Spanish Arch

The Spanish Arch is a surviving fragment of Galway's town wall, built as an extension in 1584 to protect the quays where ships unloaded. The name is nineteenth-century and romantic rather than historical: the original was the Ceann an Bhalla, the head of the wall, and although Galway did trade heavily with Spain, the arches were not built by or for Spaniards. Two of the four original arches remain; the rest, and much of the adjoining structure, were destroyed by the tsunami that followed the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which reached this coast. The Galway City Museum stands directly behind it, free to enter, with the Galway hooker sailing boat Maireog suspended in its atrium and collections on the city's medieval and maritime history. The grass and river bank beside the arch, the Long Walk opposite, are where the city gathers in fine weather, and it is busy and loud on summer evenings.

History

The Spanish Arch and the Caoċ Arch, the "blind arch", are the two surviving arches of the Ceann an Bhalla, the "front wall", part of the extension of the city wall from Martin's Tower to the bank of the Corrib, built to protect the quays in the area once known as the Fish Market (Wikipedia, Spanish Arch).

What to look for

• The two arches - what remains of a 1584 extension to the town wall.
• The city museum - free, directly behind, with a hooker in the atrium.
• The Corrib mouth - where the river meets the bay, and the Long Walk opposite.
• The 1755 damage - the tsunami that took the other arches.

When to go

April to September, when the riverside is at its best and busiest. The museum is open year-round with reduced winter hours and is free.

Practical notes

It is a small fragment of wall - two arches - and people expecting a monument find it modest. The name is a nineteenth-century invention. The area is crowded and noisy on summer evenings.

Nearby

The Latin Quarter and Quay Street are behind it; Salthill is west along the bay.

Key facts