The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk
The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Galway. Give it roughly ~25 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~25 min
- Galway Galway guide
_(25836766954).jpg){kind=link}
About The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk
A surviving fragment of Galway's medieval sea walls of 1584 by the River Corrib, where goods from Spain and France came ashore, beside the colourful quayside houses of the Long Walk and the old Claddagh.
The Spanish Arch, in Irish An Póirse, and its neighbour the 'blind' Caoc Arch are the last pieces of Galway's medieval defences on the bank of the River Corrib, part of a wall extension of 1584 that protected the quays by the old Fish Market, now Spanish Parade. The name 'Spanish' is not original, the arch was probably the Eyre Arch when built, but it recalls the city's great trade with Spain and France, and the quay behind it is remembered as the place where Spanish wine and goods came ashore.
Partly wrecked by the tsunami from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the arch now frames a riverside green beside the modern Galway City Museum. Along the water runs the Long Walk, a line of brightly painted quayside houses much photographed with swans on the Corrib, and just across the river lies the Claddagh, for centuries an Irish-speaking fishing village and the home of the Claddagh ring.
Did you know? The Spanish Arch and its 'blind' neighbour are the last pieces of Galway's medieval sea walls, built in 1584 to protect the quays by the old Fish Market; the 'Spanish' name is later than the arch itself.
How long is a visit to The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk?
Set aside roughly ~25 min for The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk worth your time?
The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk is among the 13 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Galway, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Galway
Day 1 of the Galway in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of The Spanish Arch and the Long Walk
Preview the Galway tour free in the Gingerguide app.