Bridges over the River Corrib in Galway City

The River Corrib, (or The Galway River which is it;s correct name), flows through Galway City. It begins it's journey through the city at Newcastle on the western side of the river and Terryland on the eastern. It reaches the sea at The Claddagh on it's western bank and with Galway Docks on it's eastern side. On it's journey through the city it passes under four bridges. In order they are; The Quincentenary Bridge, The Salmon Weir Bridge, O'Briens Bridge and The Wolfe Tone Bridge.

The oldest of the bridges is The William O'Brien Bridge, which is commonly known as O'Briens Bridge. It links the city centre on the east side to the quieter western end. The main streets on the western side were pedestrianised in recent years which has curtailed the motorised traffic heading west over this bridge. Until then, this was the main route through the city towards Salthill and into western Connemara.

The Wolfe Tone bridge is the second oldest bridge over the river. It links the Docks area on the eastern side of town to the Claddagh and Salthill on the west. Traditionally it would not have as much motorised traffic as O'Briens Bridge but since the main streets were pedestrianised, it's become the busier of the two.

The Salmon Weir Bridge is a newer bridge that the two discussed above. It was built in 1818. At that time there was a gaol on the western side of the river where Galway Cathedral now stands. Directly across from the gaol was the city court house, which is still there. When a person was sentenced to a prison sentence in the court, it meant a journey through town, over O'Briens Bridge and through Nuns Island to get to gaol. The building of the bridge cut the journey to a few hundred yards.

The bridge was names after The Salmon Weir which is just up river from it. Standing on the bridge offers a grand stand type view, where salmon can be seen jumping the weir to get back to their spawning area. It also offers a fine vantage to watch the anglers who often wade into the river to fish.

The newest bridge is The Quincentenary Bridge built in the 1980's. In 1484 a charter was granted to Galway by Richard III, bringing about the office of mayor. That event was used as an excuse for a year long party in 1984, celebrated as The Quincentennial. The fourth bridge over the river was being constructed at the time and was named after the event.