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Great guides of Galway

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Great guides of Galway

Welcome to Galway! Join us for the Legendary Walking Tour of Galway. We depart from the Steps of the Galway City Museum.
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Tours run at 3.30 and 5pm (Mon-Fri) and 2pm and 4pm on Sat and Sun. For bookings, group rates an more...please get in contact

23/05/2024

So here's a good one...cows, sheep or people...which are the most numerous?

Well the numbers are in, and the results are...

In third place it's people at 276,451 as of the 2022 census,

In runner-up position it's our cattle heard at 435,343 (according to the Irish cattle breeding federation in 2021)

but the winners are the sheep at 442,851, with an average flock size of 107 according to the 2022 National Sheep and Goat census. I presume it is quite difficult to get an exact number as so often the officials fall asleep half-way through the count. Some of them will we our very own breed...the Galway sheep.

As we are in election season, I suggest that the cows should demand a re-count!

03/05/2024

This may be a bit left field, but Galway has its place in Cricket History. Colonel Kumar Sri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, (1872-1933), or simply ”Ranji” was an Indian cricketer who became ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar.
Ranjitsinhji was an unorthodox batsman whose fast reactions and individual style were to revolutionise the game. He is particularly associated the leg glance, (I appreciate I have now lost 98% of Irish and American readers) which he certainly popularised and probably invented.
He has been called the "Father of Indian Cricket" and the annual first-class championship of India, is still called the Ranji Trophy. He may have never played on Eyre Sq, but he did go on to own Ballynahinch castle in Connemara (now a top hotel) He arrived every summer, around June. In Galway, before heading to Ballynahinch in his own private rail carriage, he would buy five motorcars - two limousines and three smaller cars - that, when leaving again for India in October, he would give away as gifts!

14/04/2024

At last! I managed to recover my account, so I'll be back with a post a week, probably each Sunday. First world problems eh?
Todays post is taken at the exact corner where Ed Sheeran used to busk from before he was famous. With the family visiting the Grandparents in Mayo each year he came here to ply his skills.
I heard an interview recently when he claimed (being modest I presume) that he earnt about 2 euros one day and nothing on another....don't believe a word of it!
More about Ed another day, for now I will leave you with Ed's corner outside the now departed 'Treasure Chest' chest. Sad to see another of Galway fixture bite the dust.

17/02/2024

I visited the Museum of Justice recently in Nottingham in the UK. I can certainly recommend it if you happen to 'be in the area' as they say.
The museum inhabits the old Nottingham jail and also features a rather impressive courtroom that was in use until more modern times. They hold a somewhat farcical 'fake trial' that is certainly enjoyable and is based on real events. With audience participation (I was a drunken police officer for a few moments) the ham acting knew no bounds.
It was interesting to see two men mentioned with links to Galway. It's William Joyce however who we can claim as one of our own...unfortunately.

Although born in the United States the family ended up in Galway where he attended 'the Jez'. It's said that in a playground fight there his nose was broken, so he always spoke with a nasal whine in later years. The scar came from an incident where someone wasn't too impressed with his support of Hi**er in the Pre-year wars.

Fleeing to Germany as war broke out, he became a leading propogandist in the second World War. His signature catchphrase was 'Germany calling, Germany calling'.
After the war he was tried and hanged in London Wandsworth jail.
Many years later his body was returned to his sister and re-buried in Galway.

As for Oscar...well we do have that lovely piece on Shop Street.

I

10/02/2024

A new mural has appeared in Galway recently. If your arriving at the coach station on Fairgreen road then take a very small diversion, up the slight hill to view it. You can then easily turn right to the rail station and onto Eyre Sq.
It features the iconic view of the 'Long walk', but also the Salthill diving boards and for some reason a man in a red safety helmet fishing a pint of Guinness out of the canal. The symbolism is lost on me...but if anyone can enlighten us?

04/02/2024

Thought I would give sport a try this week. The Six Nations annual tournament kicked off on Friday and provided an emphatic win over les bleus.
The man of the match, for my money at least, was our own Bundee Aki. Although a Kiwi by birth he has naturalised here and seems now firmly rooted in Oranmore, just down the road from Rugby Sportsground on College Road in Galway.

