Plattegrond van Galway, 1726 1726

This is an anonymous, small, unassuming map made in 1726 that pictures Galway. But, the scale belies the fraught history of a place that was once one of Ireland’s most important port cities, and a nexus of trade between Ireland and Europe. Maps are never neutral, but are always an assertion of power. Here, the very act of mapping Galway speaks to the increasing control exerted by the British Empire, who sought to chart and thus claim authority over the city. Yet, Galway also represents a site of cultural exchange and resistance. The city was home to a unique blend of Irish and European influences, a place where Gaelic traditions intertwined with continental culture, and where powerful merchant families maintained close ties with Spain and France. Looking at this map, I think about how it flattens a lived, and complex reality into a set of lines, erasing the nuances of identity, culture, and resistance. The emotional weight of such erasures, and what they represent for the people whose histories are bound to the city cannot be overstated.