The Little History of Galway (eBook)

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GALWAY: EARLY HISTORY, CHRISTIANITY AND MYTHOLOGY

THE STONE AGE

The mountains of Galway formed more than 500 million years ago and, as the last Ice Age retreated, the melting glaciers deposited soil and sand and the varied topography of the area began to take shape. The warming climate that followed allowed plants, flowers and trees to bloom. By 8000 BC, we know that there were communities of people on the island of Ireland. Little is known of these pre-Celtic people and how they lived, although they seem to have arrived on the isolated island long after the rest of southern Europe was populated. Ireland’s wet climate may have been somewhat uninviting, but the tree-covered island with abundant water and devoid of people must have seemed like fertile hunting and fishing territory all the same. The first people probably arrived to the north of the country from Scotland, spreading southwards and westwards over time. They were able to get food by hunting animals and birds, catching fish and eating the nuts and berries that they could pick off the trees and bushes. They were called hunter-gatherers. They generally travelled around rather than living in permanent settlements, spending time along the coasts and near rivers and lakes, where they erected temporary wooden huts with roofs made from rushes or animal skins.

The first known habitation of the area now known as Co. Galway was in around 6000 BC, with artefacts found in the rivers around Galway City seeming to suggest human activity at this time. Galway had many water sources and these early people chose to settle along the coasts, rivers and lakes of the county. Examples of shell middens dating back to around 5000 BC can be found in western coastal regions of Connemara, notably on the Slyne Head peninsula, while the watery depths of Lough Corrib have produced many artefacts, including log boats and Stone Age tools, which can today be traced to prehistoric times.

Lough Corrib (from Sunny Side of Ireland by John O’Mahony).

In around 4000 BC, new ideas arrived from Europe that were to revolutionise life in Galway and its surrounds. This is now known as the Neolithic Age or New Stone Age. Agricultural practices that we now recognise as farming had been practised in Europe for generations and these settlers in the New Stone Age were able to cultivate crops and cereals and raise domesticated animals such as cattle and sheep. This prompted people to give up their nomadic lifestyle and set down roots, giving Galway its first taste of settled communities. At this time, Galway was covered in forestry but large-scale tree felling using primitive stone tools began. These first farmers, despite their lack of technology, built walls, cleared fields and used local materials to build more permanent houses.

Many Neolithic sites can be found in Galway, particularly in west Connemara and on the shores of Lough Corrib. There are also several Neolithic tombs on the sacred hill of Knockma near Tuam. Burial customs were obviously important to the people of the New Stone Age and there are many megalithic tombs in Co. Galway. The area around Lough Sheeauns near Cleggan, in north-west Connemara, shows much evidence of these, while a collapsed megalithic tomb near Menlo, just east of Galway City, is also a prime example. Portal tombs can also be found in Renvyle and Clifden. Fragments from the time, including handmade pottery, have also been discovered and examined by archaeologists. Axe heads, including a well-preserved specimen from Monivea, have been recovered, as have other cutting tools made from porcellanite. Some of these are on display in the National Museum of Ireland, others in Galway City Museum.

THE BRONZE AGE

The Bronze Age, which began in around 2500 BC, was a truly revolutionary period. Irish people had been using copper for generations, and although it was mainly associated with the south of the country, it could also be found underground in Co. Galway. Copper itself was useful but the discovery in south-east Europe that mixing it with tin at high heat made a durable metal called bronze changed the world, this new metal allowing the manufacture of stronger tools and weapons that made farming and the clearing of land far easier. It would take several hundred years before such a practice became commonplace in Ireland, however. This was because there was no tin to speak of on the island and it needed to be imported from countries such as England. The precious metal was used for more than tools, however – the Bronze Age eventually became synonymous with ornamental items and jewellery, and gold lunulas are among the decorative items that have been found in the area around Galway.

