i88c-i88i.] 55 



siderably changed position since a former visit which he made 

 to Gal way in 1851, and, worse still, the event itself, supposed to 

 have taken place in 1491, was now more than doubted, and it 

 most probably never took place. Another great sight in Galway 

 is Lynch's Castle, or the Spanish House, in one of the main 

 streets. It is curiously ornamented with armorial bearings of 

 nondescript character, and it has certainly a foreign aspect. 

 That it was of Queen Anne age the lecturer did not doubt, but 

 he had little belief in its Spanish origin, and what little faith he 

 had was rudely shaken, when on examining a staircase in a 

 side street, and on one of the party exclaiming, "What a 

 splendid example of Spanish architecture !" the owner, who 

 had been an interested observer, replied, *' Yes, it is, for I built 

 it myself!" A hunt through curiosity shops gave no results 

 worth recording, and next day a start was made for the country. 

 Visiting Tuam Cathedral, the lecturer said that much of the 

 ancient building remained, possessing many features of interest, 

 part of which was linked with the more modern work. King 

 Cormac's arch was specially noticeable. A peculiarity was 

 observed in the supports of the desks of the canons' stalls, each 

 desk being supported by a pillar of Galway marble, a novel 

 and suggestive feature. The lecturer, after further details, 

 proceeded to speak of other ecclesiastical buildings. Among 

 Cistercian Abbeys, that of Clare-Galway was noticed, the 

 steeple of which, a slender erection, quite distinct from, though 

 touching, the walls of the abbey, formed perhaps a link between 

 ancient round towers and modern spires. At Abbey Knockmoy 

 the remains of a fresco are still visible. The usual state of neglect 

 of graves, and general want of respect for the remains of the 

 dead were described, many bones and portions of skulls being seen 

 lying about the weed-encumbered graveyards. The so-called 

 Seven churches of Kilmacduagh were next visited, where is a 

 round tower recently repaired with much judgment by the Board 

 of Works. Castles, round and square, were numerous over the 

 country, many proving worthy of close inspection. Crossing 

 to the islands of Arran, the lecturer said, we find erections of 



