St Malo, Dieppe, Lisbon, Seville, the West Indies and Newfoundland. Hard to imagine now that the port of Galway once had these links, as the hub of international trade, importing wine, iron, lead, spices and silks and exporting wool, fish, hides and tallow.
The zenith was the first half of the 17th century, when it could be compared with any British port - and when Henry Cromwell, son of Oliver and former Lord Deputy, could describe the city as inferior only to London.
However, so mixed have been the port's fortunes over the past four centuries - as recorded in a recent history by Dr Kieran Woodman - that this may explain why no one remembered to mark out the maritime limits.
Thanks to the current mayor, Mr Martin Quinn, this has now been resolved. Using a spear (reportedly, a broomstick and two makeshift arrowheads), the mayor recently reclaimed the waters of the port. The platform for the ceremony was the deck of the naval patrol ship, LE Aisling. Cllr Quinn had been informed that as admiral of Galway Bay this was his prerogative, similar to his counterparts in Dublin and Cork. Lieut Cdr Tim O'Keeffe, captain of the ship, was delighted to facilitate the historic event. If the current Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources and Galway West TD, Mr Fahey, has his way, the dockside area where he is himself a registered property owner will become a haven for leisure craft.
Plans for a 26-berth marina at Galway docks are expected to proceed very shortly, following application for a foreshore licence.
The first phase of the £450,000 project will involve installation of finger jetties, pontoons, a fuel berth, a floating breakwater, fresh water and closed-circuit television cameras. The second phase will involve construction of shower and yacht club facilities on reclaimed land, according to the harbour master, Capt Brian Sheridan.
The initiative is expected to receive 75 per cent funding under the National Development Plan (NDP), which has earmarked £20 million for marine leisure developments.
The beauty of the project is that much of the infrastructure is already in place and very little civil work will be involved, according to the harbour master.
Over to the east, in Oranmore Bay, Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) is expanding rapidly and has its own plans. It has just received £45,000 in State and local authority funding to carry out a feasibility study for a marina there.
It also plans to construct a marine leisure centre. The centre and marina would be held in public control. The estimated cost of the project is £4.5 million, and the club is hopeful of National Development Plan (NDP) support - given that the £20 million is weighted towards projects in the Border, Midlands and Western (BMW) region. If approved, the first phase will involve construction of a breakwater, marina and foreshore works in time for the 2003 sailing season, and the marine centre will be built in the second phase.
Unlike the docks project, which is expected to be completed by next sailing season, the marina at Renville will have 24-hour access. It is not bound by tide. The project "represents an important western element" in the NDP. Out west, the new marina at Roundstone is currently proceeding, as one of four flagship projects announced by the Minister last January at a total cost of £4.5 million. Cahirciveen and Kenmare in Co Kerry and Rosses Point in Sligo also benefited by the tranche from the last Budget.
The Department of the Marine, therefore, will be kept busy with foreshore licence applications . . . and the author of a guide to marinas and mooring buoys around the coastline will have to produce a second edition. Cruising Ireland, by Brian Keane, is a very useful guide which lists over 70 safe landfalls for yachts, along with details on water, fuel, showers, banks, shops, repairs, restaurants and pubs.
The guide features an introduction from Mr Justice Robert Barr, who quotes Ninian Falkiner - "of immortal memory, who sailed the seas of Western Europe from the Arctic to southern Portugal for many decades". He was of the opinion that the ultimate cruise was an odyssey around Ireland. The judge did just that, undertaking two circumnavigations of Ireland in recent years. Cruising Ireland: A Guide to Marinas and Mooring Buoys by Brian Keane, is published by the Alameda Press, 44 Sydney Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin (tel 01-2832982), price £9.99 (#12.68) paperback. Website: www.cruisingireland.com
Safe and Commodious: The Annals of the Galway Harbour Commissioners, 1830-97 by Kieran Woodman, is published by Galway Harbour Company, price £25 hardback.