Construction of Galway City's Medieval Walls began in 1270 and was funded by taxes paid by the city's merchants. Built with locally sourced stone, it incorporated several mural towers and gates which controlled access to the town. The city map of 1651 is the best illustration of how a plan of the walled city would have looked.

A notable section that remains can be seen in the Eyre Square Shopping Centre, where a sixty metre curtain wall and two of the original towers, Penrice’s Tower and the Shoemaker’s Tower, are preserved. Information boards highlight the story, role and importance of the city wall over the centuries.

The Spanish Arch, which actually consists of two stone archways, also formed part of the original defences though it was added as an extension in the 16th century.