Besides being the title of a famous Ed Sheran song, Galway is famous for being a medieval city. In the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy (a type of government in which the wealthiest people rule everyone else) which included 14 merchant families known as the "Tribes of Galway." These families guarded the city and even built a stone wall to surround it for protection. The amazing part of Galway is that a part of this old stone wall still exists! Another fun fact: it is said that Christopher Columbus made a stop in Galway before reaching North America. Galway is one of two major cities in Ireland where the locals actually speak Irish and not English. There is a restaurant here where only Gaelic is spoken.
While the day was rainy and cold, our excitement to explore this new city kept us warm. Our first stop was the Church of Ireland, St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church, which is the largest medieval church that is still used daily in Ireland. Next, we walked toward the center of the city, passing by various interesting craft and thrift clothing shops. Galway is known to be a hub for the arts, so there are a lot of handmade crafts here such as leather handbags, jewelry, etc. that you can buy that represent the local culture.
