Spanish Arch

The Spanish Arch is a sixteenth-century gateway on the River Corrib at the edge of Galway's old city walls — the most evocative remnant of the medieval city. Two arches survive from an original set of four; the surrounding walls have long since disappeared, leaving the structure standing in an open square beside the river with the sea beyond. The Galway City Museum occupies the building immediately adjacent.

The area around the Spanish Arch is one of the most pleasant parts of Galway. The Long Walk follows the east bank of the Corrib from the arch toward the sea, a short promenade with views of the Claddagh (the old fishing village, now a neighbourhood) across the water. On summer afternoons the grass and low walls around the arch fill up with students, young people, and tourists eating lunch from the nearby restaurants. The Galway Hooker boats sometimes moor here. At evening the whole scene can be very beautiful, particularly when the light is low and the crowds have thinned.

things to do sight
A story
Despite the name, the Spanish Arch was not built by or for the Spanish. It was constructed in 1584 as an extension of the medieval town walls to protect the quays where Spanish wine and goods were unloaded. The name comes from the heavy trade Galway conducted with Spain in the sixteenth century — the city maintained strong commercial and cultural ties with Iberia, and the port was known as a landing point for Spanish merchants and sailors.