wealth. The old town gaol was formerly the town court-house, and the market cross stood opposite to it. It speaks highly for the morals of Galway, that before the removal of this gaol to the main guard, the prisoners were confined in a small room under the old tholsel. It was determined to remove the old gaol and guardhouse, and build a new town gaol; and in 1810, they were removed to the new prison. It is under the same good regulations of the county gaol; and every comfort consistent with safety, is afforded to the unhappy inmates. A man died not long since who remembered when there was neither tea-kettle or sash-window in Galway; they were first used by Sir John Kirwan, (of the Castlehacket family) in Middle-street, where Mr. Fahy, an eminent architect, now lives; all others were leaden lights. There was formerly a Foundling hospital; it was converted to an artillery barrack in 1798, but is now occupied by the nuns of the Presentation order. It is a curious circumstance that the separate apartments of many houses are the estates of different proprietors; this arose in a great measure from the former opulence of Galway when a floor of apartments, or even a single room, was given as a portion to a child. Galway swarms with beggars, and frequently of high pretensions, as they often ask for "half a crown." There are no lamps lighted in Galway, except a few in Back-street. Formerly the streets were better lighted, but it was obliged to be given up; "the smugglers broke them." The town wall was originally built by the corporation about the year 1280, by a duty on different articles of consumption. At a later period another wall was built outside the former, and several bastions added, on which cannon were mounted. The ramparts, bastions, and other fortified works at the east side, were built by Cromwell. Some old people remember the embrasures; many recollect when the town wall was a favorite walk, and when the gates were shut every night, and a chain hung across the street: the place where it was fastened is still visible at the house of a chandler at the upper four corners; the date of the building of the house is 1558. It has been said that this chain was originally intended to prevent the clan of the O'Maddens from galloping into the town, and plundering the inhabitants, which they were in the habit of doing, even in day light. What a situation those industrious people must have been in! the O'Flahertys at one side, and the O'Maddens on the other, always ready to pounce on them. The most perfect part of the wall is near William's gate, and is now a garden belonging, I believe, to Mr. Puxley; it is very high, and was surrounded by a deep ditch, which has been nearly all filled up, and at present occupied by gardens or buildings. On several parts of the wall may be seen the name of the mayor and sheriffs in office when they were erected. For repairing the wall, the corporation in 1780 ordered one shilling and nine pence halfpenny. It is evident therefore, that a minute attention was paid to its repair. On the west gate, at the end of the present bridge, there was formerly a stone, which is still preserved; on it was inscribed "Oh! God deliver us from the ferocious O'Flahertys;" and it was decreed that any person of that name found in the town should be put to death: at present some young ladies are the only dangerous persons of that name, and I hope before long they may be confined. It has been asserted that Galway formerly belonged to the O'Hallorans, from whom it was purchased by a company of merchants-adventurers, living at Athenry, which was a walled town long be fore Galway, and, as before mentioned, this was not walled until 1280, above a century after their arrival, under king John. It has also been said that the tribes settled first as fishermen, at the Cloddagh, and moved from that to Galway at the opposite side of the river. It would seem from such different statements, that little better than conjecture can be given. However one thing we are certain of, that they were a wealthy and respectable colony of merchants at a remote period. The Athys were of some note at an early period, for "William D'Athy was appointed treasurer of Connaught 8th December, 1388, with the fee of £10. yearly." The Blakes, formerly called Caddell, were also a very ancient family, for one of them was sheriff of Connaught in 1306. The Bodkins are also very ancient, and highly descended. At an after period the Costellos and some other names were admitted, and were called half tribes. In the reign of Edward IV. money was coined in Galway, for that king made a grant to Gormyn Lynch of the office of warden and master of the mint in Ireland, empowering him to coin money for Galway.-Note, I had one of his groats, which I gave to the late General Vallancy to add to the collection of the Royal Dublin Society. It is also asserted that letters were directed to Galway, near Athenry. St. Stephen's island, near the Wood-quay, was anciently in the county, and the county court house built there, on the same site occupied by Mr. Joyes the distiller. The descendants of the original settlers of Galway are called the thirteen tribes, from the numbers of each name that almost exclusively possessed the trade of that town; and it is asserted that the appellation was given by Cromwell's officers from this circumstance. In one list, with which I have been furnished, the name of Morris is omitted, and in another that of There Font; if both stand there must be 14 tribes. were many other names of those living in Galway long before the tribes, such as Valley or Wallin, Kerwick, Call, Lawless, Dillon, Calfe, Verdon, Frehine, Tierney, Coppinger, Moore, Brunt, Brannegan, Moylan, Bardon, Blundell, Conkeragh, Ffarty, Butler, Penrise, Hoth, Fallon, Weider, Bermingham, Muneghan, Quirke, Sage, Killery, Quinn, Develin, Biggs, Lemper, Le Fickhill, Lang, White. How the 13 tribes came to have the exclusive preeminence I am to learn, and probably the public will feel little interest in it. I have been furnished with a voluminous statement, which may be found in the supplement; but I must leave this weighty affair between the tribes and non tribes. The thirteen tribes (or according to my list the fourteen tribes) have some whimsical attributes attached to their names, probably given at the time they received their name of tribes from Cromwell's officers, such as The following verse seems to countenance the above list: Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Deane, D'Arcy, Lynch, Joyes, Kirwan, Martin, Morris, Skerret, French. It must be evident to any person who knows the county, how much misapplied they would be at the pre sent day, one only being remarkable, Fonts-barren, the family being nearly, if not entirely extinct. I have been informed that only four or five of the Galway tribes can claim a right of burial in the cathedral or collegiate church, viz. Lynch, D'Arcy, Browne, French, and Kirwan, though the privilege of the last has been always disputed, and never allowed. If this circumstance is correct, how truly ridiculous to carry those antiquated claims even to the grave.--The blood of the vulgar to mix with the Mirabels! However, I wish a general prohibition to burying in churches extended to every part of Ireland; it is a shocking and dangerous practice. Formerly church-yards were on the outside of every town, but Cuthbert, Archbishop of Canterbury in 750, obtained a dispensation from the pope for making church-yards within towns and cities.-It is remarkable that there is not one of the Society of Friends in Galway about thirty years ago there were a few in Galway, but from some ill usage they deserted the town, to the great disgrace and serious loss of that town. : The first authentic account we have of Galway begins in the year 1280. It will probably be the best method to throw the history of Galway into the form of annals, I shall therefore adopt that form. 1280 The youngest son of a Mr. Lynch of Castleknock, near Dublin, came to Connaught, and married the daughter and heiress of the Lord Marshal of Galway, whence all the family of Lynch are descended. They were originally from the town of Lintz in Austria, where one of the family was governor, and defended the town against a powerful enemy whilst there was a blade of grass to be had within his reach, and for that reason he got |