Marteen Lane - Tour Guide & Cultural Heritage Writer

19/08/2024

Heritage Week kicked off last Saturday, the 17th of August. With over 2,000 events countrywide, there's plenty to see and do. Click on the link to see what events are happening in Galway city and county 👉 https://bit.ly/3YPSvAJ

Also, Galway Civic Trust / Dúchas na Gaillimhe is celebrating its 30th Anniversary on Friday the 23rd of August. Be sure to check out the events that will be running on that day. More information can be found on the Galway Civic Trust website 👉 https://galwaycivictrust.ie/

National Heritage Week is running from Saturday the 17th to Sunday the 25th of August. Don't miss out!

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12/08/2024

There is so much medieval history to experience in Galway city, from Lynch's Castle to the Spanish Arch to St. Nicholas's Church. Book your ticket for the Medieval Galway Tour 👉 https://bit.ly/49Vq4nV Booking in advance is essential 🏰

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07/08/2024

Women's history has really come to the fore in the last number of years. There are so many amazing women whose stories have been silenced. Come on the HerGalway Walking Tour and hear the stories of some amazing women associated with Galway. Booking in advance is essential 👉 https://bit.ly/3wNVeim 🚺

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26/07/2024

The All-Ireland Senior Football Final is on this Sunday between Galway and Armagh. There's great excitement for the city and county in the build up to the match.

The best of luck to Pádraic Joyce and the Galway team. C'mon Galway!!!

📸 Galway City Council

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22/07/2024

The swans are ready for the big top and the second week of the Galway International Arts Festival. But most importantly, are you?

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17/07/2024

Below is an 1849 advertisement in a Galway paper which tells us that “A truly lucky vessel, the Seabird” would be ready to take passengers on board as soon as the cargo of yellow corn had been unloaded.

The advert tells us that this ship “will be fitted up in a most commodious manner for the accommodation of passengers”, but in truth, the accommodation consisted of hastily improvised bunks, the lower compartments were places of terrible misery, the ships were invariably overloaded, and the conditions were horrendous.

The average journey was not twenty days but more like six weeks, and bad weather could make this twelve. About twenty per cent of those who sailed perished en route, and sometimes the ships were refused permission to land because of the number of cases of fever on board, causing even more suffering 💀

📸 The Galway Advertiser

📝The Galway Advertiser

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08/07/2024

What an amazing review of my HerGalway Walking Tour. Thank you so much!

Book your ticket here 👉 https://bit.ly/3wNVeim to find out more about the amazing women of Galway 🚺

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05/07/2024

A Galway Ho**er Boat sailing up the River Corrib a few weeks ago.

The Galway Ho**er is an overall term for four different styles of fishing vessel.

The term ‘hooker’ is associated with ‘hook and line’ fishing, where long lines of baited hooks were drawn through the water and individual fish were caught when they went for the bait on each hook. This method of fishing, adopted by Galway fishermen, was referred to as ‘long-lining’. It influenced the labelling of the fishermen as ‘hookers’ and their boats became known as the Galway Ho**ers.

Native Irish speakers in Connemara had their own distinctive terminology for the different varieties of boat and didn’t use the term ‘Galway Ho**er’ until English speakers brought it from outside. Through repetition the word became commonplace. There is some speculation that the term originated in Spain and Britain but the most common theory suggests a Dutch origin. It is believed that the Galway Ho**er was based on a boat that developed in The Netherlands in the 17th century called the ‘Hoeker’, also based on the hook and line fishing. The diversity of local, vernacular boats is dictated by function, environment and local tradition.

The four types of Galway Ho**er are: Bád Mór, Leathbhád, Gleoiteog, and Púcán. The vessels are classified by size and load capacity.

All hookers, with the exception of the Púcán have either an open, or half open deck.

The Bád Mór (Big Boat) is between 35-44 foot long.

The Leathbhád (Half Boat) is roughly half the carrying capacity of the Bád Mór and measures between 28-35 foot.

The Gleoiteog measures 20-28 foot and has a fixed boom and stays.

