The origins of the name Galway have often been debated, and seldom agreed upon, but there are some mighty guesses, each of which has something to offer us about Galway.

At first glance, the name Galway – Gaillimh in Irish – seems to have a straightforward meaning. For the ancient Irish and other Celtic peoples, all foreigners were known as Galls (Gauls), and thus prefixes or suffixes involving gall, in one form or another, generally reflect the presence of foreign settlers. A great example of this is County Donegal – Dún na Gall in Irish – Donegal translates literally as 'fortress of the foreigners'. Because Galway was a Norman-English settlement as early as the 12th century, it is plausible to conclude that Galway means simply, 'place of the foreigners' or more specifically, 'residence of the English'. Indeed, this theory has been proposed often throughout the ages and remains a viable conclusion.

Situated at the mouth of the River Corrib and upon the Western reaches of the Republic of Ireland is Galway City. Founded by Anglo-Norman settlers in the 12th century and incorporated as a city in 1484, the city is as rich in heritage as it is in modern attractions. Galway is noted to be one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, rising from 50, 853 inhabitants in 1991 to 72,414 in 2006.

Often referred to as the 'Capital of the West', Galway is a cultural Mecca of sorts, attracting thousands every year to the many lively festivals hosted by the town. A few of the biggest attractions are the Galway Film Fleadh, the Galway Arts Festival, the Galway Races and the Oyster Festival. In addition to its status as a centre of language, art and culture, Galway is home to nearly 20,000 students that flood into the city from all corners of Ireland, and the rest of the world, every year. With the students comes youth, excitement, curiosity and energy, and this added dimension makes Galway the place to be for the seven third level institutions in the city; ranging from the National University of Ireland at Galway, to some of the smaller institutions like the Atlantic Language School.

The City of the Tribes

Rising from the annals of every great city is a story of such singular eminence that it serves to define the very character of the town. For Galway the story is that of the fourteen tribes that led the city to a golden age of prosperity and international recognition. Indeed, Galway is known to this day as The City of the Tribes, though it has been more than three hundred and fifty years since the control of those illustrious merchant families was irrecoverably smashed by the armies of Cromwell.

The story of the Tribes begins in earnest with the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland during the late 12th century. Among the invaders were those of the powerful de-Burgo family. The de-Burgos took a keen interest in the province of Connaught (Connacht), and with the consent of Henry II of England they wrestled the land from the natives. On the wings of the de-Burgo's claim, many families of Norman descent swept into the area. In a short time, fourteen of these families distinguished themselves as merchants. As recorded in Hardiman's History of Galway, those families bore the following surnames: Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D'Arcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyes, Kirwan, Lynch, Martin, Morris and Skerrett.

Profiting from one of the best seaports in Western Europe, the families accumulated such immense wealth and fame that they claimed complete control over civic affairs. In 1484, Richard III granted the families a charter to rule without the interference of the de-Burgos, who were prone to frequent revolts against the crown. The treaty also gave the families control over the ecclesiastic affairs of the city. Thus, the merchants had supreme and unfaltering control of Galway for nearly the next two hundred years.

The Tribes were a highly distinctive group. They thought of themselves as English nobility and were intensely loyal to the crown. This would later prove problematic because of their allegiance to the Catholic Church! Furthermore, their claims to nobility led them into utter exclusivity, and they refused to marry outside of their tight-knit group. Despite their closely woven and independent nature, visitors were often in awe of the remarkable character of Galway's inhabitants. As recounted in Hardiman's History, visitors described the Galwegians to be kind to strangers, hospitable and of a great public spirit – this, in addition to their uncommonly refined manner of living.

What remains so utterly remarkable is that Galway is still 'The City of the Tribes' in many ways. The 14 merchant families of Galway forged the city as we know it. And though we may be unable to peer into the celebrated Galway as it appeared at the merchant’s height of power, we can be sure that their story will forever be delivered to us from the chasms of history, and their contribution will not be forgotten.

The Galway Hooker

Today, Galway City is a thriving modern community, resplendent with all the cushions of modern technology. Things, of course, where not always the way they are today, and if we were to travel back in time a few centuries, we would find Galway to be a very different place.

It is easy to forget that in the time before trains and cars, transportation was a much more difficult affair. The quickest route for news, goods, or people was often by water. Hence, Galway, like any port town, drew its wealth from the sea; both from fishing and from the extensive trade it carried on with France, Spain, and the West Indies. None of this would have been possible without the aid of a great fleet of ships, the like of which is seldom seen today. It was one class of vessel, though, that came to distinguish itself as Galway’s signature upon the water. That craft was the Galway Hooker.

These days, the Hookers appear annually at celebrations, such as the Kinvara festival of Cruinniú na mBád (Gathering of the Boats). A recent count of the vessels showed 23 boats over 30ft to be riding the waves. An astonishing accomplishment, considering nearly all of the original Hookers had left the water by 1975. The flowing, characteristic sails of the boats are also captured in the stylised fountain at the top of Eyre square, whose brown-red, rusty curves serve to commemorate Galway's 500 years as a city and its deep maritime heritage.

Like so many of Galway's icons, the real history and evolution of the Hooker remains elusive, and we remain heavily in debt to the likes of Richard Scott, John Healion, Bill Crampton and others, who, in recent years, raised the Hookers themselves from near extinction.

The name Hooker almost certainly comes to us from the Dutch; just which Dutch word it is, is a matter of opinion. The term Hoeker is known to apply to hook and line fishing, whereas both howker and holker correspond to a small easily manoeuvrable vessel. Whatever the truth may be, boats called Hookers also sail from Holland to this day, although they are of different make than those of Galway, and as these things are, we should be happy to almost know where the term originated.

Where the distinctive design of the boats originated is considerably less clear. Authorities on the matter have claimed lineage from a host of different traditions; Norse and Cornish designs prominent among the speculations. This notwithstanding, basically everyone is content to conclude that the boats, wherever their ancestors sailed from, have been in Galway long enough to evolve into something quite unique, and are rightly thought of as Galway’s own creation.

The Claddagh Ring

For a genuine souvenir of Galway you can’t beat the Claddagh Ring. A band of gold or silver with a motif of two hands clasping a crowned heart, it is a symbol of friendship, fidelity and love. Its name comes from the Claddagh fishing village situated on the outskirts of medieval Galway, between the modern city centre and Salthill.

The Claddagh Ring belongs to a widespread group called “Faith” rings or more frequently by the Italian name ‘Fede’ rings. They are distinguished by having a bezel cut or cast in the form of two clasped hands, symbolising trust or plighted troth. There are several variants of the fede ring, the commonest being that in which the hands clasp a heart between them. The variant to which the name ‘Claddagh Ring’ has been given is that in which the clasped heart is surmounted by a crown.

The Claddagh ring is also known to have been in common use in the Aran Islands and throughout Connemara.

Tradition has it that the Claddagh area of Galway these rings were handed down from mother to daughter. They were used both as betrothal and marriage rings: worn with the crown towards the knuckle on betrothal and upon marriage wit the crown towards the nail.

Many Galway jewellers continue the tradition of making the now world-famous Claddagh Ring in their own workshops.

(Source: www.galway1.ie)