Columbus, Lynch Mobs and Hitler: the many legends of Galway

Galway and its colourful past

Galway and its colourful past

The Irish have a reputation as good story-tellers, and given the rich and troubled history of the island it’s hardly a surprise that many legends have been exported from its shores. As a long-standing sea port and well-worn route to the New World, the western city of Galway has more than its fair share of monuments and inscriptions. These remember both the famous sons of Galway and those who made their mark (often their final one) in this colourful city.

A walk around Galway offers a perfect opportunity to explore the city and track down examples of the local folklore. On my visit I was also fortunate to have a walking tour of the city with Galway Walking Tours, and our guide Fiona shared many of the city’s glorious and gruesome legends with us.

Here are just four of the many surprising things that I didn’t know about Galway:

Lynch's window, Galway

Lynch's window, Galway

Lynching

Have you ever wondered where the term ‘lynching’ or lynch mob’ originates? Well, according to Galway legend its origins stem from the mayor of Galway, James Lynch. In 1493 his son was found guilty of murdering a Spanish sailor in a fight over a young girl (of course). His father, as the upholder of justice, had no option but to condemn him to death. As the boy was very popular a local mob came to demand his release, leading James to hang him in haste from the upstairs window of the house.

In fact the term lynching is also attributed to a American revolutionary Colonel Charles Lynch from Virginia who in the late 18th century punished loyalist supporters of the British by a similar method.

Spanish Armada

Armada memorial, Forthill Cemetery, Galway

Armada memorial, Forthill Cemetery, Galway

After defeat in their attempt to invade England, the Spanish Armada hit bad weather on their way home and were forced to divert their course northward. Many of the ships eventually came to ground along the west coast of Ireland in 1588. The Queen of England had decreed that prisoners found ashore should be arrested and excecuted, and that is precisely what happened to around 300 men.

Nowadays, there is a solitary plaque commemorating their fate in Forthill Graveyard, near to the dockyard. Some claim that a more living reminder of the Armada’s journey along the west coast is the occasional trace of dark hair and Latin features within the local population. This has largely been discounted as a likely explanation, given that very few Spaniards would have made it alive to settle in the area.

Christopher Columbus and Galway

Columbus memorial in Galway

Columbus memorial in Galway

An inscription on a sculpture found close to the Spanish arch reads: “On these shores around 1477, the Genoese sailor Cristoforo Colombo found sure signs of land beyond the Atlantic.” The story goes that Colombus visited Galway in 1477 and prayed at the nearby Church of St Nicholas. The sure signs of distant land were the bodies of Inuit fishermen washing up on the Galway shores.

The beauty of such old stories is that there will never be a firm way to disprove them. Whatever the veracity of the claim, given the fierce current in the river Corrib as it flows out into Galway Bay, whoever sailed into the port would have had to be good at his craft.

Hitler, Lord Haw-Haw and the Galway Races

The story of Lord Haw-Haw in the Galway Museum

The story of Lord Haw-Haw in the Galway Museum

Perhaps Galway’s least celebrated son, William Joyce was the English speaking voice of the Nazi propaganda machine, nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw. His broadcasts began with the words “Germany calling, Germany calling” and would typically call on the British to surrender.

On one occasion he even broadcast a request for the Galway races to be put back for two months to accommodate Hitler’s request to attend the annual event (request refused of course).

Joyce was executed for treason in early 1946. As Galway folk might not be so keen to claim Joyce as one of their own, they might be keen to note that he was not actually born in the city, but moved here from Brooklyn at a very early age.

I was in Galway as a guest of bmibaby and Tourism Ireland on an organised press trip.

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