GALWAY, a sea-port and borough and market-town, locally
between the baronies of CLARE, DUNKELLIN, and MOYCULLIN, county of GALWAY,
and province of CONNAUGHT, 51¼ miles (N.N.W.) from Limerick, and 101¼
(W. by S.) from Dublin, on the bay of Galway; containing 33,120 inhabitants.
Though few particulars of its
early history are recorded, this place appears to have
been regarded from a very remote period as a position
of great importance. In the first division of Ireland,
ascribed to Partholan, it was one of the chief points
of partition; and in the subsequent division of the island
between Heber and Heremon, adopted by Conn of the
Hundred Battles and Eogan, King of Munster, it was
fixed upon as the western termination of that line of
demarcation, of which Dublin was the eastern extremity.
There is every reason for supposing it to be identical
with the Nagnata, or Naguata, of Ptolemy, described as
the principal city on the western coast. Baxter adopts
this opinion, from its original name, "Cuan-na-guactie,"
signifying in the Irish language "the port of the small
islands," descriptive of its situation both with respect to
the isles of Arran at the mouth of the bay, and to the
smaller islets in the more immediate vicinity of the town.
The power of the Danes having been destroyed by the
decisive battle of Clontarf, the people of the surrounding
district, aware of the importance of its situation, erected
a strong castle for its defence; which so powerfully
excited the jealousy of the people of Munster, that
Conor, king of that province, in 1132, despatched a
body of troops and levelled it with the ground. In
1149, the town and castle, the latter of which had been
restored, were taken and destroyed by Turlough O'Brien,
King of Munster; but they appear to have soon revived,
for, in 1154, the ships of "Galway Dune" were sent to
the northern part of the island; and it is recorded that,
in 1161, strange ships were seen in the harbour, and
that the town took fire; the Annals of Innisfallen notice
also another conflagration, in 1170. At the time of the
English invasion, the town contained only a few families
and some fishermen under the protection of the
O'Flahertys, who then held the castle and the surrounding
territory. The first notice of it that occurs after
that event is the return of Feidlim O'Conor, King of
Connaught, from the English court, whither he had
gone to lay before the English monarch his complaints
against Richard de Burgo. Hugh O'Flaherty, embracing
the cause of Feidlim, fortified the castle of
Galway, and in 1230 baffled every attempt of De Burgo
to dispossess him; but on the defeat of Feidlim, about
two years after, the town and castle fell into the hands
of De Burgo, who, though he lost them again for a short
time, ultimately recovered them, and made this place his
principal residence and the capital of the province; he
secured it with additional fortifications, and established
a municipal government under a magistrate of his own
appointment. In 1270, the erection of walls for the
defence of the town was commenced., and continued at
intervals, by grants for that purpose, till the end of that
century, when they were completed. The increased
security of the place encouraged the influx of strangers,
among whom was a number of new settlers, consisting
of 13, or according to some, 14 families, known under
the appellation of the "tribes of Galway," who enriched
themselves by commerce and the purchase of lands.
The town, which rapidly increased in commerce, so
as to surpass the rival city of Limerick, was, in 1312,
strengthened by the erection of the great gate, and additional
works under the superintendence of Nicholas
Lynch, surnamed the "Black Marshall." On the death
of William de Burgo, the third earl, who was assassinated
by his own servants, a great change took place.
That nobleman leaving only a daughter, the heads of the
two younger branches of the family, fearing the alienation
of the estates by marriage, threw off their allegiance,
and, adopting the. Irish customs, assumed the native
titles of Mac William Eighter and Mac William Oughter;
the former took possession of the town, with the territory
towards the Shannon, and led the inhabitants into
revolt; but on his returning to his allegiance, tranquility
was restored. In 1375, by grant of a charter of the
staple, the merchants of Galway and Connaught were
permitted for three years to pay the customs due to the
Crown at Galway, which was thus placed on an equality
with the cities of Cork, Dublin, and Waterford. In
1396, the town, which had hitherto exercised its corporate
privileges only by prescription, obtained from
Rich. II. a perpetual grant of the customs for the repair
of the walls, and also a charter of incorporation, confering
many privileges, which charter was confirmed in
1402, by Hen. IV. A licence for coining, which had
been hitherto confined to Dublin and Trim, was, about
this time, granted to Galway by statute, specifying the
value and character of the coins to be struck. During
the reigns of Hen. VI. and Edw, IV., the commerce of
the port extended to many parts of Europe, particularly
to France and Spain, whence large quantities of wine
were imported. In 1484, a new charter was granted
to the town, vesting its government in a mayor and
bailiffs, and expressly ordaining that neither the Lord
Mac William of Clanricarde, nor any of his family,
should exercise any authority within its limits. In 1493
occurred the melancholy execution by the mayor, James
Lynch Fitzstephen, of his own son, for murder, whom,
to prevent an intended rescue, he caused to be hanged
from a window of his house, under which are carved a
skull and cross bones in memory of the tragical event.
