland as James II, and Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, in 1689, Galway supported the Jacobite side. It surrendered without a siege under the
Articles of GalwayThe Williamite War in Ireland, also known as the Jacobite War in Ireland and in Ireland as Cogadh an Dá Rí or The War of the Two Kings, was the opening conflict following the deposition of King James II in 1688 when he attempted to regain the throne of his Three Kingdoms from his daughter Mary II...
of 1691 after the annihilation of the main Jacobite army at the nearby
battle of AughrimThe Battle of Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the Jacobites and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 , near the village of Aughrim in County Galway....
. Thereafter, the city become an economic backwater, and the capital of its old great families were spent overseas. It took about 300 years for the city to regain its former status.
18th century
After the 17th century wars, Galway, as a Catholic port city, was treated with great suspicion by the authorities. Legislation of 1704 (the
Popery ActAn Act to prevent the further Growth of Popery was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Ireland passed in 1703 and amended in 1709, one of a series of penal laws against Roman Catholics....
) stated that no new Catholics apart from sea-men and day labourers could move there. On top of that, when fears arose of a French invasion of Ireland in 1708 and 1715 (during a
Jacobite RisingThe Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in the kingdoms of England, Scotland , and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746...
in Scotland), all Catholics were ordered to leave the city. The corporation, which ran Galway was also confined to Protestants. This is all the more surprising given that a 1762 census showed thatof the town's 15,000 or so inhabitants, only 350 were Protestants. The persecution of Galway's old Catholic merchant elite meant that trade declined substantially, and the once busy harbour fell into disrepair. Local traders compensated to some degree for this by smuggling in goods like
brandyBrandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 36%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
through gaps in the town walls. On 1st November 1755 the
1755 Lisbon earthquakeThe 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, took place on 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami and fires, which caused near-total destruction of Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and adjoining areas...
caused a two-metre
tsunamiA is a series of water waves that is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean. The original Japanese term literally translates as "harbor wave." Tsunamis are a frequent occurrence in Japan; approximately 195 events have been recorded...
to hit the city's coast, causing some serious damage to the "
Spanish ArchThe Spanish Arch in Galway city, Ireland was originally an extension of the town wall from Martin's Tower to the bank of the Corrib, as a measure to protect the town's quays, which were located in the area once known as the Fish Market...
" section of the city wall.
19th century
Galway's economy recovered somewhat from the late 18th as the
Penal LawsThe Penal Laws in Ireland refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that removed power from the native Roman Catholic majority.-Background:...
were relaxed. However the city's rural hinterland suffered terribly in the Great Irish Famine on the 1840s. Unlike other urban centres in 19th century Ireland, which experienced an explosion in their populations, Galway's population actually declined such was the devastation wrought by the famine.
The second half of the century saw some improvement in Galway's position however, as the railway lines reached the city in 1850. Another important development was the creation of a
universityThe National University of Ireland, Galway is a tertiary-level educational institution located in Galway, Ireland...
in
GalwayGalway is the fastest growing and is the fifth largest city in Ireland and the only city in the province of Connacht. The city is located on the west coast of Ireland...
in 1845, then named "Queens University of Ireland".
20th century
Galway city played a relatively minor role in the upheaval in Ireland from 1916-1923. In 1916, during the
Easter RisingThe Easter Rising , was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic...
,
Liam MellowsLiam Mellows , often spelled 'Liam Mellowes', was an Irish Nationalist and Sinn Féin politician. Born in England, Mellows grew up in County Wexford in Ireland. He was active with the IRB and Irish Volunteers, and participated in the Easter Rising in County Galway, and the War of Independence...
mobilised the local
Irish VolunteersThe Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibley formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of...
in the area to attack the
Royal Irish ConstabularyThe armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital. The cities of Derry and Belfast had special divisions within the RIC. The...
barracks at
OranmoreOranmore is a suburban village in County Galway on the outskirts of Galway city in Ireland. With its major housing developments, Oranmore is rapidly becoming a part of Galway's commuter or suburban belt...
, just outside Galway, however they failed to take it and later surrendered in
AthenryAthenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry"....