You need a few calories to keep going as (arguably) the world's finest rugby player. I don't know if Bundee is partial to a burger or not, but if you want to try one for yourself 'Supermacs' promoted one during the world cup...i'm sure it will return in time and some local pubs (e.g the Dail) bar does an especially good one! Try one

BTW some people are still trying to figure out if his name should be pronounced ' Ah-key' or 'Ack -ee' , any thoughts?

27/01/2024

Who let the dogs out? Galway may be well known for it commitment to public art...but not this piece. Located in the housing estates of Doughiska, I doubt any tourist to our city has ever seen it unless they happen to have booked a really cheap air bnb...but that's just my speculation.

As almost all of the new houses here were completed in the last 20 years or so it is somewhat surprising that no record (at least via my google search) of the artworks provenance seems to exist. Is it a planned piece by the developer who has now gone bust along with their records? Is it a piece of 'guerrilla art'? Is it the product an eccentric unknown artist pining for a certain canine?

The sculpture certainly is technically proficient, but why the avatar-like blueness and why are the six blue dogs all in a straight line?

If you do seek it out I can thoroughly recommend pondering over your findings at the 'Neighbourhood cafe' a short distance away just past the the architectural gem of Doughiska...the local Lidl.

23/01/2024

My post this week is a little delayed due to storm Isha. I'm convinced that the Irish Met office come up with names just to confuse foreign news journalists. I hope we don't have too many more...we havn't got a Q,Y or Z ready.

A couple of years back the UK went with 'Betty' (it was a public vote
thing)...you have to love that sense of humour...Betty doen't sound aggressive at all. Its the name of a kindly old aunt whose main interests in life are goosberry jam and watching 'Countdown'.

In the current storm we lost the clocktower off the highpoint of Garvey's pub. Nowadays the pub has new owners and is called 'thirteen'. It doesn't alter the fact it will always be Garvey's to me and a certain John Wayne is said to have sunk a few pints there.

13/01/2024

Today's post refers to one of the great characters of our city, Dick (or Richard I suppose) Martin.
As the local MP he had no problem rigging election although his luck did eventually run out spending his last days as a bankrupt in France. Imagine the shame.

In his lifetime he acquired not one but two nicknames. As 'hair-trigger' dick it is said he fought over 1,000 duels and won every one.

He might not have cared much for his fellow human beings, but he certainly loved animals. As one of the founders of the RSPCA (Royal Society for the protection of cruelty to animals) he is better remembered as 'Humanity dick'. The animal charity celebrated its 200th birthday just last week.

His home is now to a pub in the Latin Quarter...you can find it yourselves!

06/01/2024

The weather outside is frightful...but not as bad as Storm Desmond back in 2015. The wonderful Teresa Mannion delivered a warning from Salthill prom warning us not to go out. The impassioned 30-second report went very viral indeed. It's amazing how it still terms up in comedy programmes or as an insert on a social media thing.

Perhaps fewer people have seen the nice little mural that has been completed to highlight this lovely little footnote in our history.

You can find it at the junction of Whitestrand Road and Father Griffin road.....do go out and find it!

30/12/2023

Happy new year to 2024!
Last year, I somehow managed to ignore facebook for the year, but new year...new year's resolution....I'm going to put a post up every week that hopefully people find interesting. The plan is to pick out more of the 'quirky, 'odd' or just 'Downright Galway' over the next 12 month. I hope you enjoy it.

To kick us off here is a little montage of little things that caught my eye this year. And as a little teaser...which one isn't even in Galway?

As always you can contact me for information on tours, private groups etc. Best wishes to all for a healthy and happy 2024!

01/09/2021

Our university 1845 along with the colleges in Belfast and Cork. Established by an act of Parliament. It's often spun that they were built in response to demands for Roman Catholics to be able to avail of a university education. The alternative view was that the British Empire was so vast that it was necessary to invest in 'local talent' to keep the wheels of state turning.
When the first intake of students walked through the door in 1849 they were all men, all 68 of them. Nowadays numbers are up around 18,000.

Now hidden away on a patch of grass behind the main Quadrangle is the British Royal Coat of arms. It formallly stood at the entrance to the Courthouse but was removed for 'safe keeping' during the war of Independence and never returned.
It's not clear as to the motivation for this act as it must weigh a ton and take some moving!
It may have been out of lingering respect for the British monarchy, or more likely that whatever it represented, it was still a work of artistic merit and so should be protected.
Interestingly the Royal coat of arms has strong Irish features. The harp appears first around 1603 under the reign of James I, even if the 'kingdom of Ireland' was seen as integral part of Britain in the time of Henry VIII.

Some of our the pictures refer some rather impressive alumni…Michael O' Shaughnessy is often wrongy credited with designing the Golden Gate Bridge itself, although as the first City engineer he certainly would have huge influence with the actual designer, Joseph Strauss who worked with several other highly gifted structural engineers. At 2.7 km it was the longest in the world when it opened in 1937. The central span held the record for the longest span until 1964, and it remains one of the most recognisable bridges anywhere on the planet.
Galway's O' Shaughnessy bridge is a slightly more modest affair at around 50 meters in length. I suspect that per meter it was probably more expensive to build than its American big brother!

Another engineer is Alice Perry, a Galwegian and graduate of the university. She has several claims to fame, the foremost that she was the first woman ever to graduate from a European University with a degree in Engineering (in 1906). She also remains (and I'm sure this must change very soon) the only woman to hold a post of County Engineer in Ireland. She held this job for only a few months after her father (who was the County Engineer) passed away.
At the time she was part of the Suffragette movement, along with her two sisters.
Later she worked in London as a teacher and had several volumes of her poetry published.
Perhaps a little know figure, but what a backstory!

NUIG also has some ‘hidden treasure’ in its on-site museums.

The "Dead Zoo" housed in the Ryan building at NUIG. It's just two rooms...and it's free!
Many people consider an exhibition of stuffed animals to be a little on the old-fashioned side, or perhaps just a bit weird. Where else however are you ever going to lay eyes on a Dodo?
Many of the museums specimens come from the Natural History museum in South Ken, London. They had at some point whatever the eqivalent is of a 'boot sale' for museums. Galway picked up a good deal of Charles Darwin's back catalogue this way.

The newest museum is the Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland.
It must seem unbelievable to millenials that 40 years ago in 1981 we were wowed by the incredible power of the Sinclair ZX81. It had a massive 1k of Ram. That's not one Kb, or one gig, but a whole 1024 bytes (or was it bits?)...in those days you had to make everyone count.
The curator is Brendan Smyth, a wonderful Galway character, universally known as 'Speedie'. His email is below if you wanted to arrange a visit...it's well worth it!
http://www.nuigalway.ie/visitorscomputermuseum/
It's also possible to visit on spec as well, but probably better to check it out beforehand during these strange times we are in at the moment.

24/08/2021

College Road in Galway takes its name from the former Grammar school, nowadays the home of Yeats' college, an independent school.
Galway Grammar School, was an institution that dated back to Cromwellian times and the work of the philianthropist Erasmus Smith. He established five schools across the Island of Ireland. Arguably Galway was the least succesful with low numbers meaning it was hard to field full sports teams. Despite offering a free education, the school had a strong Protestant ethos that must have put some off.
Either that or the fact that they had to play those protestant games like rugger, haw-key, and cricket.
After a spell with NUIG and a time lying derelict the 1815 building has been beautifully restored and is open occasionally during the summer for those interested in having a nose about- see Yeats' college website for details.

Interesting the link to rugby remains as further down the road is Connacht’s rugby stadium. The stadium is quite ‘open’, so the weather remains Connacht rugby's secret weapon, many have team from warmer climes have succumbed to the rainswept conditions that can turn up here on any day of the year. Luckily most Irish players tend to be waterproof.
The place also doubles as the greyhound stadium/ Races are suppposedly organised on the basis that each dog is of very similar speed to the others in the race, and therefore it should always be a close run thing.
Despite that I always seem to put my money on some three legged affair that sseems to shares more DNA with Nikita Mazepin rather than Max Verstappen.
I think the gates to the stadium are great, nice touch.