During the reign of Hen. VIII., frequent disputes
between the inhabitants and the men of Limerick arose
from a feeling of rivalry, which were eventually terminated
by treaty, and to their instigation did the former
attribute the revival of a claim made on them by the
Earl of Ormonde for prisage of wine, from which they
had been previously exempt. The question, however,
was decided in favour of Galway by the court of star
chamber; the decision wan of the highest importance to
its merchants, who at that time supplied nearly the
whole kingdom with wine, for which purpose they had
vaults at Athboy, of which the remains are still to be
seen. A royal ordinance was issued at the same time,
by which the merchants, of Galway were prohibited from
forestalling the markets of Limerick; and in 1545 a new
charter was granted, defining the limits of the port,
which were made to extend from the isles of Arran to
the town, and permitting the exportation of all goods
and merchandise, except woollens and linens, with exemption
from prisage and a confirmation of all former
privileges. Kdw. VI. granted a confirmatory charter,
and the town continued to increase in prosperity; but
the tyranny of Sir Kdw. Fitton, the first President
of Connaught, having excited an insurrection, it was
harassed by the incursions of the neighbouring septs,
and many of the principal inhabitants were induced to
seek protection from Mac William Fighter. In 1579,
the inhabitants received a charter from Elizabeth, with
reversionary leases of the: dissolved monasteries, the
fisheries, the cocket, and lands of the value of 100
marks; but a few years after the Karl of Ormonde reasserted
his claim to the prisage of wine, which was
allowed by the court of chancery. About the year 1594,
Hugh Roe O'Donell having destroyed EnuisKillen and
burnt. Athenry, appeared before the town, and being refused
a supply of provisions, set fire to the suburbs, but.
retreated without doing further injury. In 1600, Lord
Mountjoy erected a strung fort on the. hill where the
Augustinian monastery stood, which completely commanded
the town and the harbour; and soon after the
accession of Jas. I., the town and lands within a distance
of two miles round it, were by charter constituted a distinct
county, of which the Earl of Clanriearde was appointed
governor, with powers equal to those he exercised
as President of Connaught.
Soon after the commencement of the war in 1641,
the inhabitants joined the parliamentarians and the
Earl of Clanricarde invested the town and speedily reduced
it to submission; but his exertions to retain it
for the king were frustrated by the violence of Capt.
64C
Willoughby, commander of the fort, which induced
the, people to open their gates to the enemy. In the
course of the war, Rinuneini, the pope's nuncio, took
refuge here and embarked for Home, From the great
numbers that fled to the town for shelter during this
period of intestine war, the plague broke out in July,
1649, and raged with violence till the April following,
during which time 3700 of the inhabitants fell victims
to its ravages. The Marquess of Clanricarde, wishing
to borrow £20,000 for the king's service, offered the,
revenues of Galway and Limorick to the Duke of Lorraine
as security, but the negotiation failed. On this
occasion a large and very accurate map of the town was
drawn and engraved, two copies of which are still extaut.
In 1652, the town wan invested by the parliamentary
forces under Sir C, Coote, when Preston, the
Irish commander of the garrison, having quitted it. and
embarked for France, the inhabitant surrendered on
condition of retaining their privileges, the liberation of
all native prisoners, without, ransom, and the restoration
of all captured property. On the proclamation of Riehard
Cromwell, as protector, in 1658, so great a tamult was
excited that the corporation was threatened with the loss
of its charter. In 1690, the town was put into a state
of defence, and garrisoned for Jas. II. by three companies
of foot and a troop of horse, and in the following
year three companies more were added, and the Protestant
inhabitants removed into the western suburbs.
