Galway, the third most frequented county in Ireland , is a place where locals can bump into tourists from all corners of the globe on Shop Street any day.
However, this reputation for hospitality and good craic in the West of Ireland is more recent than many realize, particularly when considering the views of its closest neighbours.
Colm Wallace's captivating book The Little History of Galway delves into an intriguing perception that English people held about Galway , especially Connemara, which deterred them from visiting.
While bandits and rogues certainly existed in 1800s Connemara, much of the infamy and fear surrounding the area likely stemmed from anti-Irish prejudice.
The English didn't hold a particularly favourable view of Irish people , particularly native Irish speakers in the west. One British newspaper's account of the Maamtrasna murders in 1882 on the Galway-Mayo border described the local people as " scarcely civilized beings, and approach far nearer to savages than any other white men".
In Little History of Galway, Wallace shares the tale of Englishman John Barrow who visited Leenane in his 1835 work A Tour around Ireland'.
"Shortly after leaving Clifden we came upon a part of the road in an unfinished state where a party of some dozen remarkably fine-looking fellows were busily employed," he penned.
"Two of them, in perfect good humor , placed their spades across upon a level with the horse's breast, and brought us to a stand-still, declaring that we must pay a toll."
Barrow recounted how he tossed a few coins to the men before making his way into Joyce Country , the storied region straddling Galway and Mayo, long dominated by the Joyce clan and celebrated in a tune by the Saw Doctors .
Upon arriving at the residence of the Joyce family head, Big Jack, Barrow was granted permission to stay overnight . He went on: "One of the first subjects he discussed was the dread that our countrymen seem to have of travelling through Connemara .
"He said he really believed that all who had gone through his country expected to have their throats cut , and asked me if I had entertained no fears myself. I told him none whatsoever, but admitted that my friends in England had cautioned me not to enter his country alone."
Joyce noted that he assumed the English considered them all barbarians but expressed hope that since "this amused Joyce amazingly, observing that he supposed the people of England thought them all savages but he hoped now that, for the last two or three years, the ice had been broken, his countrymen would be better known."
Barrow didn't hold back in his admiration for the area, stating "in no part of the country have I hitherto met with people more harmless or better disposed."
He observed that the locals seemed to be an exceptionally fine group of individuals , very amiable, and showing great respect and courtesy towards visitors.
For all the latest news straight to your inbox, sign up for our FREE newsletters here .
Despite Barrow's fondness for the region, his English compatriots didn't alter their stance for a considerable time, and just ten years after his visit, the Great Hunger commenced .
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0