medieval galway
Galway started as a fishing village on the east side of the River Corrib close to St Nicholas's Collegiate Church. By 1270 walls were build around the village, and the medieval city grew inside the wall. (These walls went from Eyre Square to the edge of the river, and the Spanish Arch was a gate into the centre). During the 13th and 14th centuries of a number of Welsh and Norman families settled within Galway, and this was the start of the commercial development of Galway as a major port and centre of trade with mainland Europe. In 1484 Richard the Third of England gave it mayor status, and power was transferred to the leading fourteen tribes. The tribe names are Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Darcy, Deane, Fonte, French, Joyce, Kirwins, Lynch, Martin, Morris and Skerret. and the bedrooms in Barnacles Quay Street House are named after these 14 families.
During the following centuries, the town walls gradually decayed and were demolished and there is an absence of Georgian architecture, of prevalent in other Irish cities. However much of the medieval architecture may be seen today, and Quay Street contains many fine historic buildings. Most of the buildings in the street are of late medieval date, the period of the 14th and 16th centuries.
Barnacles Quay Street House was originally built as a 16th Century Merchant Townhouse but the building has had many later alterations. Some of its medieval features are still visible on the building. On the outer façade there are two limestone hoodmouldings situated on the first floor above the windows on the extreme right and left. The upper portion of the left hoodmoulding is heavily decorated in apparent lozenge shape motifs, bordered on the base by vine leaf and two strand interlace. The right hand moulding is complete, but has no decoration apart from simple line mouldings. The hoodmouldings date approximately to the 16th or 17th centuries. Similar medieval stonework can be seen on many buildings on this street, Tigh Neachtains, Wooden Heart and Ard Bia on Quay Street are worth a look, but look up!)
Many of our bedrooms are named after the 14 Tribes of Galway mentioned above, check the name on your room when you check in. If you are staying in any one of the rooms 102, 103, 104, 202, 203 or 204 you will notice the 'deep window recess' in your room. All of the front walls in these rooms are the original walls of the Townhouse and are almost 2 meters thick in places. If you are not staying in any of these rooms reception staff may be able to show you these features, please ask, however this is subject to the rooms being vacant.
At the back of building from the corridor window opposite Room 116 you can see an exterior wall of a late medieval house. On this wall is situated a pair of parallel limestone corbels each consisting of a group of four projecting stones, which are chamfered on the undersides. Together they are 1.18m in height. There is a semi-circular hole 14.2cm in diameter in the two uppermost stones. The purpose of these stones was probably to act as a lifting mechanism. The corbels date approximately to the 15th or 16th centuries. Similar corbels exist and can be viewed on the Abbeygate Street side of Lynchs Castle not far from Quay Street.
A good guide to Galway's Medieval past and plan your own walking tour is the Medieval Galway – A Ramblers Guide and Map, or you can always book a guided 'Legend' walking tour through the friendly hostel staff.
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