Galway has been dubbed the Gateway to the West. For hundreds of years, this was a modest fishing village, then in the 13th century, the English wised up to the area's strategic spot on the water. 14 Anglo- Norman families known as the Tribes of Galway settled in the area, forcing out the local Irish and building a great wall around the city.
You can see one of the last surviving vestiges of that wall, here at the Spanish Arch, where incoming ships unloaded cargo. The merchant tribes grew wealthy, thanks to a strong wine and brandy trade with Spain.
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dub:vt ,to name,give a name
wise up to :become aware of
vestige :trace ; a small part or amount of something that remains when most of it no longer exists