After the battle of Aughrim, Gen. Dc Ginkell, with 14,000
of William's army, laid siege to it; after holding out,
for some time it surrendered on the 20th of July, 1691,
on condition of a safe conduct for the garrison to
Limerick, and a free pardon for the inhabitants, with
preservation of their property and privileges. The
works raised by both armies were levelled, the fort
near the town was repaired, and a new one created on
Mutton Island, in the bay, for the protection of the
harbour. Previously to the disturbances of 1798, 400
of the inhabitants formed themselves into eight, companies
of volunteers, for the preservation of the prace
of the; town; and on the landing of the French at Kilcummin
bay, the merchants' supplied Gen. llatchiason
with money, which enabled him to join Gen, I.ahe with
the garrison and yeomanry of the town, who consequently
shared in the defeat at. Castlebar.
The town is most. advantageously situated at the
head of the spacious bay to which it gives, name, and at
the mouth of a river issuing from I.ough Corrib, which,
after a winding course from that lake through the town,
falls into the bay. It consists of several street, in
general narrow, and it is in contemplation to appropriate,
under parliamentary sanetion, it portion of the munepal
revenue for its improvement. A gas' company has lately
been formed to light the town, and the works: are in
progress, Early in the present. century the grater
portion of the town walls was levelled and built upon,
and streets were continued into the suburbs to such an
extent as In give to that part the name of the New Town.
The total number of houses in 1831, was 2643. The
more ancient part built on the plan of a Spanish
town; many of the older houses are quadrangular, with
an open court and an arched gateway towards the street.
Two bridges connect the town with the western district.
of Iar-Connaught; one built in 1342, which is still in
good repair and the other higher up the stream, a
handsome structure built in 1831, and connecting the
county court-house and prison. From the latter is
a highly interesting view, embracing up the river the
fine Elizabethan structure of Menlough castle, on its
right bank, and downwards the shipping in the harbour,
with the suburbs and the lofty mountains of Clare. The
Castle or Upper Citadel barracks, near William's gate,
are a handsome range of building for 6 officers and 136
non-commissioned officers and privates, with an hospital
for 60 patients; the Shambles barracks, near the river,
which are also well built, are for 15 officers and 326 noncommissioned
officers and privates, with stabling for six
horses. There are two subscription news-rooms, belonging
respectively to the Amicableand Commercial societies;
and two newspapers are published in the town. Races for
some years past have been held on a course about three
mi]es distant. Several flour-mills have been erected on
the banks of the river, which has a very rapid fall, and
great quantities of flour are made here from the wheat
grown in the neighbourhood, which is of very fine quality.
The manufacture of paper is extensively carried on; the
works are impelled by water, and a steam-engine has
been lately erected for greater efficiency. A portion of
the fine black marble found in the vicinity is made into
mantel-pieces, and a turning and polishing machine and
a patent saw wheel are now being constructed, which
will be set in motion by the treadmill in the county gaol:
a large brewery and three distilleries are in full operation,
and near the town is a bleach-mill. The linen
manufacture was introduced, but never flourished here;
and the linen-hall erected in the western suburbs has
long since fallen into decay.
The commerce, for which the port was formerly so
much distinguished, has very much declined; wine is
no longer imported in large quantities, and the trade in
provisions is much diminished. The principal exports
arc corn, flour, kelp, marble, wool, and provisions; and the
imports, timber, wine, salt, coal, hemp, tallow, and Swedish
and British iron. In the year ending Jan. 5th, 1835,
15 British ships of the aggregate burden of 2273 tons,
and 3 foreign ships of 421 tons aggregate burden, entered
inwards; and 6 British ships of 1044 tons and 2 foreign
ships of 301 tons cleared outwards, in the foreign trade.
From British ports, 119 ships, of an aggregate burden of
12,215 tons, entered inwards; and 126 of 14,492 tons
cleared outwards; and from the Irish ports, 16 ships of
700 tons entered inwards; and 19 of 1039 tons cleared
outwards. The number of vessels registered as belonging
to the port is 7, of the aggregate burden of 272 tons.
