Beyond the Pale: O City of the Watery Plain

Take in my heart your place again

between your lakes and sea,

O city of the watery plain

that means so much to me!

-From “Galway” by Oliver St. John Gogarty

Last weekend Galway celebrated it’s second annual architectural open house. Open House Galway involved, among other things, building tours and walking tours.

When I first read of the open house, I was most excited about the tour of the lighthouse on Mutton Island which was to be conducted by a member of the last family to live in the lighthouse. This tour required pre-booking and I was unable to make a reservation because all the spots were taken. But as Erin and I planned our Saturday, we found plenty of other open house activities to interest us.

We began with a noon walking tour of the waterways of Galway. The day was glorious which might explain why there was a huge crowd for the event. Our tour guide recently completed her dissertation on the topic and she was extremely knowledgeable and interesting. When we were close enough to hear her, we were intrigued by what we heard. Sadly, many times we were unable to stand close enough to hear. Thankfully, we were given a booklet with much of the information in print.

The Galway waterways significantly impacted the local economy. I learned fascinating information about the purchase of the river and fishing rights and the old slaughterhouses and how their proximity to the Corrib River encouraged the eel population. I heard stories of nets filled with hundreds of salmon.

Waterways of Galway Tour Guide

Erin and (one of) the waterways

And ere the tidal water falls,

your ships put out to sea,

like crimson roses in grey walls

your memories to me.

-From “Galway” by Oliver St. John Gogarty

Armed with our waterways guidebooks, Erin and I broke off early from the waterways tour to attend a tour of the Galway Harbor Company building. I can see this building from my apartment. I was interested in this tour because it promised wonderful views of the bay. The internal beauty of the building pleasantly surprised me. The building boasts a nautical theme and clever use of small space. Our tour guide pointed out that the building has many windows that face the water and almost no windows that face the industrial part of the dock area. Fascinating.

The Galway Harbor Company hopes to develop the port in significant ways that will cause dramatic changes to the area. If their plans are approved, the port would accommodate much larger ships including cruise ships filled with tourists. We discussed these plans with our tour guide. If you are interested in seeing what they have in mind, go to: http://www.galwayharbour.com/ and click on the youtube video under “New Port Development” in the center of the screen.

I had a short conversation with a man wearing dress military garb. I first asked him a question about an impressionist-style painting in the building that was done of the working dock (complete with backhoe). This led to a discussion of the occasional scrap heaps. This man told me that not long ago the Galway City Museum had an entire exhibit dedicated to the scrap heap. I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved that I’m not the only one with this strange fascination, disappointed that I missed the exhibit, or both.

Both, I think.

View of my apartment building from the deck of the Galway Harbor Company building

Rachel on Galway Harbor Company deck

After a lovely lunch and walk through the outdoor market, Erin and I visited the Galway City Museum where our tour was led by one of the building’s architects. I loved hearing about the many challenges faced by the architects and how those challenges were met. The building is beautiful and the museum has free admission. I can imagine wandering to the top floor on a cold winter day to look out the windows over the Corrib River and pray for inspiration.