Galway City Walls Conservation, Management and Interpretation Plan

GALWAY CITY WALLS CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT & INTERPRETATION PLAN MARCH 2013 Frontispiece- Woman at Doorway (Hall & Hall) Howley Hayes Architects & CRDS Ltd. were commissioned by Galway City Coun- cil and the Heritage Council to prepare a Conservation, Management & Interpre- tation Plan for the historic town defences. The surveys on which this plan are based were undertaken in Autumn 2012. We would like to thank all those who provided their time and guidance in the preparation of the plan with specialist advice from; Dr. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Dr. Kieran O’Conor, Dr. Jacinta Prunty & Mr. Paul Walsh. Cover Illustration- Phillips Map of Galway 1685. CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 UNDERSTANDING THE PLACE 6 3.0 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE 17 4.0 ASSESSMENT & STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 28 5.0 DEFINING ISSUES & VULNERABILITY 31 6.0 CONSERVATION PRINCIPLES 35 7.0 INTERPRETATION & MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES 37 8.0 CONSERVATION STRATEGIES 41 APPENDICES Statutory Protection 55 Bibliography 59 Cartographic Sources 60 Fortification Timeline 61 Endnotes 65 1.0 INTRODUCTION to the east, which today retains only a small population despite the ambitions of the Anglo- Norman founders. In 1484 the city was given its charter, and was largely rebuilt at that time to leave a unique legacy of stone buildings The Place and carvings from the late-medieval period. Galway City is situated on the north-eastern The medieval street pattern has largely been shore of a sheltered bay on the west coast of preserved, although the removal of the walls Ireland. It is located at the mouth of the River during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Corrib, which separates the east and western together with extra-mural developments as the sides of the county. This place has long been city expanded, have led to the alteration of the of strategic importance. In the late twelfth streets around the perimeter. Watercourses century, the Anglo-Normans founded the town and the medieval harbour that once lapped the as their western outpost at the edge of Gaelic- base of the walls have been slowly reshaped held territory in Connemara. The river formed and as land has been reclaimed. There are the western edge of the settlement, with now only five main stretches of wall remaining marshland to the south at the harbour mouth. visible above ground, which other sections Lough Corrib and the river hinterland extend to are partially incorporated into boundary walls the north and low hills to the east separated the of properties. In some locations the wall town from the central plains. foundations along the circuit have been located underground. Excavations commencing in the The walled town of Galway covers an area late 1980s have extended our understanding of of almost eleven hectares, which makes it the archaeological heritage of the city, as well considerably smaller than many comparable as making the walls more accessible to the Irish walled towns of similar date and public. importance. Since they were built in the late thirteenth century the town walls played Today Galway is a regional city, a successful their part in many important historical events commercial centre and a popular tourist such as- fires, plagues and sieges by Gaelic, destination due to its picturesque location, Cromwellian and Williamite forces. The area rich built heritage and vibrant cultural scene. contained within the walls was less than The city has extended far beyond its medieval half that of Athenry, a town 25 kilometres boundaries in all directions, however the historic Fig.1 View towards Spanish Arch from south west by Thomas Phillips dated 1685. 1 core survives and retains their importance as towns, down to what now are small villages some the commercial, cultural and administrative hub of which have long been abandoned. Among of the western province of Connaught. these categories, settlements of less than one thousand inhabitants vied for importance with National & European Context cities that are closer to a hundred thousand Writing almost one hundred years ago, J.S. today. Defences were installed around Fleming commenced his study on nineteen of settlements from the Neolithic period, and were the walled towns of Ireland by commenting on also found around early-Christian monasteries the lack of knowledge and understanding of and port towns established by Norse settlers. this aspect of our cultural heritage. Following the colonization of parts of Ireland by the Anglo-Normans, stone-built defences The few existing remains of town-wall started to replace less robust timber structures fortifications, which formerly enclosed and and earthworks. These towns formed outposts, protected every important