Due to yesterday’s special International Women’s Day Feature Author posts, I am doubling up on the images today. Today also marks a year to the day when I returned to my beloved Galway, one of my favourite cities in the world.
Galway is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is surrounded by County Galway. It is the fourth most populous urban area in the Republic of Ireland and the sixth most populous city in the country.
The Spanish Arch and the Caoċ Arch are two remaining arches on the Ceann an Bhalla (“Front Wall”). The two arches were part of the extension of the city wall from Martin’s Tower to the bank of the River Corrib, as a measure to protect the city’s quays, which were in the area once known as the Fish Market (now Spanish Parade). It was constructed in 1584, being called ceann an bhalla (the head of the wall).
In the 18th century the Eyre family of Eyrecourt, County Galway, created an extension of the quays called The Long Walk and created the arches to allow access from the town to the new quays. The designation “Spanish” is not historical to this period and was likely known as the Eyre Arch when built.
In 1755, the arches were partially destroyed by the tsunami generated by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Until 2006, part of the Arch housed the Galway City Museum. At that time, the museum was moved to a new, dedicated building located just behind the Arch.
The Long Walk is a promenade to one side of the Arches.
Kate Kelsen 