Lynch’s Castle facelift is halted after archaeological damage

Work carried out on the historic Lynch’s Castle in the heart of the city has been halted as a result of damage detected on some of the key archaeological features.

The building owned by Allied Irish Bank is Galway’s best example of a fortified house, built by the prosperous Lynch family in the 16th century as protection from raids on the chieftains of the 14 Tribes.

Included in the Record of Monuments and Places under Section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994, it is rated as being of national significance in the Department’s National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and is listed in Galway City Council’s Record of Protected Structures in the current City Development Plan, 2011-2017.

Located at the junction of Shop Street and Upper Abbeygate Street, the castle was heavily altered in 1966 when it was converted into a bank.

The exterior preserves some of the few remaining Irish gargoyles as well as the arms of Henry VII, the Lynch family and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare. Spanish decorative motifs are visible on its stones. The work which began in June involved specialised steam cleaning and the repair of one of the window boxes.

City Councillor Niall McNelis said he has learned that the project has been stalled the last fortnight by the National Monuments Service as a result of damage detected to some of the period features.

“They are now looking to carry out x-rays of all the features. I understand some of the cleaning had been done by a wire brush. This is a national monument for God’s sake,” he fumed. “Not only has our most historic building been an eyesore for weeks, now it may have been damaged in the process. The scaffolding was due to be down by the Races.”

In answers to queries from the Connacht Tribune, the National Monuments Service confirmed that damage has occurred during the cleaning operation.

“Since becoming aware of the works, the Minister’s Department has been in contact with the owners, Allied Irish Banks, and has undertaken its own inspection of the building. AIB has been informed that, based on this inspection, it appears that the medieval sculpture and decorative stone work has been adversely impacted by the recent works,” spokesperson Helen Francis said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune