Lynch's Castle
Lynch's Castle
3.5
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3.5
145 reviews
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26
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retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,828 contributions
Jun 2023
Lynch's castle or Keep, now a bank, was, for me, just a photo opportunity of its architectural features on the exterior wall. The building stands out on the main street as its grey stone walls are a contrast to the building materials of the surrounding shops. I found these features of interest: The sculpture around the second and third floor "hooded" windows were high up so I needed to zoom in to see the detail of the design. Similarily for the animal faced gargoyles placed above these windows at roof level. Henry VII's coat of arms over the entrance door was eroded; one could miss it. This building, once a 16th C tower house/ fortified Keep was owned by a wealtly Anglo-Norman merchant family, the Lynches. They provided Galway with 80 mayors until Cromwell's capture of the town. It is remarkable that the city had not pushed over this building, but found a new use for it as a bank.
Written 21 June 2023
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DeanMurphy2020
Orlando, FL7,757 contributions
Jul 2014 • Solo
Across from Eyre Square at 40 Shop Street is a tall gray structure. Now AIB bank since 1930, this impressive building came into being as a castle in the 15th Century. Construction began in 1484 (eight years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue). AIB may have chosen the rock-solid building to symbolize the bank’s integrity and strength during the Great Depression. I exchanged dollars for euros here, and had the chance to see a modern building inside an ancient structure. The exterior has been preserved and restored, an excellent example of how private businesses can preserve culture and architecture.
Written 17 August 2014
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HowlnBubba
Key Largo, FL1,398 contributions
Sept 2019
The building dates from 1490, with later renovations. It is possibly the only remaining structure of Spanish influence in old Galway city, and is the only extant complete secular Medieval building in Galway. It is now a bank branch and doesn't really look like much else. The facade's stonework includes gargoyles and the crests of King VII, the Lynches (the most powerful of the 14 ruling Galway tribes), and the related Fitzgeralds of Kildare. In 1493 James Lynch Fitzstephen, Mayor of Galway, reportedly hanged his own son for the murder of a Spanish sailor, because nobody else would perform the execution; giving rise to the terms "to lynch" and "lynch mob". This is a colorful and anecdotal tale that may be true, except that the more plausible theory is that lynch and lynch mob originated with an 18th century Virginia judge named Lynch.
Interesting place anyway.
Interesting place anyway.
Written 2 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
magicbird1
New Hope, PA2 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
Fascinating story about the monkey and the infant. Lynch was a prominent family in Galway but Lynch's wife was unable to conceive a child, much to the family's grief. Lynch, who traveled extensively, brought back a monkey as pet. Then 7 years into marriage Lynch's wife did, to family's joy bear a child after they'd all given up hope. The child was still a newborn when a raging fire broke out on 2nd floor. No, no one "forgot" to get the baby, as another commenter wrote--they just couldn't reach the baby's room through the roaring flames. The mother was hysterical--they had to hold her back from running into the burning building. Everyone was grief-stricken in their belief that there was no hope for the infant son. Then the pet monkey appeared on the side of the building, emerging from a 3rd floor window. It climbed down and entered a 2nd floor window, the floor where the the baby's room was located and where the fire raged the worst. The monkey then re-emerged from the 2nd floor window and fell hard to the ground. The monkey then opened its arms and, lo and behold--to everyone's astonishment, there was the baby! This monkey had gone through smoke and fire just to save this human infant!. Lynch put the stone monument over the door to honor the monkey.
I don't believe that Lynch hanged his own son as someone here has written. From what I understood vigilantes hanged Lynch's son for the murder he was alleged to have committed.
This half-day trip to Galway, which included seeing Lynch's castle, was part of our 7-day trip/tour to Westport Ireland with our college alumni group. Galway was worth about 3-4 hours of time (add more if you want to shop there) including a meal. However, I wish we'd hurried the waiters along because we lost about 1/2 hour in a slow restaurant. But looking at the monkey/baby monument itself was only worth about 10 minutes because there was nothing inside the building itself to see. I will try to add a photo but currently my photos are not in the right format.
I don't believe that Lynch hanged his own son as someone here has written. From what I understood vigilantes hanged Lynch's son for the murder he was alleged to have committed.
This half-day trip to Galway, which included seeing Lynch's castle, was part of our 7-day trip/tour to Westport Ireland with our college alumni group. Galway was worth about 3-4 hours of time (add more if you want to shop there) including a meal. However, I wish we'd hurried the waiters along because we lost about 1/2 hour in a slow restaurant. But looking at the monkey/baby monument itself was only worth about 10 minutes because there was nothing inside the building itself to see. I will try to add a photo but currently my photos are not in the right format.
