Welcome To Salt Hill, Let’s Discover Our Sense Of Place. Keep Discovering

We love Salthill, and wanted to highlight some of our rich history, stories and sights to experience. While there are some amazing books written about Salthill we wanted to create a visual Story Map, to tell our own story.

Story Maps are a lot of fun, and can help paint a picture of Salthill in a way that can communicate the ethos or sense of place. The design of the Story Maps can be influenced by the written history, but we can add new elements or ideas that would encourage visitors to Salthill to discover our wonderful history themselves.

This Story Map is based on the analogy of the Lighthouse.

‘Let the people of Salthill guide you along the way, we are like the traditional lighthouse keepers, bright, and will always guide you to a safe harbour. To find a place of shelter from passing storms.

Where we used to put up walls and forts, they have long been removed to lighten the road, to direct people to the best of experiences.’

Salt Hill – Salthill Timeline

1817 Mutton Island Lighthouse

1819 Salt Hill becomes Salthill

1845 O’Connor’s Bar

1850 Forster Park (Now Garda Station)

1856 Promenade Built

1860 Eglington Hotel

1879 Tramway (connecting to Galway City)

Salthill railway station opened on 1 October 1879 and closed for passenger traffic in January 1918

1903 Lonergan’s Atlantic Bar

1924 The Hanger

1949 Seapoint Ballroom

1953 Blackrock Diving Tower and ‘Prom’ extended to create reclaimed Land, and Grattan Beach

1965 The Galleon Grill, now just called the Galleon

1998 Galway Aquarium

2012 The Famine Memorial

2014 Circle Of Life Memorial Garden

Follow The History Of Salthill – Starting From Mutton Island

MUTTON ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

This Lighthouse complex was built in 1817.

It is called ‘mutton island’ as sheep used to inhabit the island. It is said the fresh air and salty sea made for great sales in the Galway Markets. The lighthouse here was built on the site of an old castle which was more a fortress, existing sometime in the 1600s.

The unique element of this place is that this lighthouse was one of the few that allowed the keeper and his family to live there.

After more than 160 years, Mutton Island’s light was extinguished on December 13, 1977.

There is a nice little place to go for a walk, to watch seabirds on the island.

The Famine Ship Memorial is a poignant reminder of our history and connection to the sea. It is a very popular area for walkers and an ideal place to meet new people.

The Galway Famine Ship Memorial is a memorial located in Salthill, County Galway, Ireland. It was unveiled on July 4, 2012.

The monument is an expansion of a pre-existing monument to Celia Griffin, a girl who died at age 6 on the streets of Galway. Flanking the original limestone monument are two sandstone monuments carved in the shape of ships’ sails. Each sail is engraved with the names of 50 ships that carried those escaping the Great Famine. These ships, sometimes known as coffin ships, were often poorly maintained, and allowed for the rapid spread of disease, resulting in many deaths during the voyages.

Inscription reads:

Mutton Light Famine Memorial

Solas Oileán na gCaorach

Cuimhneachán an Ghorta Mhóir

The lighthouse you can see in the distance is Mutton Light.

It is the last light of their homeland seen by the many thousands of refugees who fled the Great Famine through the Port of Galway 1847 – 1850

Is é an Teach Solais a fheiceann sibh

amauigh ar Oileán na gCaorach an

solas deiridh a chonaic na milte

dídeanaí dá dTír dhúchais agus iad

ag teitheadh ón nGorta Mór

WHAT NEXT? — Follow the blog to learn more about the stories of Salthill.

So, what is so special about Grattan Beach?

Grattan beach is one of the first beaches you can explore before you discover the other beaches in Salthill.

Grattan beach would be defined as a model beach for education (a living coastline) and understanding of ocean literacy. It is a wonderful place to learn about biodiversity, zonation, tides, climate, conservation, eco awareness, and more.

The beach has two states, at high tide it is a relatively small beach, but at low tide it is massive, extending 700 meters all the way into the Bay.

It is this large rock pool area to explore that makes Grattan Beach a really special place. (we are a little biased though)

What Do Beaches Do For Us

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE – What do Beaches do for us?

Everyone has such fond memories of the beach, it’s a place to swim and take in the sun. The sunny days while limited invite family and friends all to head out to the beach for some rest and recreation.

