Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Thursday August 08 2024

Galway City is a modern, bustling metropolis with a population of close to 80,000 inhabitants plus tourists. It has a lively music and arts scene and has put time, effort and money into preserving its history and telling its own story.

Perhaps Galway’s most famous writer : Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and journalist whose production was primarily in the Irish language. In his lifetime he wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays.^[1] His acclaimed novel Deoraíocht has been described by Angela Bourke as ‘the earliest example of modernist fiction in Irish’. (Wikipedia) This lovely memorial can be found in Eyre Square which I passed through frequently. Music is always present in Galway, in the pubs and also on the streets. My explorations of the city were well lubricated with rain to the point that my trusty water resistant jacket gave up resisting and I had to purchase a proper lightweight raincoat!

Seeking some respite from the elements, I went in search of the museum and the Spanish arch. The latter is a remnant of the medieval wall of the city. It has had several names but the current one stuck. As a port city, Galway has had a long relationship with other maritime countries such as Spain and Portugal.

The museum packs a lot punch for its size. I was particularly impressed with the sail boat suspended in the stairwell of the gallery. Many of the exhibits have an interactive component and there’s something for everyone. I was particularly caught up in the celtic culture section. There was an irish wire strung harp and an ancient tuning pin from a harp.

The museum and Spanish Gate are on the waterfront so I wandered for a bit:

Next on my mostly non-existent itinerary was some ecclesiastical architecture. First, the medieval St Nicholas Church (Church of Ireland).

And then it was on to the more recent and much larger edifice, Galway Cathedral (Roman Catholic). It is a magnificent modern echo of an earlier age and the stained glass is colourful and beautifully executed. There was an organ and harmonium concert advertised for that evening and the two performers were rehearsing and doing sound checks while I was exploring the building. The sounds of the instruments were magical in the space floating and blending together through arches into the vaults. I decided I needed to attend the concert.

The concert was stunningly beautiful played with musicality and precision. I had the opportunity to meet the Cathedral Director of Music and organist, Raymond O’Donnell. He was playing the harmonium which required hime to use the foot pedals to supply the wind to power the instrument. It was close to a two hour concert and he commented that one of his legs began to develop a cramp. Robbie Carroll was playing the positif organ but I didn’t have a chance to meet him. He’s currently the organist of Norwich Cathedral and was formerly an organ scholar at Galway Cathedral. And then it was time to head back to the hotel. Friday is another road trip day!