town in Ireland, and as well as creating new trading networks and which yearly diminish in number, are, as a led to the wider economic development of the class, undeservedly overlooked by writers on country as a whole. The walls vary in scale, the antiquities of such towns as they describe. detail and material- in each case responding to the local topography, as well as the prevailing Avril Thomas, in her extensive study published economic and political context. Over the in 1992 described fifty six towns where there centuries, they played a key role in historical exists certain proof of wall circuits, with thirty five events and the development of our towns and for which defensive walls were a possibility and cities. twenty others for which only the most tentative claims could be made. They range in size from Ireland is located on the periphery of Europe, and the capital and the large regional cities and was relatively late in developing an urban culture. However, the Irish walled towns characterize political and economic developments on the island in relation to Britain and the continent. Starting with the port settlements founded by the Norse, the Anglo-Normans established a more lasting hold on the interior until falling away in the early fifteenth century. Each brought their own construction methods and settlement patterns from their homelands, but adapted these to local circumstances. The Tudor and Stuart plantations also relied on town defences. The adaptation and reinforcement of the town defences during the Cromwellian and Jacobite/ Williamite conflict did not prevent the walls becoming quickly redundant. This led to their gradual but widespread removal starting in the eighteenth century. Today knowledge of the extent of Irish walled towns, and their position within a wider European context, is sketchy and incomplete. The Heritage Council established the Irish Fig.2 Map showing site location & walled towns (Thomas 1992). Walled Towns Network (IWTN) in April, 2005 2 Ardee Athenry Castledermot Cork Bandon Athlone Derry Drogheda Belfast Buttevant Dublin Fethard Carlingford Galway Dundalk Kilmallock Kinsale Waterford Youghal Limerick New Ross Trim Thomastown Fig.3 Comparative plans of Irish Walled Towns (based on Thomas 1992). 3 to unite and coordinate the strategic efforts of Local Authorities involved in the management and conservation of historic walled towns in Ireland, both North and South of the border. The Irish Walled Town Network is formally linked to European Walled Towns (EWT), which is the international association for the sustainable development of walled towns, walled cities and fortified historic towns. The Piran Declaration, which outlines the reasons for maintaining historic walled towns, was agreed at an Annual General Meeting of the Walled Town Friendship Circle in Piran, Slovenia in 1998: Fig.4 Drawing from Fleming showing Lion Tower in 1890. Walled Towns are unique inheritances from As such, the general aims of this Conservation times long past and should be treasured, Plan are to: maintained and safeguarded from neglect, damage and destruction and passed on into • Provide an accurate record of the town walls. perpetuity as irreplaceable Timestones of • Understand the significance of the History. archaeological heritage. • Identify any threats to their significance. Aims & Objectives • Formulate policies to address the This conservation plan is drawn up in threats, and to inform and guide the future accordance with the guidelines outlined in the preservation and management of the walls. revised Burra Charter published by ICOMOS • Outline proposals for necessary conservation in 1999, which provides a model for the work. conservation and management of places of • Provide accurate documentation of the site cultural significance (See Appendix 1). The to guide future decision-making. charter sets out standards of practice for those • Manage change by proposing a sustainable with responsibility for the guardianship of such vision for the future of the monument. places. This group might include owners, managers and custodians, consultants, statutory Following publication of the Burra Charter, advisers, opinion-formers, decision makers the Ename Charter was adopted by ICOMOS and contractors. Places of cultural significance in 2008 and deals specifically with the enrich people’s lives, often providing a deep interpretation and presentation of cultural and inspirational sense of connection: to the heritage. This charter provides a framework for community; the landscape; to the past and to the communication of the cultural significance lived experiences. of a place to the public. Its objectives are to facilitate understanding and appreciation of A fundamental principle of the Burra Charter is the site; communicate its meaning, safeguard that places of cultural significance should be the tangible and

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