However, there is a growing interest in educational opportunities by the shore outside of just recreational. And Grattan Beach is a perfect destination for those who wish to learn more about what beaches and the sea does for us.

When exploring the shore we can learn about conservation, sustainability, and biodiversity, all parts of Ocean Literacy.

OCEAN LITERACY

Grattan beach in Salthill is one of the first beaches in Ireland to showcase ocean literacy, with our Aquarium leading the way in enabling education by the shore.

Since our opening, we have offered hundreds of free OL events for the public to learn about the impacts of Ocean Literacy.

Through our Shark & Ray Egg Case hunts, Clean Coasts Beach Cleans, and Explore Your Shore Rockpool experiences, there is so much to learn about our beaches.

The I LIKE BEACHES project installed the first Ocean Literacy exhibit where people can learn about the sea and how it works.

For more information on all aspects of Ocean Literacy, see:

Ocean Literacy Resources and Links

Rock pooling

Rock pooling Opportunities on Grattan Beach.

Rock pooling has come a long way since people started bringing buckets and nets onto the shore. Galway Atlantaquaria with great support from Explore Your Shore (https://biodiversityireland.ie/) have really invested lots of time and resources to modernise our approaches to rock pooling.

We have more resources for the identification of species and citizen science plays a huge role in protecting the species discovered in the pools.

SHARK & RAY EGG CASES

Summary

As we start to explore the special places along the Wild Atlantic Way, we hope you are hungry to learn more about beaches and the ‘hidden’ biodiversity of these often-misunderstood resources that keep us happy and healthy.

We have barely scratched the surface of what beaches do for us, this was only meant to give you a taste of the opprotunties that await you next time you go explore the shore.

You can join the Aquarium on one of our monthly experiences, they are free for the public, check out our social media channels for more information.

Always keep our beaches tidy and free from litter.

Grattan Beach is a sandy beach located just before Salthill. It includes a memorial park, grassy areas, small sand dunes, and a mix of sandy and stony areas. The most identifiable descriptor of Grattan would be its low tide pattern. At low tide, Grattan extends for a good 700 m which makes for a great rock pooling beach. 

This low tide pattern makes Grattan beach a popular choice for small children, as it’s great for paddling and swimming for children. 

Paradoxically, due to the contrast between high and lower tides, Grattan beach is becoming more popular with recreational activities like paddle boarding and kite surfing. 

Due to Grattan’s unique geology and biodiversity, it is an excellent beach for outdoor education. Indeed, many schools and academia regularly utilise this site for a whole host of studies. 

NOTE: Some people would refer to it as a storm beach, but I would disagree with that description. A storm beach would have an almost 45-degree angle, with lots of stones.

A description of Grattan would include things like:

• A sandy beach on one side
• Rocks and sandy areas by the famine memorial 
• Lots of drift seaweed on the upper shore
• Very large area when the tide is out
• Very small beach area at high tide
• It has a well-established sand dune by one entrance, with an extensive patch of coastal flora to its foreground. In addition to more embryonic dunes growing forward all the time. 

The dunes provide many terrestrial species with special varied habitats.

• It has three entrances along the road, with very limited access for wheelchair users though
• Lots of seabird species on the shore, especially during early mornings
• It has a cultural monument called the famine memorial and lots of grassy areas, very popular with walkers.

In addition, the beach is home to a variety of sea life and is an ideal location for rock pooling under rocks while admiring the views of Galway Bay. 

The beach is a popular site during the summer season, there are lifeguard and toilet facilities available from early May until August.

It would not be an ideal place for swimming per se, as the slope and tide conditions are too low for this activity. Paddling would be more popular on this beach. 

The beach is starting to become popular with paddle boats and kite surfers, due to the long and low slope of the beach’s design.

SALTHILL ROCKS – The Geology Of Our Village

Geology Of Salthill

When walking along our wonderful ‘Prom’, you would be forgiven for missing the wonderful geology of Salthill. In our limited understanding of rocks, we often miss the role they play in connecting us to our past. Do you know that Galway is famous for our geology, as we have many ancient rock types that are visible, and you do not need to dig deep into the ground to find rocks that are millions of years old? “We have nice Rocks” a geologist would laugh at this joke! or Gneiss would be the better term.