The Púcán measures 23-28 foot and has no boom or stays ☘️

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01/07/2024

I'm now selling my tours on GetYourGuide. Here are some recent reviews of my dark history tour. If you're visiting Galway City this summer don't miss out and book your ticket 👉 https://bit.ly/4eIgh7p 💀

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28/06/2024

You have until Sunday the 30th of June to avail of the special offer for 20% off tickets for my walking tours. Don't miss out! ☘️

***SPECIAL OFFER***

For the month of June I have a special offer on all my tours. Get 20% off. If you're visiting Galway city don't miss out, book now ☘️

HerGalway Walking Tour: https://bit.ly/3wNVeim 🚺
Medieval Galway Tour: https://bit.ly/49Vq4nV 🏰
Galway Dark Tour: https://bit.ly/4aqYAqr 💀

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24/06/2024

Thank you to these lovely people who came on my dark history tour last Friday. I had people from Germany, LA, Minnesota, and Colorado ☘️

marteenlane.com

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17/06/2024

Nora Barnacle was born in March 1884 to Thomas and Annie Barnacle. She moved to Dublin in 1904 and it was there she met one of our most well-known writers, James Joyce. To find out more about Nora and other remarkable women associated with Galway, book your ticket to the HerGalway Walking Tour: https://bit.ly/3wNVeim Booking in advance is essential 🚺

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12/06/2024

Beautiful sky over Lough Atalia in Galway city.

Lough Atalia is a small enclosed tidal lake, 0.5 kilometres in area with a narrow channel connecting it to the inner bay and river estuary. It was at the periphery of the city until the 1970s but is now enclosed by the eastern inner city and inner suburbs.

The Galway Bay Sailing Club started in Lough Atalia where early members sailed on small craft twice a week in the late 1969s before moving to their present location in Rinville in the mid-1970s.

The lake was the site of three holy wells - of which only one survives - dedicated to St. Augustine after the Augustine Friary which was founded nearby in 1508. The holy well was regarded as having curative powers and was a place of pilgrimage on the 28th of August each year. Today the well is represented by a high cross which is visible at high tide but reveals the sacred site at low tide ☘️

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03/06/2024

***SPECIAL OFFER***

For the month of June I have a special offer on all my tours. Get 20% off. If you're visiting Galway city don't miss out, book now ☘️

HerGalway Walking Tour: https://bit.ly/3wNVeim 🚺
Medieval Galway Tour: https://bit.ly/49Vq4nV 🏰
Galway Dark Tour: https://bit.ly/4aqYAqr 💀

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29/05/2024

I love my job as a tour guide. I'm always meeting lovely people, just like this group from San Francisco and New York, who I showed around Galway a few weeks ago. I hope you all enjoyed your stay in Ireland.

If you're thinking of booking a walking tour of Galway, check out https://marteenlane.com for more information. I provide private tours also and can tweak the tour towards the group's interests. Email me for more information on private tours at [email protected]☘️

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27/05/2024

The Browne Doorway in Eyre Square is an iconic attraction in Galway city with a lot of history. The doorway comes from a house that was once owned by Martin Browne, a prominent merchant living in medieval Galway. The house fell into ruin and the doorway was moved from Lower Abbeygate Street to Eyre Square in 1905.

Find out more on the Medieval Galway Tour. Book your tickets here 👉 https://bit.ly/49Vq4nV and booking in advance is essential 🏰

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13/05/2024

Peg Broderick Nicholson was born at 17 Prospect Hill in Galway city to staunch nationalist parents. She was a member of Cumann na mBan and on one occasion, the Black and Tans raided the local town hall while a dance was taking place. There were guns in the building. Peg managed to smuggle two guns out of the building by hiding them in her underwear.

Hear more about Peg and other amazing women associated with Galway on the HerGalway Walking Tour. Book your tickets here 👉 https://bit.ly/3wNVeim. Booking in advance is essential 🚺

📸 The Galway Advertiser

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26/04/2024

I had a wonderful group from Italy last week. They were on an Erasmus Plus course learning English through Irish culture and heritage. Lots of laughs were had ☘️

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15/04/2024

Galway Dark Tour exposes the visitor to the murky world of murders, executions, and deaths, sharing with them Galway’s dark past.

Hear of the terrible tragedy that happened in the former pro-Cathedral. Discover how the building that's now the King's Head Pub is connected to the beheading of King Charles I of England. Listen to locals' experiences of An Gorta Mór (The Great Famine). Find out why a father hung his own son. Hear about the Maamtrasna murders; murders, which occurred over a hundred years ago but locals are still reeling from today. Discover the story of a young woman who was murdered in a crime of passion.

Don't miss out and book your ticket at https://bit.ly/4aqYAqr 💀

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08/04/2024

What a lovely review. Thank you so much Lisa and Marie for this wonderful review. It was a pleasure showing you both around the City of the Tribes.

