Galway's Roundabouts, Galway, Ireland.
Created | Updated Sep 21, 2005
As of September, 2003, Galway City Council began to implement a long overdue plan to name the city's roundabouts after the Fourteen "Tribes" of Galway.
Below, I have listed the new names of the roundabouts, followed by their locations and the "old" names. These "old" names are likely to persist in common usage in Galway for quite some time.
Athy: Clybaun Road/Western Distributor Road(WDR); Clybaun Road.
Blake: Ballymoneen Road/WDR; Ballymoneen Road.
Browne: Séamus Quirke Road/Thomas Hynes Road/N6; Corrib.
Bodkin: Headford Road/Seán Mulvoy Road/Quincentennial Bridge; Headford Road. (This infamous bottleneck is known by many sarcastic names, e.g. The Magic Roundabout.)
Deane: Bishop O'Donnell Road/WDR; Bishop O'Donnell Road.
D'Arcy: Upper Salthill/Lower Salthill/Seapoint Promenade; Salthill.
Ffrench: Dublin Road/College Road/Moneenageisha Road/Wellpark; Moneenageisha Cross.
Font: Tuam Road/BNT; Tuam Road.
Joyce: Bohermore/Seán Mulvoy Road/Sandy Road/Tuam Road/Moneenageisha Road; Bohermore or Cemetery Cross.
Kirwan: Headford Road/Bóthar na dTreabh(BNT)/Sandy Road; Terryland.
Lynch: N6/Monivea Road; Ballybrit or Briarhill.
Martin: Dublin Road/N6.
Morris: Ballybane Road/BNT/N6; Ballybane or Tom Hogan's.
Skerritt: Dublin Road/Ballybane Road; Corrib Great Southern.
The Fourteen Tribes-A Brief History
The Fourteen Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who ruled over Galway's mercantile and ecclesiastical affairs for almost 200 years. The first to arrive were the De Burgos (Burkes), who, with the consent of King Henry II (1154-1189), wrestled the land from the natives. Fourteen other clans soon followed, and, profiting from Galway's fine sea-port, soon completely controlled the town. In 1484, the Fourteen Tribes obtained a Royal Charter which not only made Galway a City, but gave them the power to rule without the De Burgos, who were prone to rebel against the Crown.
The Tribes built for themselves magnificent fortified townhouses, such as Lynch's Castle in Shop Street (which now houses a bank). The doorway to the Browne mansion, formerly of Abbeygate Street, now stands in Eyre Square.
At the height of the Tribes' power, Galway was one of the finest cities in Ireland. It enjoyed a flourishing trade with Spain and the West Indies, and its autonomy was similar to that of the Greek city-states.
The power of the Tribes ended in the Cromwellian invasions of the 1640s. The royalist tendencies of the Tribes meant that they would neither defend the city from Oliver Cromwell, or join his armies. After the Restoration, any hope of a revival of their power was extinguished by the accession of King William and Queen Mary to the throne in 1689.
Driving Directions
Why would you need the information above? Well, you may want to drive around the city, en route to Connemara, perhaps.
Note: In this entry, the term "exit" refers to every road that leads off the named roundabout.
1. From Dublin (N6), Cork and Limerick (N18) to Connemara (N59)
Note: This route is fairly straight-forward, as it mostly consists of roundabouts. Extreme caution should be exercised on the notorious Bodkin Roundabout. For a Galwegian's guide to how to correctly negotiate this junction, click here and scroll to the heading "Life in the Fast Lanes".
Coming from the direction of Dublin, Cork or Limerick on the N6 you will arrive at the Martin Roundabout. Take the second exit, and go up the dual carriageway1. You will arrive at the Lynch Roundabout. Again, take the second exit and drive down the dual carriageway to the Morris Roundabout. Take the second exit, and drive a short distance to the Font Roundabout. Take the second exit off this, and you drive down a long road2, with what was once a beautiful view of the countryside on the right, but is now one long, linear construction site.
At the Kirwan Roundabout, take the second exit (or the third for the Menlo Park Hotel, or the fourth for the N84 to Headford and Castlebar). On your left as you approach the Bodkin Roundabout, you will see Dunnes Stores, where you might wish to do some shopping. WARNING: Traffic-light controlled roundabout. Make sure you are facing the correct set of lights. Take the fourth exit off the Bodkin Roundabout, and you are on the Quincentennial Bridge3, which a lot of locals call the "New Bridge". Keep in the right-hand lane while crossing the bridge. On your right are the ruins of Terryland Castle, and a small island called Jordan's Island. On your left there is a fabulous view of the Cathedral, NUIG, and the city in general.
At the other end of the bridge, go straight ahead. Right turns are forbidden. You will find yourself at the Browne Roundabout, in the middle of which sits a strange dolmen-like structure. Take the third exit, and go straight ahead until you reach the traffic lights. On your left is the Westwood House Hotel. Turn left, and you are on the N59 to Moycullen (10 km), Oughterard (26 km), Maam Cross (42 km) and Clifden (79 km).
2. From Dublin, Cork and Limerick to Coastal Connemara (Cois Farraige)
This route will direct you to the towns and villages on the southern shore of Connemara, including Barna, Spiddal, Inverin and Carraroe, as well as Connemara Airport.
Follow Route 1 as far as the Browne Roundabout, where you take the third exit. Then drive straight ahead through the traffic lights, and the ones after that. Keep going straight ahead, passing the Glenoaks Hotel, until you reach the Deane Roundabout. Take the third exit, and you are on the Western Distributor Road. Exercise caution in wet weather, as many locals have reported that the road can be very slippy. Go straight ahead (ie, take the second exit) off the two unnamed roundabouts on this road, and try not to look at the ugly construction going on on either side. At the Athy Roundabout, beside the Clybaun Hotel, take the second exit, and drive straight on to the Blake Roundabout, where you take the second exit. Keep going until you reach an unnamed roundabout at a T-junction. Take the first exit, onto the Cappagh Road. Drive all the way down, past the entrances to the housing estates, until you reach the T-junction with the main Barna Road. Turn right, and you are on the coast road to Barna, Spiddal, Inverin, Connemara Airport and Carraroe. If you want to visit an unspoiled beach, Silver Strand4, continue for half a mile until you see the sign, and turn left.
