Tunnels underneath the city

Breaston Plants

Have heard about tunnels underneath Galway city, around the Cathedral area, and supposedly one underneath where Shannon dry cleaners was. What were these for, and has any one any more information about them?

rabjoshu

around the Cathedral area - none
Shannon dry cleaners - disused railway tunnel from Ceannt to Cllifden

The one under Shannon dry cleaners was a railway tunnel - it opened onto the Dyke at Dyke Road and continued over the river to clifden.

The entrance is still visible from the station.

Never heard of one under the cathedral but have heard of one from St. Nicholas's to the school across the road.

marklazarcovic

Breaston Plants wrote: »

Have heard about tunnels underneath Galway city, around the Cathedral area, and supposedly one underneath where Shannon dry cleaners was. What were these for, and has any one any more information about them?

The one at prospect Hill had a rail track I believe,the cathedral one was connected to a jail/gaol

rabjoshu

marklazarcovic wrote: »

The one at prospect Hill had a rail track I believe,the cathedral one was connected to a jail/gaol

The cathedral is the old gaol

beardybrewer

FYI this came up a couple years ago:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=52597935

Mrs OBumble

Deleted User wrote: »

Never heard of one under the cathedral but have heard of one from St. Nicholas's to the school across the road.

St Nicholas COI church? The school across the road is St Pats, not sure why they'd want a tunnel.

There is definitely a tunnel between St Vincents mercy convent and the Mercy Primary School.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

St Nicholas COI church? The school across the road is St Pats, not sure why they'd want a tunnel.

There is definitely a tunnel between St Vincents mercy convent and the Mercy Primary School.

The school used to be the site of a British army barracks. http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/19041/the-shambles-barracks-1910

conor222

IIRC there was one (or at least was meant to be one) from the Quad in NUIG to the hosptal, used to be used for moving cadavars for medical students back in the day?

bobbyss

There is some kind of tunnell/cell/dungeon on the land on the right hand side as you drive into Dangan House.

It was an IRA torture cell during the 1920s. There is a tree called a hanging tree overhead where you can see an iron chain where prisoners where strapped up and left to die.

This is what was true when I played there as a youngster anyway. We didn't like to be there when it was dark. It scared the living daylights out of me.

Perhaps it was an Ice House or something like that?

I don't know about it being a souterrain as mentioned above somewhere. There is a rath I think not too far away on the riverbank on the western side perhaps opposite the old iodine factory.

westgolf

Twas an ice house, the rest is just stories.

thesandeman

Silly question probably, but what's an ice house? Google just tries to sell me hotel rooms when I search.

Cheshire Cat

thesandeman wrote: »

Silly question probably, but what's an ice house? Google just tries to sell me hotel rooms when I search.

A house to store ice. Used in the pre fridge era.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_house_(building)

fergiesfolly

thesandeman wrote: »

Silly question probably, but what's an ice house? Google just tries to sell me hotel rooms when I search.

Underground building used to store ice for refridgeration.
Ice would be cut from frozen lakes or rivers during winter and packed into insulated icehouses for use during the rest of the year.
Then some bucko invented the refrigerator and the icehouse found a new use as a scary bedtime story.

pure.conya

rabjoshu wrote: »

around the Cathedral area - none
Shannon dry cleaners - disused railway tunnel from Ceannt to Cllifden

really? I work there from time to time and have been down in the tunnel below the Cathedral, there's a tunnel that goes under the river to the court house and although it's blocked off it is in fact there

fergiesfolly

pure.conya wrote: »

really? I work there from time to time and have been down in the tunnel below the Cathedral, there's a tunnel that goes under the river to the court house and although it's blocked off it is in fact there

Where's the entrance to the tunnell?

westgolf

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Where's the entrance to the tunnell?

Enterance from cathedral side is from their basement complex. Tunnel goes towards Fisheries field area, not courthouse direction.

remt

Have heard about tunnels underneath Galway city, and supposedly one underneath where Shannon dry cleaners was?
https:(copy and delete me to see photo)//imgur.com/a/GWQkLoO

xckjoo

remt wrote: »

Have heard about tunnels underneath Galway city, and supposedly one underneath where Shannon dry cleaners was?
https:(copy and delete me to see photo)//imgur.com/a/GWQkLoO

The old railway lines. Some photos have been appearing on Facebook since building started on the Shannon Dry Cleaning site. Great to see. I'm not of the vintage that would have seen it before. Hopefully they integrate it into the hotel in some way.

pure.conya

westgolf wrote: »

Enterance from cathedral side is from their basement complex. Tunnel goes towards Fisheries field area, not courthouse direction.

ya the tunnel that's accessible now runs towards fisheries field but as you follow it there's a blocked up tunnel entrance to the right which is court house direction

westgolf

pure.conya wrote: »

ya the tunnel that's accessible now runs towards fisheries field but as you follow it there's a blocked up tunnel entrance to the right which is court house direction

Have you been down there in said tunnel ?

ChewyLouie

pure.conya wrote: »

ya the tunnel that's accessible now runs towards fisheries field but as you follow it there's a blocked up tunnel entrance to the right which is court house direction

Fascinating. Makes sense that there could be a tunnel between the old jail and the courthouse.