If you're interested in the dark side of Galway City book your ticket here 👉 https://bit.ly/4aqYAqr 💀

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25/03/2024

The amazing Plymouth Canton Educational Singers serenading the people of Galway yesterday with their rendition of Dúlamán after a walking tour of Galway city. The rain didn't dampen their spirit ☘️

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22/03/2024

Looking forward to sunny days and sitting by the Long Walk in Galway city. Have you plans to visit Galway this summer? ☘️

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15/03/2024

It's Paddy's weekend and the craic will be ninety! Bíodh deireadh seachtaine na féile Pádraig agaibh ☘️ Have a lovely Paddy's weekend ☘️

11/03/2024

I had a wonderful time recently showing Molly and her friends the dark and murky side of Galway's history on my Galway Dark Tour. Here they are in front of Lynch's Memorial Window, where legend has it, James Lynch Fitzstepehen hung his own son. Thank you for coming on the tour 💀

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08/03/2024

Happy International Women's Day! I want to share with you the story of one of my favourite Galway women, Una Taaffe.

Una Taaffe was born into one of the last wealthy merchant class families of Galway. She lived with her parents and four siblings above the drapery store on William Street. They were well-respected members of the Galway community and played an active role in the everyday life of the city. Una was regarded as one of the most beautiful women of the day, with great style and class. Photos of her youth portray an animated woman who enjoyed a vibrant social life.

A remarkable entrepreneur, Una developed her parents' business into a successful woolen shop, sourcing handknitted woolen jumpers from Connemara and the Aran Islands and exporting them to an international market through a busy portal order service. She is remembered as a generous employer and someone who played an active role in the business community. As she aged and new consumerism succeeded old ways of business, Una's social circle diminished, and to many, she appeared to become a ghost of her former glory. Shops like Taaffes were left behind in many ways and so too was Una.

The considerable contribution that Una made to Galway as a business leader, and as a determined and confident woman is often overshadowed by the decline in her mental health in later years. This departure played out publicly and is often people's lasting memory of her.

And yet Una was a pragmatic woman who defied the social norms of her time. She took over the family business and ran it successfully for many years. She refused marriage, although she did marry a homeless man in the 1980s and was certainly not shy about speaking her mind. She passed away in 2006.

In 2018, theatre director and writer, Elaine Mears captured the imagination of Galway with an invitation to the public to add their stories to the story of Una Taaffe. As a result, the play 'Are You There Una?' was developed as part of the Druid Theatre's FUEL residency and Galway Theatre Festival. The play premiered in the Mick Lally Theatre on Druid Lane in Galway City and at Áras Éanna on Inis Oírr in May 2019.



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04/03/2024

Just a reminder, it's less than a week to International Women's Day and I'm running my HerGalway Walking Tour on Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th. Hear about some amazing women associated with Galway City. Book your ticket here 👉 https://bit.ly/488AZsA 🚺

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01/03/2024

Grá Fest kicked off yesterday with Indecent Proposals Party. The festival celebrates Galway's icons of love and the theme this year is Leap Year Day. There is so much going on over the weekend, don't miss it ❤️

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21/02/2024

Happy International Tourist Guide Day ☘️

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12/02/2024

It's less than a month to International Women's Day. To celebrate I'm conducting my HerGalway Walking Tour on Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th. Find out about some amazing women associated with Galway city. Don't miss out and book your tickets here 👉 https://bit.ly/488AZsA 🚺

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01/02/2024

Happy St. Brigid's Day!
Beannachtaí na Féile Bríde!

In Irish mythology, Brigid was the Celtic Goddess of fire, unity, childbirth, and healing. She was the daughter of Dagda a High King of the Tua Dé Danann. According to tradition St. Brigid was born in Faughart, Co. Louth, where there is a shrine and another holy well dedicated to her. The saint found a convent in Kildare in 470 that has now grown into a cathedral city. There are the remains of a small oratory known as St. Brigid's fire temple, where a small eternal flame was kept alight for centuries in remembrance of her. She is Ireland's matron saints and known as Mother of the Gael. She is thought to be buried with St. Colmcille and St. Patrick in Downpatrick.

Thanks to a campaign by Herstory to have a public holiday here in Ireland to celebrate Brigid, we're now in our second year. This is a very special year as it's 1500 years since the death of St. Brigid.

Below is a photo of St. Brigid's Well in Liscannor, Co. Clare, one of many holy wells dedicated to her. It is one of the oldest wells rumoured to have healing powers. The well is housed in an open stone house or grotto that serves as a gateway to the ancient cemetery on the hill above it, accessible through steep paths and old stairs. The graveyard is the final resting place of several mythical kings and clan leaders of Ireland. Some still celebrate Brigid's roots by spending the holiday of Lughnasa in the circular sanctuary of this well.

The well attracts visitors all year round. Thousands of mementos, rosaries, prayers, and pieces of clothing have been left in the stone grotto of the well asking the saint for a special intention or in thanksgiving to the saint for an answered special intention. Votive candles are often lit twenty-four hours a day, left by locals and tourists alike. Traditionally, the water of this well should be sipped at the end of a visit to this shrine ☘️