Galway City on Chauffeurdriven tour with Dave Hogan and Dovechauffeurdrive.

Our destination today was Galway city. The picture above was taken in Eyre Square, which is the park right in the heart of the town. The stone edifice, pictured here, shows the Browne Doorway, which was the entrance door to the home of the Browne family, one of the fourteen families who ruled this fine town. They were all wealthy merchants, and mainly of Norman origin. Browne was a Norman name, derived from the actual name De Brun. It was from these fourteen families that the city got its name, the City of the Tribes.

 This picture was taken in what is the market area of the city. Here we have Sheri and Mark, posing, with the famous St Nicholas's Cathedral in the background. This church is the oldest building in the city, and was once upon a time a Catholic church, but was taken over by Cromwell's forces, when they took the city, and banished the priests. It is most famous for the fact that mass was celebrated there for Christopher Columbus and his sailors before they set sail on their final leg to the new world. It is widely accepted by us Galwegians, that Columbus actually stopped off in Galway to pick up some of our local Claddagh fishermen, who of course knew already where America was, and who went along to show Columbus the way. Did you know that?

 Here we have Sheri and Mark, with the famous Lynch's window in the background. Old man Lynch was the notorious magistrate who hanged his own son from this very window after he had been convicted of  killing a rogue, who had seduced young Lynch's fiancee. The son was very popular and the locals felt that the bad guy deserved what he got, so nobody would hang him, So the father hung him himself. Nice guy, would you think? They say that it was because of this, that the term Lynching came into the English language. If you do not believe me, Google it.

 A nice picture of Mark and Sheri on the promenade in Salthill with Galway Bay in the background. I myself was born just a couple of hundred feet from where this photo was taken. I forgot to take a photo to include here,of the memorial stone, to mark the spot, but i can post it some other time. I hate boasting.

This photo shows the magnificent Galway Cathedral, which was opened in 1965 by Cardinal Cushing.

 Today we also visited the Shrine at Knock, where Our Lady appeared in 1879, and is now a recognised Shrine, similar to Lourdes and Fatima, and is renowned as a centre of healing. The apparition occurred at the back of this old church, pictured above.

Here we have the rear wall of the church , which is now enclosed, and shows the marble images of the apparition as it appeared.

Today was very special day once again, and one we all enjoyed very much. Tomorrow we move on southwards. If you are not too busy, you can come along with us.