Galway History Walking tour with a Local Guide

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Our accredited Guide will meet you at the FRONT entrance to the Hardiman Hotel in Eyre Square. Guide will accompany you to the main Square and give a brief overview of Galway's rich history.

   7 min

2. Our accredited guide will accompany you to various Points of Interest and Iconic Buildings around the Square. . The first stop on the route is the John F Kennedy Memorial We visit historical sites including the old Browne Doorway and the Quin-centenary Fountain and talk about the 14-Tribes banners

   7 min

3. We now emerge onto Williams-gate St. and encounter some landmark buildings including the elegant Browne Thomas building. We also pass by Jewellers shops who specialise in Galway's Claddagh ring. if time allows we stop at the Oscar Wilde statue, an Estonia gift to Ireland in 2004 !

   6 min

4. We now divert down Eglinton Street and pass by the Franciscan Friary church on the left. This old church has a little grave-yard at the rear which was a prominent place of burial in mid-17th and early 18th centuries.

   Passes by

5. We continue towards Courthouse Square, which used to have two iconic Courthouses - one for the county and one for the city. One remains today and the Town Hall Theatre is opposite.

   5 min

6. Up ahead, from the newly-constructed pedestrian bridge over the River Corrib, our group will pause to view Europe's newest stone cathedral, the Galway Cathedral and the Franciscan Chapel.

   8 min

7. Our tour route passes close to Bowling Green. Here was the family home of Ms Nora Barnacle who was a prominent Galwegian in years gone by. She famously dated Irish Writer, James Joyce on 16th June 1904, thereafter known as Bloomsday!

   Passes by

8. The tour returns via Galway's popular River Walk to the main city artery. We arrive at a two-street intersection and the iconic Lynch's Castle building. This building is the finest surviving Town-Castle in Ireland. The powerful Lynch clan once owned it. Your Guide explains the history of the building, its crests and roundels.

   15 min

9. The tour continues by turning right into Church Lane, once called 'Dead Man's Lane' where funerals passed on way into old graveyard. We talk about St. Nicholas church-yard and continue on through Market St.

   10 min

10. We arrive at the of St Nicholas' Collegiate Church accompanied by your Guide. He explains the history of this largest Medieval church in continuous use in Ireland. It was originally built as a Catholic Church but, today, functions as a Protestant Church. In 1477, Christopher Columbus is said to have worshipped here prior to his epic voyage of discovery! There's also much to see within this ancient building and we offer discounts tickets to join their guided tours which operate Mon-Fri. 11am and 2pm and Wednesdays 12pm and 3pm.

    8 minAdmission included

11. The Lynch Memorial window , erected in 1854 is full of legend. The mayor of Galway, Mayor Lynch is said to have hanged his own son at this location!

    8 min

12. We arrive in High Street, a section of Galway's Latin Quarter and encounter the iconic King's Head Pub. Legend has it that this pub site was gifted by Oliver Cromwell as payment to executioner of King Charles I. Also on this street we pass by the famous Naughton House, once owned by 'Humanity' Dick Martyn, an Irish MP in British Parliament.

    12 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 28 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Galway

• Its from-price is 74% below the median of the 303 experiences we list in Galway.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 60 of 303.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Galway

Galway is a harbour city on Ireland's west coast, with a pedestrian old centre, traditional music, a seaside promenade and Connemara just to the west.

Galway stands where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, and in the Middle Ages it was ruled by fourteen merchant families known as the Tribes, who built its stone houses and quays. The Spanish Arch recalls the trade with Spain, and Eyre Square, the Latin Quarter around Shop Street and Quay Street, and the Claddagh, a former fishing village that gave its name to the Claddagh ring, form the centre. The cathedral, consecrated in 1965, stands by the river.

Top-ranked sights in Galway: Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, Galway Bay.

See all 303 experiences in Galway