Galway’s old Pro-Cathedral, a Catholic Church established by Protestants
Galway’s Pro-Cathedral is located at the corner of Abbeygate Street and Middle Street and was a highly significant religious building in its day. It was commissioned in July1816 and there are many mysterious stone carvings, called ‘1816 Stones’ around the city marking this date. The building was opened in 1829 towards the end of the…
Galway, the City of the Tribes
Galway plays a distinct role in the historical and contemporary story of Ireland and Irishness. It is a place set apart, geographically marginal but also central to the establishment of our national identity. When you stroll down through Galway city from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch on a spring or summer’s day, through Shop…
Valentine’s Day and Galway’s Claddagh Ring
The Claddagh Ring is the most famous piece of traditional Irish jewellery and an iconic symbol of Galway. The ring incorporates a heart in the middle of the ring, representing love, friendship (the encircled hands at either side) and the importance of loyalty in relationships (the crown on top). These three elements form a powerful symbol…
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Galway’s old Pro-Cathedral, a Catholic Church established by Protestants
Galway’s Pro-Cathedral is located at the corner of Abbeygate Street and Middle Street and was a highly significant religious building in its day. It was commissioned in July1816 and there are many mysterious stone carvings, called ‘1816 Stones’ around the city marking this date. The building was opened in 1829 towards the end…
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Galway, the City of the Tribes
Galway plays a distinct role in the historical and contemporary story of Ireland and Irishness. It is a place set apart, geographically marginal but also central to the establishment of our national identity. When you stroll down through Galway city from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch on a spring or summer’s day,…
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Marriage Stones – a Galway tradition !
Marriage stones are unique to Galway. These stones, used during the medieval period, were elaborate stone etchings created for couples when they married. These etchings included the year of the marriage, the couple’s initials, the family crest, Latin phrases and artwork. Traditionally, the stones were placed overhead the entrance door outside the couple’s…
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Cliffs of Moher costal Walk
The Cliffs of Moher in N. West Clare has always been popular with tourists. But since 2013, a 14Km long walk path has been opened along the stretch of coastline between Doolin in the north and Hag’s Head in the south. This costal walk now allows adventurers to explore the entire coastline along…
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New Bank Holiday in Ireland – St Bridget’s Day,1st February
There are 10 public holidays in Ireland each year (increased from 9 in 2022). Public holidays may commemorate a special day or other event, for example, Saint Patrick’s Day (17 March) or Christmas Day (25 December). Since 2023, there has been a new annual public holiday in early February to mark St Brigid’s Day. In Ireland, the 1st…
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Christmas & New Year Greetings
Happy Christmas 2023 to all our real-time and website visitors from our small Western Tours and Tales team here in Galway. We’d like to wish you a prosperous New Year and sincerely hope to see some of you revisit us again in 2024!
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Christmas Childhood in Ireland
Kavanagh’s famous poem contains some beautiful Irish Seasonal memories and images. A Christmas Childhood by Patrick Kavanagh One side of the potato-pits was white with frost –How wonderful that was, how wonderful!And when we put our ears to the paling-postThe music that came out was magical. The light between the ricks of hay…
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Yeats Tower,Thoor Ballylee, Galway
The Hiberno-Norman tower, Thoor Ballylee, is located quite close to Coole Park in County Galway. The tower is a fine and well-preserved fourteenth-century tower but its major significance is due to its close association with his fellow Nobel laureate for Literature, the poet WB Yeats. It was here the poet spent summers with…
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Welcome!
Welcome to Western Tours and Tales blog page ! Our blogging journey will include various posts and topics related to the history, heritage and culture of the people and landscape along the Wild Atlantic Way of the West coast of Ireland.
Western Tours and Tales 