Tour of Galway City Waterways

A free guided tour of Galway City’s Waterways, starting at the Hall of the Red Earl and taking approximately 90 minutes to visit spots along the city’s waterway’s. As this is an outdoor walking tour, a pair of comfortable shoes are recommended.

More than any other Irish city. Galway is distinguished by its extensive waterways system comprising a main artery – the River Corrib – and a venous system of canals and millraces. In the past, these waterways were the lifeblood of commerce, facilitating the transport of commodities and providing energy through waterwheels for the city’s industry.

Nowadays Galway is no longer dependent on waterpower, but the waterways remain as a testimony to the city’s industrial past. They have now taken on a new life, as an amenity which supports a system of rich wildlife habitats.

The main influence on the waterways system is the River Corrib, but it is also affected by Lough Corrib (above the Salmon Weir Bridge), by the tide (below the Wolfe Tone Bridge) and by rainwater runoff from the greater city area. Water quality also varies throughout and in places it is still adversely affected by pollution from agricultural, industrial and domestic sources. These problems are happily now being addressed, and the value of the waterways as a Civic amenity recognized.

Your Guide for the tour is Ian Brophy, phone 087 2479209