The gross amount of customs' duties for 1835 was
£31,133.2. 5., and for 1836, £31,769. 2. 5.; and of
excise duties of the district, for the former year, £50,145
12. 5. The custom-house, a small plain building, was
erected in 1807. The entrances to Galway bay are,
through the north sound, between the most western of
the Arran isles, which are situated in the centre of its
mouth, and Gulin head to the north, on which is a
watch tower; and through the south sound between
Dunmacfelin and Innishere island. About a mile south
of Galway is Mutton island, connected with the mainland
by a ridge of sand, dry at low water; a light
has been erected on it, and between it and the town
is the ordinary roadstead, affording good anchorage
ground, though exposed to a heavy swell during winds
from the south and south-south-west. There are two
feet of water on the bar: the best shelter for ships of
war is along the southern shore; and at the head of
the bay, to the east and south of the town, are several
creeks and inlets, affording good shelter to small vessels
from, every wind. A. navigable canal from Lough Corrib
to the sea at this place was recommended by the late
Mr. Nimmo: some new docks planned by him are in
progress, towards the completion of which the Commissioners
of Public Works have granted a loan of
£17,000. The docks will comprise about 9 acres, and
be of sufficient depth for vessels of 500 tons' burden,
and the canal will cross the town in a direction nearly
parallel with the river; the level of the lake being
only 14 feet above that of the sea, two locks only
will be requisite in the whole distance, which is about
30 miles. The quays will be entirely of hewn limestone
and 75 feet in width; the lake also will be
deepened and rendered navigable for boats. The whole
work, when completed, will add much to the improvement
of the trade, which is now under the direction of
several of the principal merchants, who have formed
themselves into a chamber of commerce: A branch of the
Bank of Ireland has been opened here, in a house in
Eyre-square. The salmon fishery, for which there is a
weir on the river, between the two bridges, has been a
source of great profit from an early period, and since
1800, has frequently produced more than £500 per annum.
The fishery in the bay, which is more lucrative,
is wholly under the direction of the fishermen of Claddagh,
which see. This is the head station of the Galway
district coast-guard, and the residence of the inspecting
commander; it comprises the subordinate stations of
Ballyvaughan, Kilcolgan, Barna, Casleh Bay, Isles of
Arran, Fairhill, and Kilkerran, comprehending a
force of 6 officers and 51 men. The markets are on
Wednesday and Saturday, the former principally for
corn, and the latter also for corn, provisions of every
kind, and for pigs. Fairs are held May 31st, and Sept.
21st. The corn market is held at the Little Green;
that for butchers' meat and provisions in a well-arranged
market-place, near William's-gate, erected in 1802.
By charter of the 29th of Chas. II., the corporation
consists of a mayor, two sheriffs, an indefinite number
of free burgesses, a recorder, town-clerk, mayor and two
constables of the staple, sword-bearer, chamberlain,
water-bailiff, and other officers. The mayor is elected
annually from the free burgesses, and may appoint a
deputy; the mayor, sheriffs (who are similarly elected),
and free burgesses form the common council, by whom
all the other officers of the corporation are elected and
freemen admitted, the latter by favour only. The mayor
and recorder are justices of the peace for the county of
the town and also for the county at large, and there are
three charter magistrates, to whom five have been recently
added by an order of council. The borough appears
to have first sent members to a parliament held at Tristledermot,
now Castledermot, in 1377, and notices of
the provost and bailiffs being summoned to subsequent
parliaments till 1559 are on record. The right is recognised
in the charters of Jas. I. and Chas. II., and the
corporation continued to send two members to the Irish
parliament till the Union, from which period they returned
one member to the Imperial parliament, till, by
the act of the 2nd of Wm. IV., cap. 88, the original
number was restored. By that act the right of election,
previously vested in freeholders of 40S, and upwards
within the county of the town, and in all freemen, was
extended to £10 householders, and to £20 leaseholders
for 14 years, and £10 leaseholders for £2() years; the
non-resident freemen, except within seven miles, were
disfranchised, and the 40s. freeholders allowed to retain
the franchise only for life. The number of electors registered
to vote at the last general election was 2062,
and the number that actually voted, 1795: the sheriffs
are the returning officers. The mayor and recorder
hold a court of record every Tuesday and Friday, for
the recovery of debts to any amount, arising within the
limits of the county of the town; the mesne process is
by arrest of the person or attachment of the goods of
the defendant, on an affidavit of the debt. They are also
empowered to hold a criminal court, which they transfer
to the general quarter sessions for the county. The
assizes for the county are held here, and the quarter
sessions in April and October; those for the county of
the town are held in January, April, July, and October.