Along the ‘Prom’ we go from embedded limestone to Granite and in this landscape, we have many examples of Metamorphic Rock, as well as Murvey Banded Granite, Murvey Granite, and Metagabbros.

Read More: https://gsi.geodata.gov.ie/downloads/Geoheritage/Reports/GC008_Salthill_Promenade.pdf

The metagabbros formed during Jurassic oceanisation in the Piedmont-Ligurian realm and show local evidence of rodingitisation during ocean-floor metamorphism.

This evidence shows that the rocks of the planet and alive and constantly moving, where we see life in the limited time of 100 years, well rocks forming over millions of years shows a new way of thinking. How life began on the planet, and how these huge formations move and change the planet.

METAMORPHIC ROCK – Palmers Rock In Salthill

There is a beautiful example of this rock type beside the Midway Point of the Wild Atlantic Way in Salthill. A free-standing monolith formed at the very center of our planet, and somehow stands proudly in Salthill.

‘Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids or, more commonly, some combination of these factors. Conditions like these are found deep within the Earth or where tectonic plates meet.’

Palmers Rock, we think the name comes from the Garda Station House which used to belong to the Palmer Family, so maybe this was gifted to Salthill as a way of embedding a part of this lineage forever into the ‘mores’ of Salthill.

Murvey Banded Granite – By Ladies Beach

Walking along you will also notice a large outcrop of this ancient beast, called Murvey Banded Granite.

‘a non-porphyritic alkali leucogranite and one of the granite varieties of the late-Caledonian Galway Batholith. The granite has been radiometrically dated to 410 Ma (millions of years)’

This Granite is so old and tough, and if you are looking for a resilience story, then a short break by this spot is well worth it.

Cobbles

After this, you will start to notice the sand vanishing, and being replaced by the hundreds of small & large Rounded limestone, granite, and metamorphic cobbles on the beach west of Blackrock.

These rocks make for a wonderful photograph and are amazing to hold as the ocean has crafted them into (almost) spheres. The tactile feel of these rocks feels nice. But take care walking over these rocks as they are notorious for slippage.

BLACKROCK – No Just Murvey Granite

Where do the names of things come from? Well, the rock in Blackrock can be very dark, and in the early days of Salthill, I think people were more literal rather than scientific. So, drowned rock would indicate the tide patterns and Blackrock became the norm for this part of Salthill.

Summary

There are some amazing resources for learning about the amazing geology of Salthill.

We do not realise how important these artifacts from our past shape our lives, so it might be something the Aquarium could explore on our next outdoor experience. It would be really nice to listen to a geologist tell a story about Salthill that is very unique to us.

We look forward to our next Salthill Story, follow our blog.

More Reading:

https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/publications/Pages/Geoschol-Galway-Geology.aspx

https://gsi.geodata.gov.ie/downloads/Geoheritage/Reports/GY106_Murvey.pdf

https://gsi.geodata.gov.ie/downloads/Geoheritage/Reports/Galway_Audit.pdf

Seapoint Leisure – An Iconic Landmark Of Salthill – Established in 1949

The history of Seapoint goes back all the way to 1949, can you imagine what Salthill was like during that time? This building is an iconic landmark, as it sits right in front of Galway Bay, and you can tell you are at the Sea Point……where historically this building used to stand. (We were so literal in the day)

In this blog, we look at some of the histories of the dancehall, being the center of social connection at the time…one of the first attractions in Salthill, let’s dance!

You can see clearly why it was called “Seapoint”

Before and after image

Salthill Village was growing in popularity, and as such, it needed a venue to attract more visitors and performers to meet this growing demand.

The venue would host games, music, and other amenities to add so much more value to the visitor experience.  This venue was also focused on the community, and the owners were great supporters of local charities.

Since its opening, many thousands of people have been a part of the Seapoint story. From early childhood and all the way into adulthood. Many people would have fond memories of swimming in Salthill and looking forward to the treat of playing the games in the arcade.

From playing games in the amusements, and dancing, to playing Bingo, it has always been part of the culture of Salthill. A family-friendly venue, a modern attraction that is very much representative of the ‘Salthill Experience’.

