The Spanish Arch () and the Caoċ Arch (, "blind arch") in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

city, Ireland, are two remaining arches on the Ceann an Bhalla ("Front Wall").

History

The two arches were part of the extension of the city wall from Martin's Tower to the bank of the River Corrib, as a measure to protect the city's quays, which were in the area once known as the Fish Market (now Spanish Parade). It was constructed during the mayoralty of Wylliam Martin in 1584, being called ''ceann an bhalla'' (''the head of the wall''). In the 18th century the Eyre family of Eyrecourt,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, created an extension of the quays called The Long Walk and created the arches to allow access from the town to the new quays. The designation "Spanish" is not historical to this period and was likely known as the Eyre Arch when built. In 1755, the arches were partially destroyed by the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

generated by the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, All Saints' Day, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In ...

. Until 2006, part of the Arch housed the Galway City Museum. At that time, the museum was moved to a new, dedicated building located just behind the Arch. ''The Long Walk'' is a promenade to one side of the Arches.

Cultural depictions

As a historical landmark, the Spanish Arch appears in several media works set in

, including the 1957 film ''The Rising of the Moon''. File:SpanishArchGw.JPG, The area in front of the Arch File:GalwayCorrib gobeirne.jpg, Ballyknow Quay, Claddagh, Galway, with ''The Long Walk'' in the background

References

* ''History of Galway'',

James Hardiman James Hardiman (February 1782 – 13 November 1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway and an important historian. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1 ...

, 1820 * ''Old Galway'', Maureen Donovan O'Sullivan, 1942 * ''The Tribes of Galway 1124-1642'', Adrian Martyn, 2016

External links

*
Galway.Net Guide - ''Spanish Arch''
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Galway (city) Geography of Galway (city) Arches and vaults in Ireland Gates Tourist attractions in Galway (city)