College Road is as also home to this pair of two ton monsters are Russian, captured by the British during the Crimean war. The Crimean war gave us Florence Nightingale and the charge of the Light Brigade, but beyond that most people know little of the conflict.
These examples probably come from the battle of Inkerman (no, I didnt remember that one either) and were presented to Galway in August 1857. Obviously it was pouring out of the heavens so speeches had to be shortened. They originally stood outside the Railway Hotel (now the Hardiman), presumbly to welcome guests.
They were later removed to Athlone when some fearer that could be re-purposed by Irish Nationalist groups. Later they moved to a new location on Eyre Square and relatively recently up to City Hall on College Road.
The guns are antiques, heavy lumbering things, out-of-date even when new, clumbersome and difficult to deal with...I wonder why they are parked outside City Hall.

10/08/2021

Middle street is one of Galway’s great little streets. The name may be very ordinary (it’s the street between Shop street and St Augustine Street, hence ‘middle street’).

The area includes Buttermilk lane which cuts through to Shop street. It was formally more residential in nature although most residents moved out in the 1940's.
It has changed its name a few times over the years depending on the main trade that was carried on there. You certainly can't buy buttermilk or find a shoemaker there any more so 'Shirt lane' would perhaps be more appropriate (Anthony Ryans owns most of the buildings on one side of the lane)

Middle Street also has not one but two fantastic places to tuck into a slice or nine of the greatest of Italian inventions. Both these restaurants are Galway born and bred (other pizza outlets on the street are available, but you dont want to go there).
Wooza is as authentic as you can get with an Italian family producing pizza in a proper wood-fired oven, and also producing a great atmosphere. In addition they also have a take-away branch on Sea Road. With current covid restrictions open-air dining have been made more available...hopefully something that will continue long after we have rid ourselves of the coronavirus.
Further up the street the other pizza joint is the 'Dough brothers', a great name and its 'plywood chic' interior really appeals to the large student population in our city. Once again great pizza and the knowledge that the company really takes on board its place in the community...they are always seem eager to help out local charity events such as the sleep out for the homeless campaign.

And how could we miss out Charlie Byrne’s bookshop? When George Orwell wrote his article called 'Moon under water' he was writing about the 'perfect pub' (which actually never existed in reality). He would have been better off writing about bookshops..because Charlie Byrne’s comes pretty close to that.
In the last twenty or so years the shop has been open it has moved several times, beginning in what is now a barbers shop in Dominik street.
In the present location it has about six rooms, filled to the brim and rather unusually it utilises the outside space (locked at night thankfully) for many thousands of 'bargain buys'.
So what makes it so great...well it's an inviting place to browse and read, comfortable chairs and no pressure to buy. None of the harsh lighting of modern bookshops selling mass-produced pap. The mixture of books is great too...antiquarian, local interest, bargain, childrens', special interest and new. They also have regular events of book readings, signings and other 'arty events'.
Even perfection needs a flaw, and the only one I can think of is that the occasional book gets misfiled on the racks...I recently spotted a copy of the 'Underground railroad' about the secret smuggling of Black slaves in America in the 'Transport and travel' section!

27/07/2021

This week is 'Race week'in Galway. Far from being something connected to BLM, this is all about the 'orses.

Galway racecourse has some very unique features to it that make it one of the most interesting racecourses in the world.

First up is the fact that it has a ruined castle in the infield section and how may other racecourses can say that? In years past people have been employed to prevent local lads using it has a climbing frame during the races.

Secondly the course holds the record for the shortest distance between two fences...and it is as they approach the finish straight. It's led over the years to many a horse being wrong footed and incurring the 'disappointment' of those who had laid down cash on its back.

Lastly (and this has now sadly gone in 1999), it has been commonly claimed to lay host to the world's longest bar. Certainly temporary bars have been longer...but was this the longest permanent bar in the world?...possibly, but it seems to be a fruitful area of research for someone to nail.

25/07/2021

Ken Bruen is a modern Irish crime novelist, a native of our city. A man who shuns the limelight but the more he tries to live in obscurity, the more famous he becomes.

He is probably most well known for the 'Jack Taylor' series of novels which have been adapted for a TV series and star Iain Glenn (most famous for his GoT role). The actor in question clearly loves playing the down-at-heal gumshoe type detective against the backdrop of Galway.