The Ballroom – Photo Project

The Ballroom was the centre of entertainment and social life, 1958 Ralph O’Gorman

There is a wonderful heritage project in the bingo hall and a story of the dance hall as you walk up the stairways. (My apologies to the creators of this exhibit, as I could not find any information to credit you). Side note – These ballrooms have a really interesting past, as in the 1930’s it would have been immoral for people to dance, see the story of Jimmy’s Hall.

The Bingo

Check! Seapoint is the home of Bingo and people have been playing the game for years. A great place for social engagement and meeting new people.

This ball game was introduced in the 1960s when the Catholic Church adopted it nationwide to raise money. To this day the bingo still supports several charities or sports activities in Galway.

Summary

When you start exploring Salthill, it would be well worth a visit to enjoy a game in the amusement and go play Bingo. The staff and people you meet in Seapoint are so friendly. You can enjoy a family-friendly day here, it’s a great place to spend some time.

I do wonder if the dance halls would make a comeback, maybe now is not the time, but history does repeat itself, so maybe in a few years there could be a new revival of the ‘ballroom’, where people can socialise, dance, and create a new chapter in Salthill’s illustrious history.

BLACKROCK DIVING TOWER

Let’s Go For A Swim

In 1885, as Salthill started to grow into a popular destination for traveler’s all over Ireland, a wooden structure was built to allow swimmers to dive into the sea. This structure caused much grief to local business owners, but given its popularity, it was transformed into the iconic structure designed by Bart Faherty we see today. Its shape is used by the Village Salthill Business Community group, as its main logo.

This structure was developed over the years and is by far one of Salthill’s most iconic structures.

It is almost a ritual or passage for young people as they face their own fears and jump into the sea, exhilarating!

After your swim you might notice people kicking the wall at the end of the ‘prom’. This is a local tradition that goes back many years. There is even a special monument that recognises this tradition too.

‘Kicking the wall’, means a number of different things to people along the ‘prom’. It could be annoyance that the walk has to end, or a relaese of tension as the walk is quite challenging, or just maybe its a bit of fun. A joining of a tradition that spans many generations. Whatever the reason you ‘kick the wall’, we hope you have a great visit in Salthill.

In developing this blog we had so much fun exploring the area and looking at some of the history behind some of the places along the way. We hope you have learned that our coastal village has lots to offer visitors of all ages and abilities.

In this blog we did not explore our amenities or attractions as we wanted to develop a ‘sense of place’ between the Aquarium and our connection to the sea. Our heritage is something really important, it allows us to recognise where we came from and how to maintain our traditions of kindness and welcome.

Galway People are really sound and we are only too happy to speak well about our proud history and Village Salthill.

Galway Atlantaquaria have been Wild Atlantic Way Champions for many years and we always know the best places to eat, sleep and socialise in Salthill.

#HappyTravels #WildAtlanticWay #KeepDiscovering

About Our Aquarium

DOWNLOAD A SHORT POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

CREDITS

This story map would not have been possible without the support of many people, who helped design and resource the stories, Special Credit to the Staff at Galway City Libraries, Thank you.

While we have done our best to reflect the story of Salthill we know that this is a work in progress. If you feel we missed something, please email garry@nationalaquarium.ie

Research Portals

The Ordnance Survey maps we have here at Library HQ are all older maps, such as ODonovans ordnance survey maps of 1839, and information can be accessed at Search for place names of Galway

 (galwaylibrary.ie)

 and there are also some old photos from our collection of Galway photos online at  Photographs of old Galway (galwaylibrary.ie)

https://webapps.geohive.ie/mapviewer/index.html .

The Archives of the Connacht Tribune would be very helpful, as you can search through all those newspapers from 1909 onwards on the Irishnewsarchive website, which is available free in the larger public libraries, and you can access it here at Library HQ also. If you want to come in and look at the News Archive, you can email or phone  091 509388, to arrange a time. Hope this is of some assistance to you.

LINKS

Photographs of old Galway

http://images.galwaylibrary.ie/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?c=t3&a=p&p=about

HERITAGE MAP

https://webapps.geohive.ie/mapviewer/index.html

BOOKS

Galway, Walking Through History by William Henry

“Salthill,A History,Part 1”, by Paul McGinley

Galway Advertiser was amazing

https://www.advertiser.ie/galway

Folklore Stories

https://www.facebook.com/folklore.ie/photos/a.312078209149636/1132669117090537/?type=3

Heritage Ireland