The court-houses for the county and the borough are
both handsome buildings; the former was erected in
1815, in the northern suburb, and contains two spacious
court-rooms, and other requisite apartments; the front
is embellished with a handsome portico of four fluted
Doric columns supporting a pediment, in the tympanum
of which are the royal arms. The county gaol is built
in the form of a crescent, vaulted throughout, and without
any timber; it contains six wards for male, and
two for female criminals, with two for debtors, separated
by walls converging towards the centre, in which is the
governor's house; there is a tread wheel, and the prisoners
are also employed in breaking stones; it will
contain 300 prisoners, placing two in each cell; the
whole is surrounded by a boundary wall, between which
and the building is a wide gravel walk. In an open
situation near it is the borough gaol, erected in 1810,
but not adapted either for classification or for the maintenance
of discipline; another on the improved system
is in course of erection.
The county of the town comprehends an extensive
rural district, comprising 23,O00 statute acres. The
surface is studded with lakes, and the scenery strikingly
diversified; the soil is fertile and in several parts peculiarly
favourable to the growth of wheat, of which large
quantities are raised. The system of agriculture is improved,
and there is abundance of limestone, which
is quarried for building and for agricultural purposes.
Black marble of a very line quality is found at Menlough,
and also at Merlin Park; both veins have been
worked, but the former more extensively, from the
greater facility of water carriage at that place. At Menlough
is also an apparently inexhaustible vein of fine
grey marble. There are strong indications of iron ore,
but no attempt has yet been made to explore it; granite
is also found, and in some parts, contrary to the
usual order, beneath the limestone formation. After
sinking a depth of six feet through the limestone stratum,
a white sand of granitic quality, without a pebble,
and fine enough for plaistering, has lately been discovered;
its depth has not been ascertained, but in some
places it is coloured as if by water running from the
iron ore. The name of the lake, called by the ancient
inhabitants Mine-lough, and which has both a subterranean
source and outlet, tends to confirm the opinion
that the townland abounds with various minerals.
About 40 persons are employed in the marble quarries,
and about 1300 in preparing peat for fuel. The principal
seats are Menlough Castle, the residence of Sir V.
Blake, Bart., a venerable castellated mansion in the Elizabethan
style, beautifully situated; Villa House, the
residence of the Warden of Galway; Leneboy, of J. O'
Hara, Esq., recorder; Nile Lodge, of J. O'llara, Esq.;
Sea View, of Mrs. Browne; Vicar's Croft, of the Rev.
J. D'Arcy; St. Helen's, of Mrs. Ilynes; Renmore Lodge,
of P. M. Lynch, Esq.; Merlin Park, of C, Blake, Esq.;
Merview, of W. Joyce, Esq.; Rahoon, of R. O'Connor,
Esq.; and Barna, of N. Lynch, Esq. The Grand Jury
presentments for the county of the town, in 1835,
amounted to £5701. 8. 3,, of which £1035. 14. 6. was
for the repairs of roads, bridges, See.; £3568. 10. 10,
for public buildings and charities, officers' salaries, and
miscellaneous expenses; £453. 19. 11. for police; and
£643. 3. in repayment of a loan by Government.
