WHEN THE Red Earl of Ulster and Lord of Connacht entertained in his hall in 13th century Galway, little did he know that it would subsequently become home for judges, tax collectors, and visiting politicians.
Yesterday it was Minister for Environment John Gormley’s turn to view Galway’s earliest surviving settlement structure in Druid Lane, when he opened it up to the public for the first time.
The Office of Public Works’ restoration of the hall, built by the earl, Richard de Burgh, “testifies to the reality that good planning and development can go hand in hand with the preservation of our built heritage”, Mr Gormley said.
The medieval foundations represented “a tangible link to the earliest days of the city” that would “stimulate the imagination of every visitor”, Mr Gormley said.
The hall and part of an adjoining castle was discovered by accident in the late 1990s when the Revenue and Customs sought to build an extension to their offices.
As archaeologist Dominic Delaney told Mr Gormley yesterday, over 1,100 artefacts were recovered, including cufflinks, Venetian glasses and wine casks.
The extension, designed by OPW regional architect Michael Cadden, sought to “raise” the new building to display the “archaeological goldmine”. A steel walkway with glass balustrade, cantilevered off the hall’s exposed concrete gable wall, allows visitors into the heart of the excavation site.
Mayor of Galway Declan McDonnell (Ind) said he grew up nearby and didn’t know how close he was to “fabulous archaeological findings”. The hall’s public visitor attraction will now be run by Dúchas na Gaillimhe (the Galway Civic Trust).