Each 90 minute programme (there are 9) can be enjoyed by itself, although there is an loose narrative arc that runs through them. With two new Jack Taylor novels having come out during the pandemic let's home more TV or film portrayals are in the offing.

So the odd one out? This must be Jack Taylor, all the others (Sherlock Holmes, Morse and Bergerac) have quantifiably increased tourism to their backdrop locations....but Jack Taylor has probably hasn't....far too dark...

23/07/2021

Walter Macken’s (1915-1967) work can easily be picked up at ‘any good bookshop’ as they say. A Galway native, he moved on from doing the paperwork for Galway City Council rates department to more more creative work…

Ten novels (plus another two still unpublished) flowed, plus plays, numerous short stories, articles and more. He even turns up in a few films as an actor.
For a while he was the manager of Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, the national Irish language theatre of Ireland has been going since 1928 and stands in Middle street, Galway
One of its most famous productions was 'Mungo's Mansions', was penned by Walter. His story of everyday folk was based on his observations of local people in middle street as he took his breaks from his duties there.
Although he changed names and locations many people recognised who he was referring to...and they were not best pleased!
Interestingly he refers to the re-location of some of the poorest tenement dwellers there to new locations in 'The Wild West'...or Shantalla as we know it now.

He had a wonderful way of working…after pacing around his room and smoking most of a packet of ci******es (and some say a bottle of brandy, but I won’t) he would type for about an hour solidly.

It was then Peggy’s turn…his wife (also a Galway native whose family took a long time to adjust to Walter somewhat precarious profession) would then avidly read his first draft. If she cried he knew it was good…if she didn’t it went straight in the bin!

21/07/2021

Patrick Conroy, maybe Ireland’s most famous writer in the Irish language was born in Galway in 1882. He left for London in 1900 and became Increasingly interested in the Irish language, re-inventing himself as Padraig O Conaire. The civil service job he had was not exactly taxing so he had plenty of energy left to write and teach. Those 15 years in the great smoke were the most productive years of his life. His novels and short stories breaking the mould of Irish storytelling by taking on modern themes. He returned to Ireland in 1915, although no-one is quite sure why. Romantically it could be a desire return to his homeland. More likely was the fact he had just been sacked from his job, wanted to separate from his partner, or perhaps thought he might be called up to fight in the trenches of Flanders

Padraig is of course most well known for M'asal Beag Dubh, usually translated as 'My little black donkey'. Some of his other works are still available from his output of 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays. Somehow a few lines on facebook seems unworthy!
Living back in Galway the writing didn't pay many of the bills, so he worked variously as a journalist with the Connacht Tribune, a teacher at the Galway Technical Institute and in Irish summer schools. His most famous book also went on to inspire a famous internet hoax…

When Arsenal went looking for a new superstar in 2008 their attention was caught by news reports of a 16-year old Moldovian 'wunderkid'. Reports spread of them desperately seeking him out to play for the Gunners, with other Premiership clubs chasing close behind. Unfortunately for them he was the creation of Irish Journalist Declan Varley.
He was rather fed up of the endless stories concerning transfer speculation and invented this piece of 'fake' news. The fictional player was named as 'Masal Bugduv', a close match for M'asal Beag Dubh - the story of the little black donkey by Padraig O Conaire.
Overpaid lazy donkeys? I'm sure that's never happened at Arsenal before.

His statue that has been loved by generations of Galwaegians and visitors alike. The modern bronze replacement for the 1930's original that now sits for safe keeping in the city Museum.
It had to be moved after the incident in 1999 when a group of men were arrested for de-capitating the statue, probably not out of any directed malice towards Padraig, but rather the result of having had a skinfull.
The story goes that the Gardai were tipped off when a bag containing the head rolled down the centre of the bus taking them home the next morning.
The judge at the trial said the action was as bad as if someone had stolen the Mona Lisa!

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Galway

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Monday	5pm - 6:15pm
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Wednesday	5pm - 6:15pm
Thursday	5pm - 6:15pm
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Saturday	2pm - 3:15pm
	4pm - 5:15pm

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