Ep. 38 - Galway, Ireland
Welcome to the "City of Tribes": Galway, Ireland. This city has 900 years of stories; surviving, and even thriving through an oligarchy, occupation, feast, and famine. This city has persevered and become one of the friendliest and most exciting in all of Europe. Join us in episode 38 to learn more about this great place, and then start planning your adventure!
Listen to full episode :
Transcription:
*Intro music*
Hello and welcome to The Friday Take Five - The five minute podcast where we step back from the craziness of life to delve into history and adventure. I’m your host, Mark Moran, and with this podcast I’m aiming to scratch an itch for travel bugs and history lovers alike. Every week, we discover a new place with a new story. If you walk away with a renewed appreciation for history, or a new travel destination to add to your bucket list, then I’ve done my job. With that, let’s delve in… to episode 38.
*Transition music*
Episode 38 is another fan submission. As always, if you have destinations you’d like to see me cover on the podcast, DM me on socials @FridayTakeFive to let me know. This particular destination is in a country on my top five list of next countries I NEED to visit. That country is Ireland, and today’s destination is the city and county of Galway. Ultimately, I’m hoping to make it to Galway on a month-long trip across the UK and Ireland to see as much as I can of what the islands have to offer.
Though not quite as old as some of its neighbors across Ireland, Galway is an incredibly old city. Founded as a fishing settlement near where the now famous Spanish Arch resides, the town got its start roughly 900 years ago. Soon after its founding, Normans from, you might have guessed, what is now Normandy, started to bleed in and occupy the area.
By the 13th century, a combination of English and Norman or Anglo Norman influence persisted in the city, though it faced challenges from clans throughout the area. Raids from said clans are what contributed to fortifications being built, including the Spanish Arch.
The fortification allowed the town to grow and prosper and by the end of the 14th century, the town was headed for an interesting chapter. Richard II, King of England granted a charter in 1396 to transition governing power to 14 merchant families which became the 14 Tribes of Galway. Hundreds of years later, remnants of these tribes still exist and Galway is even known as the “City of Tribes”, with the names of those 14 families represented all throughout the city.
King Richard’s charter essentially led to an oligarchy, which interestingly mostly worked for a few hundred years. Trade links were established with major trading partners throughout Ireland along with mainland Europe, and unsurprisingly, the town prospered.
Though the merchant families technically operated outside of the British crown, virtually all of the families still held informal links with the English. Eventually, some of the folks in England decided they were no longer too fond of the arrangement.
Enter Oliver Cromwell: Tasked by Westminster with the conquest of Ireland. Over roughly a 4 year period, Cromwell and his forces burst in and began to occupy more and more of Ireland, all the while crowding out much of the resident Catholic population.
This occupation and ensuing religious and political conflict were major contributing factors to Galways decline for the many years to come.
Peace would eventually come, and along with it sparks of prosperity. Today folks can visit Portumna Castle, a castle in Galway crafted in the 17th century that still stands tall today. Unfortunately, this prosperity came along with it vast inequality. Both the country and the country were struggling. The economic struggle was made worse by the Great Famine of the 1840s and 1850s, which led to the death of 20% of Galway’s population and a mass exodus of people from the country.
But as is the case with many great cities from around the world, Galway persevered. It continues to grow stronger and it has plenty to offer. The city has been voted multiple times, most recently in 2020, as Europe’s friendliest city. The county has over 600km of incredible coastlines for those looking for some awesome nature and bonus: it’s only a 1.5 hour bus ride from the Cliffs of Moher, which are also high on my list and should be high on yours as well if you’re a nature lover. The city is finally, also Ireland’s festival hot spot, with an average of 120+ festivals held in the city each year.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to see and do in Galway, and it’s yet another city that brings along with it an incredible story. Galway is very high on my list, and after this episode, I hope it’s making its way… onto your bucket list too.
*Transition music*
Hey there! Thanks for listening to another episode of The Friday Take Five. If you haven’t already, be sure to give us a 5 star rating on podcasting platforms, and share this episode with a friend. Have your own stories about Galway, feedback or recommendations on places or stories for us to cover? We’d love to hear it so please follow us and DM us on socials @FridayTakeFive or email us at thefridaytakefive@gmail.com. Stay curious, stay adventuring, and have a great weekend!
*Outro music*