Spanish Arch & the Long Walk
About
The Spanish Arch was built in 1584 as an extension of the medieval city wall, thrown up to protect the quays where merchant ships unloaded. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake sent a tsunami this far north and partly knocked the arches about, which is why they look the way they do today. Just beside it, the Long Walk is the row of brightly painted waterfront houses where the Corrib pours into the bay, and it has long been a gathering spot for street musicians. Stand here for ten minutes and you will hear a fiddle going and watch the swans drift past.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The 1584 arch, a surviving piece of the medieval city wall
- ✓The painted waterfront houses of the Long Walk
- ✓Street musicians and trad sessions by the water
- ✓Where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay
Tips
- →Best at golden hour, when the painted houses catch the light off the water.
- →The City Museum sits right beside the arch, handy to pair the two.
Best Season
More Heritage Activities
Galway City Museum
A free museum beside the Spanish Arch covering the city's maritime and social history.
St Nicholas' Collegiate Church
Founded in 1320, the largest medieval parish church in Ireland still in continuous use.
Galway Cathedral
The green-domed 1965 cathedral on Nun's Island by the Salmon Weir Bridge.