. During the
Irish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence was a guerrilla war mounted against the British government in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army . It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence, and ended with a truce in July 1921...
1919-21, Galway was the western headquarters for the British Army. Their overhwelming force in the city meant that the local
Irish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
could do little against them. The only initiatives were taken by the University battalion of the IRA, who were reprimanded by the local IRA commander who was afraid they would provoke reprisals. This fear was not without justification, as the nearby town of
TuamTuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
was sacked on two occasions by the
Black and TansThe term Black and Tans refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force The term Black and Tans refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force The term Black and Tans refers to the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force ' onMouseout='HidePop("93277")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Michael_Griffin_(Irish_priest)">Michael Griffin
Father Michael Griffin was an Irish Roman Catholic priest.Griffin was born at Gurteen, near Ballinasloe, County Galway. He was ordained at St Patrick's College, Maynooth in 1917...
was abducted and shot by the British forces. His body was found in a bog in
BarnaBarna is a village west of Galway city in County Galway, Ireland, on the R336 regional road. Once a satellite of Galway city, the village is now rapidly becoming one of its suburbs. Officially the village is regarded as Irish speaking and is therefore a constituent part of the regions of Ireland...
. Galway businessmen launched a boycott against Northern Irish goods from December 1919 onwards in protest against the
loyalistUlster loyalism is a militant unionist ideology held mostly by Protestants in Northern Ireland. Some individuals claim that Ulster loyalists are working-class unionists willing to use violence in order to achieve their aims...
attacks on Catholic nationalists in
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
, a protest that later spread throughout the country.
Before the outbreak of the
Irish Civil WarThe Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
(1922-23), in March 1922, Galway saw a tense stand off between Pro-Treaty and Anti-Treaty troops over who would occupy the military barracks at
RenmoreRenmore is a wide suburb of Galway City, Ireland, situated approximately 2 km to the east of the city. St Oliver Plunkett Church is located beside the primary school. Lough Atalia lies between Renmore and the city, which can be crossed using the public path beside the railway line...
. After fighting broke out in July 1922 the city and its military barracks were occupied by troops of the
Irish Free StateThe Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand....
's
National ArmyThe Irish Army is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces . It was first formed in 1922 after the implementation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and the subsequent foundation of the Irish Free State...
. Two Free State soldiers and one Anti-Treaty fighter were killed and more wounded before the National Army secured the area. The Republicans burned a number of public buildings in the centre of town before they abandoned Galway.
In 1972, part of the city center was destroyed by fire. The area involved the southern-west corner of
Eyre SquareEyre Square is an inner-city public park in Galway, Ireland. The park is within the city centre, adjoining the nearby shopping area of Williams Street and Shop Street....
, where the
Bank of IrelandThe Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, today Bank of Ireland is number two to Allied Irish Banks. The Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
used to be situated.
In more recent years, the resignation of
Eamon CaseyEamon Casey is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of Galway and Kilmacduagh, Ireland. He was previously Bishop of Kerry.-Priesthood:...
as Bishop of Galway in "scandalous circumstances" in 1992 came to be seen as pivotal in the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
's loss of influence in Ireland.
Further Reading
James HardimanJames Hardiman , also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway. The now bears his name. Hardiman is best remembered for his History of the Town and County of Galway and Irish Minstrelsy , one of the first published collections of Irish poetry and songs.Hardiman was...
's History of Galway is considered to the definitive history of
GalwayGalway is the fastest growing and is the fifth largest city in Ireland and the only city in the province of Connacht. The city is located on the west coast of Ireland...
city and county from the earliest of times until the early 19th century.
The book is now out of
copyrightCopyright is a form of intellectual property that gives the author of an original work exclusive right for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain...
and is
available on the web.
A more recent book by John Cunningham, dealing with Galway's 19th-century history was published during 2004. It is entitled 'A town tormented by the sea: GALWAY, 1790-1914', and several excerpts from it
are available on the web
See J.G Simms's
War and Politics in Ireland 1649-1731 for details of 18th century Galway.