This district originally formed part, of the diocese of
Enachdune, an ancient bishoprick, annexed in 1324 to
the archiepiscopal see of Twain, It consists of the
parish of St. Nicholas, the greater part of that of Rahoon,
and part of Oranmore. The parish of St. Nicholas
comprises 3046 statute acres in cultivation, as applotted
under the tithe act. The living is a rectory, united to
the rectories of Rahoon, Oranmore, Clare-Galway, Moycullin,
Kilcommin, Baliinacourty, and Shruel, together
constituting the Wardenship of Galway, instituted by
the Archbishop in 1484, when the church was made
collegiate, and exercising an ecclesiastical jurisdiction
distinct from that of the diocese, and exempt from that
of the Archbishop, with the exception only of triennial
visitation. The warden is annually elected (the same
person has of late been successively re-elected), and
three vicars appointed for life, by the corporation
under their charter. The tithes amount, to £l30,
wholly payable to the warden, who also receives threefourths
of the tithes of the other parishes of the union,
amounting, with the rent of houses and two glebes,
to £1268. 15. 10½. The vicars receive each an annual
stipend of £75, payable by the warden. The church,
which, by letters patent granted by Edw. VI., was constituted
the "Royal College of Galway," and in the reign
of Elizabeth endowed with the dissolved monasteries. of
Annaghdowu and Ballintubber, in the county of Mayo,
is a spacious cruciform.structure, in the decorated
English style, with a tower rising from the centre, it.
was built in l320, and is nearly in the centre of the
town; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.have recently
granted £1385 towards its repair. In the R. C, divisions
Galway in the head of a see, comprising 12 parochial
unions or districts, and containing 14 chapels,
served by 24 clergymen, of whom 12 are parish priests
and 12 coadjutors or curates. It is one of the six sees
suffragan to Tuam, and the parish of St. Nicholas is
the benefiee and residence of the R. C', bishop; the
chapel is a spacious edifice. There are friaries and
nunneries of the orders of St. Francis, St. Augustine,
and St. Dominiek.to each of which is attached a chapel;
there is also a convent for nuns of the order of the Presentation,
and a place of worship for Presbyterians.
In the east suburbs stands one of the four classical
schools founded in Ireland by the munificent bequest of
Erasmus Smith; it is a handsome building, erected at
an expense of £8000 by the trustees, who allow the master
a salary of £100 per ann., with the privilege of taking
boarders. The parochial schools are also aided by the
trustees, who allow the master a salary of £40 and the
mistress £27. 13. 10. per annum; a new school-room
has been built on ground given by the trustees, towards
defraying the expense of which the inhabitants subscribed
£300 and £250 was granted by Government. A
school is conducted by the ladies of the Presentation
Convent, in which 80 of the girls are maintained and
clothed; and there is a large national school on the site
of the barrack in Lombard-street for which two good
school-rooms have been built at an expense of £600,
raised by subscriptions. There are also 16 private
schools, in which are about 660 children. The house of
industry and the dispensary, to the latter of which the
English Relief Committee of 1832 gave £700, vested in
the Archbishop of Tuam as trustee, and government
£500, vested in four trustees chosen by the subscribers,
are supported in the customary manner. A widows' and
orphans' asylum was founded by the Rev. Mr. Fynn, P.P.
of St. Nicholas, and is supported under his patronage by
subscription; A Protestant poor-house, in which are 20
inmates, is supported by the parochial clergy and the
interest of £500, bequeathed to the Warden in trust for
the Protestant poor, by the late Mr. Kirwan, of London,
a native of Galway. A Magdalen asylum is supported
by two R. C. ladies, who devote their time and their
fortune to its management. No vestiges can be traced
of the Franciscan friary without the north gate, founded
in 1296 by Sir W. De Burgo; of a Dominican friary near
the west gate, previously a cell to the Premonstratensian
abbey of Tuam; an Augustinian friary, founded in
1508 by Stephen Lynch and Margaret his wife; a
Carmelite friary, a nunnery on an island in Lough
Corrib, or an hospital of Knight Templars. There are
numerous ruins of ancient castles in the neighbourhood.
Among the more distinguished natives of
Galway may be noticed Patrick D'Arcy, author of the
celebrated "Argument on the Independence of Ireland,"
in 1641; John Lynch, author of" Cambrensis Eversus,"
"Alithinologia," and other tracts; Roderick O'Flaherty,
author of the "Ogygia"; Sir G. L. Staunton, secretary
to Lord Macartney, and writer of the account of that
nobleman's embassy to Pekin; Walter Blake Kirwan,
celebrated as a popular preacher in Dublin; and Richard
Kirwan, an eminent chymist and mineralogist. James
Hardiman, Esq., author of the History of Galway, has
a villa near the town. Galway gives the title of Viscount
to the family of Monckton.