Origins
Built in 1124, by theThe loanword caistél was "undoubtedly used to signify their resemblance to the numerous arth and timber motte-and-baily castles of England and France that still outnumbered stone keeps in the early twelfth century." The caistél at or within Dún Gaillimhe and those elsewhere in Connacht were sophisticated native innovations, massive stone fortifications, probably decked with timer, "a fusion of the native rath, crannog, and in particular, the cashel traditions." These were the first buildings inÉire ( , ) is the Irish language name for "Ireland". Like its English counterpart, the term is used for both the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the sovereign state that governs 85% of the island's landmass. The latter is distinc ...deemed worth of being called castles, decades before the Norman invasion. And Caistél Gaillme was perhaps the very first. ... The family Tairrdelbach installed as its constables were among his admirals, so it appears the caistél or dún was one of the kingdom's naval bases. (Martyn, 2016, p. 33, 34)
Gaelic Galway
The castle was destroyed in 1132 by Cormac Mac Carthaig,The full extent of Dún Gaillimhe's trade, and its classification as a 'town', is uncertain. Much later local tradition describecd it as "a small community, composed of a few families of fishermen and merchants", but this may be reading history backwards. A very few clues suggest that contacts ere broadly similar to later times. Wine was imported into pre-Norman Ireland, with war of Bristol origin, dating 1175x1250, found in Galway surin archaeological excavations. If such trade existed, then later merchants built upon pre-existing networks." (Martyn, 2016, pp. 35-36)However, referring to Mac Carthaig's attack of 1132,
Norman Galway
Richard de Burgh, Lord of Connaught captured the castle in 1232 and rebuilt it along Norman lines. It was destroyed at least twice between then and 1249 by Irish attacks. is last mentioned in 1282 when trade in the town generated enough income "to repair Galway castle." (Martyn, 2016, p. 60). In January 2018, the de Burgh castle was re-discovered by archaeologistsReferences
* Martyn, Adrian, ''The Tribes of Galway: 1124-1642'', Galway, 2016. , p. 10, 33, 34, 35, 60 * Nassens, Paul, and Kieran O'Connor, "Pre-Norman fortification in eleventh-and twelfth-century Connacht", ''L’origine du château médiéval, actes du colloque de Rindern'', Vol. 25, pp. 259–268. * O'Byrne, Emmet, "Ua Conchobair, Tairrdelbach", in Seán Duffy (ed.). ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. 2005. pp. 471–4. * Perros-Walton, Helen, "Church reform in Connacht", ''Princes, prelates and poets in Medieval Ireland'', Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2013, pp. 279–308. * Verstraten, Freya, "Ua Conchobair", in Seán Duffy (ed.). ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge. 2005. pp. 464–6 {{DEFAULTSORT:Galway Castle Galway (city) Castles in County Galway History of County Galway Archaeological sites in County Galway