Not much has changed in Galway and the place is as busy today as when this image was taken, probably around 1900. Today, this area is pedestrianised and the tram lines are gone. Lynch's Castle (pictured right), is now the site of a bank.
In 1900 the Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland described the Castle thus:
The city of Galway at one time carried on a large commerce with Spain, an intercourse that has shown its effects to the present in the appearance and character of the people, and the buildings and streets of the town. Among the buildings the only perfectly preserved example of Spanish architecture is Lynch's Castle, a large, stately edifice, at the corner of Shop and Abbeygate Streets. Its decorations, ornamental mouldings and picturesque cornices denote its Spanish character, which less than a century ago was noticeable in most of the chief buildings of the city. The Lynchs were one of the thirteen so-called Tribes of Galway, all of whom were of Anglo-Norman descent; their prominence may be measured by the fact that during a period of 169 years, 84 members of the family were mayors of the city. Lynch's Castle here depicted was the home of the family for several generations. The tragic story of James Lynch, Warden of Galway, who hanged his son for murder, 1493, is famous in history and romance.
References
| Atlas and Cyclopedia of Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
