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Yesterday was a big day with a long road trip that took us to fascinating sights and experiences. Today was interesting, but it wasn’t quite like yesterday. We had a morning lecture and a walking tour of downtown Galway and, after lunch, we were given time on our own. At least the clouds parted occasionally.
Our morning lecture was given by a history professor at Galway University. His presentation covered the transition of Ireland from paganism to Christianity. He was quite interesting.
Then we took a coach downtown for a walking tour.
We are heading to Eyre Park, famous for a number of things including a visit John F. Kennedy made here in 1963. JFK is beloved by many in Ireland. I just remembered something. You know that old house we visited the other day when we learned how to make soda bread? Our host commented that when she was growing up, there were two pictures on the wall side-by-side: JFK and the Pope.
This was our guide for the walk. He was entertaining and just full of information about the city and its history.
The Road Scholars held onto his every word.
He told us about this statue of Patrick Conroy (1882-1928), who wrote poetry under his Irish name, Padraic O Conaire. He was much beloved in these parts. But the thing that impressed me most about the statue was our guide’s story about how a couple of drunk college students hacksawed its head off in 1999. The young men were arrested at the train station the next day when somebody saw the statue’s head rolling on the platform. The locals were so incensed that that they removed the statue from the park and put it in the Galway City Museum. This is a replica.
Now we are headed across the street to a shopping mall.
It looks pretty much like any old shopping mall, but there's something special outside that archway.
When they were excavating to build the mall they found remnants of the city’s old wall. Brendan is examining it intently.
And our guide told us all about it. This is a reconstruction of the wall based on the ruins they found.
Off to our next sight.
Back in the 15th century the Lynch family ran most everything in Galway. This was their castle. Today it’s a bank.
And on we go.
The Road Scholars on an expedition.
We walked past a pretty mural.
And then we came to the church of Saint Nicholas. It is 700 years old, Galway’s oldest building.
Like I said.
The Lynch Memorial Window is a Gothic stone monument in Galway, Ireland, set into the boundary wall of St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church on Market Street. It commemorates the legend of Mayor James Lynch FitzStephen, who reportedly executed his own son, Walter, for murder in 1493 by hanging him from that window on the upper left. Our guide says there’s no truth to the story, but isn’t it great? Lots of people love to claim it’s the origin of the term “lynching.“ but no, the Lynch family can can’t claim that word. They can, however, claim the name of Lynchburg, Virginia. That is true.
We just keep going and going.
The Energizer bunnies.
It’s the oldest bar in Ireland.
That is the site of the famous 18th Century Martin Family Theater where the patriot Theobald Wolfe Tone once performed. Now it's a Lion's Club. Well that's what the blue sign says.
And now we will learn about Claddagh rings.
It’s all very romantic. You can read about it here.
And you can buy a ring for your true love in there.
This area used to be where all the fishermen lived with their families and I guess some still do.
I may not have paid complete attention to this part of the tour. The other Road Scholars were fascinated.
Somebody said that's a juvenile seagull. Looks pretty big to me.
We took a bathroom break in the city museum. Brendan said we should come back here later.
Remember that statue in the park and the story of how some drunk kids chopped his head off and when his head was recovered the city moved him to a museum for protection and put a copy in his place? Well here's the original.
And right there beside it is a Lego miniature diorama depicting the foul deed. The Irish do have a sense of humor.
The Galway Sword was made after 1610 by local silversmiths. A sword was first mentioned in a charter granted to the town by King James I, which gave the mayor authority to have a sword held before him, and also provided for the appointment of a sword bearer to carry it. The blade is from a fighting sword of German manufacture and is older than the hilt; being adapted for use as a ceremonial sword. The hilt is silver, with incised decoration, and bears the marks of Galway silversmiths. There's also a mace.
This is the oldest known authentic Claddagh ring crafted around 1700 by original maker Richard Joyce. How about that.
This is an actual Galway hooker. It's really too easy to make jokes about the name, but these fishing boats were (and still are) vital to the economy of Galway.
Galway hookers are noted for their distinctive black hulls and red sails. (You'll have to ask the museum why these sails are black.) The origin of their appearance goes back to the 19th century, when Galway sailors would coat their sails in a solution made of tree bark, rich in tannins. This technique, known as "barking", protected the fabric from mould, mildew, and rot but also dyed the sails a shade of "rust-red". Although modern sails no longer require this treatment, modern Galway hookers continue to fly red sails to maintain the traditional appearance. The black hulls of the boats came from sailors coating the hulls in black tar.
This is a very nice museum, aimed mainly at families with children. This was an exhibit on submersibles.
If I were 10 years old of course I'd play in there.
We're just taking in the sights of the Galway entertainment district.
That's Freddy's Pub.
And that's a sign outside Freddy's Pub. As I said, the Irish have a great sense of humor.
I made my way back to Eyre Park where we began our walking tour and along the way I bought myself a gelato in a cone. Chocolate with sea salt. It was delicious. And while I was enjoying my treat...
...this guy swooped down and stole it out of my hand. Look at him. He knows what he did and he's not sorry.
The Road Scholars are pooped and ready for a bus ride back to the hotel.
And look! Rugby practice right outside my hotel room window!
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