
Spanish Arch
Surviving arches of a sixteenth-century city wall on the old quays, damaged by the 1755 tsunami.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Spanish Arch in Galway follows the stretch of city wall that mayor Wylliam Martin pushed down to the River Corrib in fifteen eighty-four, and the merchant families of the Tribes who traded wine and spices with Spain from these quays. You'll hear why an arch Spaniards never built carries their name, and about the clan the townsfolk prayed against. Stand on the riverside, facing the Claddagh across the water.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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Freestanding carved stone doorway and window from a merchant mansion, bearing two family crests.
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Medieval stone laneway named for a merchant tribe, once home to an eighteenth-century theatre.
Claddagh Quay
Waterfront of a vanished Irish-speaking fishing village, birthplace of the famous Claddagh ring.
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Medieval stone window and plaque set in a churchyard wall, tied to a mayor who hanged his own son.