Written 5 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah C
Dallas, TX588 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
This is now a bank but you can admire the outside. It was closed when we saw it so I'm not sure if there is anything to see inside. This is the family home of the once mayor of Galway who found his son guilty of murder and hung him. The window where the son was hung can be seen from market street and is located in the garden/graveyard of st. Nicholas church.
Written 3 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Love2travelandabsorb
Saint Paul, MN26 contributions
Jun 2019 • Couples
I have been to Galway on two prior ocassions. This is the first time I have able to go inside Lynch's Castle. This was on a tour with Marteen Lane. It is now a bank. In the main entrance is a history of the castle and a fireplace from 1629 which was discovered in the back of the building and now moved to the front area. A fellow passanger on the train to Galway had mentioned that Christopher Colombus had been to Galway. There was a brief history of this event in the foyer area. It was well worth the stop,
Written 26 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FlyingTheCoop
Australia413 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
There might be a good monkey story behind the history of Lynch’s Castle but an attraction it is not! We walked straight past it in our first attempt to see the castle as the reality is that it is now a bank with an ATM machine sliced into the side of the historic stone walls. The facade is beautiful, but so are many other facades in Galway. You will need to be looking up as you traverse the pedestrian mall to get the full benefit of the architecture.
Written 12 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary C
Galway, Ireland19 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
This building is now a bank in the centre of shop street Galway. The ground floor is open to public but I would suggest getting a tourist guide to explain the history of building when visiting the city
Written 2 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elonamiss
Athens, Greece40 contributions
Feb 2017 • Friends
Well.. during our visit I had to ask in order to find it...we passed by several times but never "noticed the castle" ( we are observers) but only the bank.
Written 11 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sojourner-Texas_USA
Hamilton, TX158 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
You can't miss Lynch's Castle if you are walking the tourist walk in downtown Galway. What you see today is actually a "fortified town house" rather than a traditional "castle". Now it houses an active bank operation. And yes, it is the site where the Lord Mayor of the city hung his own son for violation of the law. But, if you turn right and walk down the small sidestreet to the next corner- then turn left and walk down to the wall of the old church, you will see the "actual window and wall where the hanging took place. It seems the city fathers long ago relocated that section of the castle wall to a new site to preserve it as a monument. So, the bank building is on the actual site of the hanging, but the window and wall are actually on display at the old church yard a block away. Interesting to see either way,
Written 18 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gordarthur
White Lake, Canada
I am visiting Galway in July 2019, I am a descendant of the Lynch clan who lived in the castle, researching my family tree and would like to know if any of the family still live in Galway ?
From what I have found some of the family came to Canada via the United States in the 1700’s, settled in Nova Scotia, became Empire Loyalists and fought in the war of 1812 and on the Plains of Abraham against the French. We have a long line of family members in the military right up to present day.
Would make my trip memorable if I could find out anything about the family while in Galway.
Gord Lynch
Written 25 June 2019
I'd grab a Rick Steves' Ireland book and look up the walking tour he suggests for Galway. There's a good chance the locals that do the tour would have some information or know what direction to point you in.
Written 2 July 2019
ERROR CORRECTION from Magicbird1: I was incorrect when I said that vigilantes, not Lynch, hanged his son. Lynch, the father, did hang his own son for alleged murder. Our Irish tour guide claimed that this incident was the origin of the word "lynching" in the English language.
Written 29 August 2018
Thanks for the history! I am a Lynch, the Mayor was my late late late (really late) relative, think grandfather, so its pretty cool to read the history. Funny thing is I didn't know of his son's crime. Heard many different stories. Would love to go out and see it for myself one day.
Written 7 February 2017
Hi Michelle, Just read your post about being a Lynch descendant. Fascinating story about the Lynch family in Galway! Galway was beautiful, as was all of the area of ireland I saw on my June 2018 trip. I, and I'm sure others, would love to hear more of your family history if you know any.
Unfortunately we had to forego half of our trip to Ireland because of my aunt's death in the US, so we didn't get to see Dublin or anything other than the Westport area.
It's ironic--I didn't get to meet any of my Irish relatives through my mother's side in Ireland while I was there, but I got to see a couple of dozen of them when I went to my Aunt Cathy's memorial in Decatur IL.
Written 29 August 2018
What is the story about the baby rescued by the monkey? Why is there a monkey carving?
Written 20 July 2015
Dear Nancy, I recently posted an answer to your question about the monkey carving at Lynch Castle, having just been to Ireland myself in June 2018.
Written 29 August 2018
My maiden name was Lynch & originally came from Galway many years ago, not me but my ancestors. I am just curious about where they came from.
Written 30 March 2015
Mine originated from Lynch's castle too.
Written 30 September 2015
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