Lynch's Castle

This late medieval townhouse in the centre of Galway is one of the finest surviving urban tower houses in Ireland and now serves as a bank. Built around the sixteenth century by the powerful Lynch family, one of the merchant tribes that dominated the city, its grey limestone façade is decorated with carved gargoyles, coats of arms and hood mouldings. The fortified home reflects the wealth of Galway's trading elite during its commercial heyday. Its street-corner position on a busy shopping lane keeps it at the heart of city life.