Galway Cathedral Traditional Cache

‘The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas,’ commonly known as Galway Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Galway, Ireland, and is one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the city. Construction began in 1958 on the site of the old city prison (see below). In 1965, it was dedicated, jointly, to Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and to St. Nicholas. The Cathedral is the youngest of Europe's great stone cathedrals. Galway Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh & Kilfenora. The word "cathedral" is derived from the Greek "kathedra", meaning a seat; and indeed this seat is to be found within the sanctuary of the Cathedral.
The Cathedral is the largest catholic church in Galway, and is located on Nun’s Island, on the west bank of the River Corrib near Salmon Weir Bridge (see below). It was the last large church in Ireland to be made from stone, and features a huge octagonal dome that complements the skyline of the city. There are many treasures of art inside, including a mosaic of the crucifixion by Patrick Pollen, and a variety of intricate stained glass windows throughout the building. The outside features an extraordinary statue of the Blessed Virgin as well as bronze panels and handles that decorate the west door, created by artist Imogen Stuart. Also notable are the Stations of the Cross by Gabriel Hayes. Dedicated to Boston’s Cardinal Cushing, the cathedral is a treasure trove of modern church art. Combined with its unique, eclectic design, the atmosphere inside is warm and inviting.

The car park of the cathedral contains a white cross in the pavement. It marks the site of the prison graveyard.

The Architect of the Cathedral was John J. Robinson who had previously designed many churches in Dublin and around the country. The architecture of the Cathedral draws on many influences. The dome and pillars reflect a Renaissance style, Romanesque nave arches, a Spanish choir area and Gothic windows. The Cathedral dome, at a height of 44.2 metres (145 feet), is a prominent landmark on the city skyline. Other features, including the rose windows and mosaics, echo the broad tradition of Christian art. The ceiling is made with American wood from the Pacific Northwest, and the towers are often described as Renaissance in nature.

Galway Gaol

This photograph of Galway Gaol was taken in the late thirties from McDonogh's Mill in Nun's Island. There is a quiet stillness about the place, as the jingling of warder's keys had been silenced forever. The area in the foreground was the town prison. Part of the basement provided living quarters for the keeper and his family. The ground floor and first floor were all cells, and the top floor was a solitary confinement block. To the right of this building (out of picture) was a yard referred to as the bone yard. Behind that, on the top right of this picture, was another yard with a treadmill. The large building which can be seen on the top left was The County Gaol, a horseshoe shaped structure made out of stone and iron, no timber was used.

The gaols were built at the beginning of the 19th century. Construction was conditional on a right of way, the road all around the walls, also being built. It was a large site which took up most of Nun's Island. Inside the horseshoe building there were various yards, some of which had circles, or 'rings' around which prisoners exercised. There was no exercise if it was raining heavily. There were a number of workshops for prisoners, and a central wooden hut for warders, from which they had a clear view of the occupants of every labour shed. They learnt things like boot making and stone carving.

The execution chamber was above the cookhouse. Between it and the condemned cells were two rooms for unmarried warders. There was a library room where Monsignor Considine used to hear confessions. It differed from most other rooms accessible to prisoners in that it had a fire. A hot pipe passed through every cell, and prisoners used to somehow communicate by tapping on it. The landings and the staircases near the kitchen had to be scrubbed clean by prisoners, who often found this excruciating because of the smell of cooking food. The food regime varied: on Christmas morning, 1881, each prisoner had a dry loaf and a sausage for breakfast.

The two prisons merged circa 1870. In 1925, it was announced at the Urban District Council that the prison was to close. There were protests, because, as one councillor said "The prison was worth £8,000 a year to the local economy". In fact, there were a lot of complaints about sanitary conditions, overcrowding, and the threat of disease, and the jail eventually closed in May, 1939. The property passed to the County Council, and they in turn conveyed it to Galway Diocesan Trustees on March 15th, 1941.

Some of the famous prisoners who were incarcerated here were Wilfred Scawen Blunt, William Smith O'Brien who wrote "When We Were Boys" here, and Myles Joyce, who was one of those hanged for the Maamtrasna Murders.

Salmon weir bridge

Previously known as the Jail Bridge the bridge is a fine gently humped five-span bridge. The Salmon Weir Bridge was constructed in 1818 and was designed by the architect William Vitruvius Morrison. It was intended to link the old Gaol with the courthouse, a distance of no more than two hundred yards. It was also to provide a connection with the main road to Connemara. The river was first drained between 1845 and 1849 and a regulating Weir was built. Between 1952 and 1959, the Corrib was again drained and the present regulating weir was built. This is the largest and most impressive weir in the country with a water flow of 4 million gallons per second at full flood, and 100,000 gallons per second at low flood. The tremendous rush of water through the weir is absolutely breath taking at full flood, and the bridge is regularly lined with locals and tourists alike, absorbed by the spectacle. During the salmon season, from April to early July, the salmon can be viewed from this bridge as they gather to travel upstream to their traditional spawning grounds at Lough Corrib.

I hope you enjoy the cache and take in all the nearby sites. Parking is available near to the cache if you are only staying to grab the cache. Alternatively park in the Cathedral car park and take your time to wander around the area.