During the Bronze Age, houses were made of wattle and daub or wood, and cooking was often done in an open-air pit known as a fulacht fiadh, examples of which can be found in Galway, including at Eyrecourt. Burial practices also changed in the Bronze Age and single burials in pit graves became common, the bodies of wealthier individuals often accompanied by impressive items such as crockery or jewellery. The grave was usually marked by a mound. There are several examples of this type of burial in Co. Galway, particularly around the Cleggan area to the west. Cist graves – small, stone-built, coffin-like boxes used to hold the bodies of the dead – were common too and can be found in several locations between Athenry to Headford. Stone circles and standing stones were also prevalent, the modern belief being that these were settings for important pagan ceremonies and rituals. A well-preserved example of a standing stone can be found at Roscam on Galway Bay and there are several others present throughout Connemara and near Lough Corrib. There are also examples of stone circles, including in the townland of Moanmore West, near Loughrea, and at Commons East near Woodford, the latter of which consists of seven free-standing stones.

THE COMING OF THE CELTS

The Bronze Age in Ireland came to an end in around 500 BC, having lasted about 1,500 years. At this stage, a group of people known as the Celts arrived in Ireland from mainland Europe. They brought with them new skills and talents to further improve the island. The well-preserved body of an adult male from Celtic times was found in 1821 near Castleblakeney in Co. Galway. The boots he was wearing were a good example of the ingenuity of the Celtic race. Portions of the seams remained and indicated an impressive understanding of stitchwork. The Celts’ arrival also coincided with the discovery of a new metal – iron. Iron did not need to be mixed like bronze and was thus easier to obtain. Iron tools were also very strong and durable and before long had replaced bronze tools, marking the beginning of the Iron Age. The Celts were not an entirely peaceful race and iron weapons were also a feature. It is difficult to ascertain how much violence heralded their arrival, but swords and spearheads dating from Celtic times have been discovered in Co. Galway, particularly on the shores of the River Suck, indicating that they did not always come in peace.

By the time of the Celts’ arrival, the people of Galway were living in small communities, often built strategically on hilltops to provide protection. Cows were the main symbol of wealth and land was prized above anything else. Feuding was a reality of life and crannógs, artificial defensive islands in the centre of lakes, were built widely, including at Lough Caimin near Roundstone, Lough Skannive near Carna and Lough Acalla near Kilconnell in east Galway. There were also several in the lake at Loughrea. Other types of forts were built in Ireland for protection and shelter in and before Celtic times. Promontory forts were built on cliffs and jutted out into the sea. Dún Aonghasa on the Aran Islands is one of the finest examples of these in the world. Hillforts were made of stone and built on high land overlooking the surrounding countryside, and there is an excellent example of one of these near Lough na Fooey in Joyce Country, Co. Galway. Ringforts, too, were commonly built and often comprised several houses together in small communities, surrounded by circular stone walls for protection. These are particularly common in the rich farmland landscape in the east of the county and examples can be seen at Woodlawn and New Inn.

Proximity to water sources remained important and the area now home to Galway City, which was an ideal crossing point of the River Corrib, may have had its first major settlement at this time. The Celts were capable fishermen too, and in 1820, James Hardiman stated that:

The town of Gallway was formerly inhabited by colonies, who got their livelyhood by cods & other sea fishes, drying them by the sun. No part of the Irish coast abounds with a greater variety of fish.1

Celts were skilled ironmongers and were able to clear land of trees, build small settlements and grow crops, which they used to make bread and porridge. Some of the techniques in farming introduced at this time were so advanced that they are still used today. The Celts also domesticated many animals, including cows and pigs, and consumed dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese. Their strong iron tools allowed them to experiment with new methods of building houses as well. They brought more advanced methods of thatching their roofs, tying rushes and straw together skilfully to make a roof in such a way that would keep a house warm and dry. The houses were usually made of wood or stone. They also sometimes had a souterrain, an underground passage for storing food or occasionally hiding from enemies. A great example of this can be seen at Ballynastaig stone fort, near Gort, while another has been...