How far does the tunnel continue towards Fisheries Field? I heard somewhere years ago that there was a tunnel between the Cathedral and the basement of the NUIG Quad but don't know if there was any truth in it or why it would be there.

aw

Here's an article that was about St Bridget's Terrace, just off Prospect Hill.
From the photo you can see an old shot of the starting of the tunnel, where the Dry Cleaners was. Some interesting history too.

https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/52861/st-bridgets-terrace-one-hundred-years-ago

Wompa1

Pretty sure in the Maam Trasna murder documentary that aired on TG4 last year, they said the men's bodies were still in the basement\dungeon underneath the Cathedral.

xckjoo

Wompa1 wrote: »

Pretty sure in the Maam Trasna murder documentary that aired on TG4 last year, they said the men's bodies were still in the basement\dungeon underneath the Cathedral.

You mean the crypt?
The open that on certain days. Would be cool to see but I'm not religious so wouldn't feel right piggy backing on the event just for a gawk.


https://www.galwaycathedral.ie/events/all-souls

dinneenp

xckjoo wrote: »

You mean the crypt?
The open that on certain days. Would be cool to see but I'm not religious so wouldn't feel right piggy backing on the event just for a gawk.


https://www.galwaycathedral.ie/events/all-souls

Was allowed in the crypt during the Novena week. The most underwhelming thing in a long time- basically a room underground. Even my kids thought so.

ChewyLouie

Didn't the crypt get all blinged out in recent years?! Would have been interesting to see before that.

Edit:
https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/91273/galway-cathedral-crypt-is-very-opulent

westgolf

Wompa1 wrote: »

Pretty sure in the Maam Trasna murder documentary that aired on TG4 last year, they said the men's bodies were still in the basement\dungeon underneath the Cathedral.

Possibly meant the jail burial plot in the car park behind the cathedral ?

_Whimsical_

ChewyLouie wrote: »

Didn't the crypt get all blinged out in recent years?! Would have been interesting to see before that.

Edit:
https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/91273/galway-cathedral-crypt-is-very-opulent

Wow, well things have changed.
I was in here maybe 20 years ago on the day after Halloween,All Souls Day in the Church Calendar. I think it's always open to the public that day. It was very creepy. It was a pitch dark room and when my eyes finally adjusted I could make out coffins all around covered in dust , not neatly lined up. There was the hum of people saying the rosary but I couldn't make them out in the extreme dark. I was young enough to be unnerved and beat a hasty retreat.

Mrs OBumble

westgolf wrote: »

Possibly meant the jail burial plot in the car park behind the cathedral ?

Where did people who died in jail get buried?

westgolf

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Where did people who died in jail get buried?

In what's now the car park. There is a memorial about 2/3 of the way across the car park as you go towards nuns island.

bobbyss

westgolf wrote:

In what's now the car park. There is a memorial about 2/3 of the way across the car park as you go towards nuns island.

I thought that was just a memorial. Are you saying there's basically a graveyard there too? In the car park?

beardybrewer

Another interesting cemetery is represented by a little plaque as you walk the coastal path from blackrock along the golf course. It was the old unconsecrated cemetery for foreigners and other nerdowells.

westgolf

bobbyss wrote: »

I thought that was just a memorial. Are you saying there's basically a graveyard there too? In the car park?

Twas a graveyard / burial place in the times of the jail. Probably not very structured like a lot of things of that time.

pure.conya

westgolf wrote: »

Have you been down there in said tunnel ?

i had the opportunity to go down there a couple of years back,nothing exciting in it really, only reason i went down is because not too many can say they were down there

ChewyLouie wrote: »

Fascinating. Makes sense that there could be a tunnel between the old jail and the courthouse.

How far does the tunnel continue towards Fisheries Field? I heard somewhere years ago that there was a tunnel between the Cathedral and the basement of the NUIG Quad but don't know if there was any truth in it or why it would be there.

the tunnel running towards fisheries only goes as far as the cathedral boundary and then takes a left for a bit, it's not very long

Fracture

There is a tunnel entrance downstairs in the office in the Cellar Bar, it runs in two directions, one towards the court house and one down to de burgos. Its bricked up but not fully, you can look into it but even with a flash light its just pitch black. I covered some of the shifts for them on their staff nights out years ago when i worked in Cuba. It was creepy as fk cashing up in that office late at night when everyone had left the building.

zell12

I just heard that there is a tunnel between the Mercy convent and the national school
Nuns were not allowed walk across the road which is why it was built 'an bealach seo faoin mbothar'. No longer used.

Anyone hear the same?

yayaitsme

The school used to use it to bring us to church. The tunnel is just near the traffic light. You can see the in the school yard where the roof light in the tunnel is. It's caged off now I think

gordongekko

zell12 wrote: »

I just heard that there is a tunnel between the Mercy convent and the national school
Nuns were not allowed walk across the road which is why it was built 'an bealach seo faoin mbothar'. No longer used.

Anyone hear the same?

Probably true as there is one between the school in shantalla and Fort Eyre across the road, Apparently for the same reason

zell12

yayaitsme wrote: »

The school used to use it to bring us to church. The tunnel is just near the traffic light. You can see the in the school yard where the roof light in the tunnel is. It's caged off now I think

Thanks for confirming. An 88 year old nun told me whilst describing her teaching days, first I heard of it.

gifted

zell12 wrote: »

I just heard that there is a tunnel between the Mercy convent and the national school
Nuns were not allowed walk across the road which is why it was built 'an bealach seo faoin mbothar'. No longer used.

Anyone hear the same?

Must have been common back in the time, the church in Dingle has a tunnel linking it to the convent type building away to the right of it.....I walked it years ago pricing a job, flash lamp and I was bricking it.