St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church

St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church tickets: which one to buy

Saint Nicholas' Collegiate Church stands in the heart of Galway's Latin Quarter, in the west of Ireland, a short walk from Shop Street and the Spanish Arch, and entry is free, with donations welcome. It is the largest medieval parish church in continuous use in Ireland and belongs to the Church of Ireland. A lively market is held on Saturdays, and in summer on Sundays, on the street beside the church, selling food, crafts and flowers.

Walking tours of Galway combine the church with Lynch's Castle, the Spanish Arch, the Galway City Museum and Eyre Square, and the city is a base for exploring Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands. The church has a guide or volunteer on hand in summer. Concerts and events are held in the church, which has good acoustics. The church is a short walk from the Galway bus and train station at Eyre Square.

Visiting St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church: what to see

The church was founded in 1320 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, patron saint of sailors, reflecting Galway's importance as a port. It was enlarged in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries by the wealthy merchant families known as the Tribes of Galway. According to tradition, Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477, when he visited Galway. The church was damaged during the Cromwellian occupation, when soldiers stabled horses inside and defaced the carvings. Inside, it has a medieval nave and aisles, carved tombs of merchant families, including the Lynch memorial window, gargoyles and a baptismal font. There is a stone carving of a crusader and a lectern with a brass eagle.

The church's tower holds bells, and its spire was added in the seventeenth century. The church is a rare survival of medieval Irish urban architecture. The church's windows include stained glass from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A carved medieval crusader's tomb lies in the south transept. The chapels contain memorials to the Lynch, French and Joyce families, among the Tribes of Galway. The church's font is decorated with carvings. Medieval gargoyles and carved heads can be seen on the exterior. The church holds a stone thought to be a medieval mason's mark. The graveyard beside the church is small. Guides explain the story of Mayor Lynch, who is said to have hanged his own son for murder.

St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily. Galway is lively all year thanks to its students and music scene, and busiest in summer, particularly during the Galway International Arts Festival in July and the Galway Races at the end of July and beginning of August. The Saturday market beside the church is a highlight. The Christmas market in Eyre Square draws crowds. The weather is mild but often wet and windy. Allow about twenty minutes for the church, and walk through the Latin Quarter to the Spanish Arch and the river. The Galway City Museum, beside the Spanish Arch, explains the history of the city and the Claddagh fishing village.