AIB Lynch’s Castle, Shop Street, Galway

The building owned by Allied Irish Bank is Galway’s best example of a fortified house, built by the prosperous Lynch family in the 16th century as protection from raids on the chieftains of the 14 Tribes. The elaborate carving to the window openings is very rare in Ireland and includes various coats of arms including those of Henry VII of England, the Lynch family and the Fitzgeralds of Kildare along with distinctive Irish gargoyles. Spanish decorative motifs are visible on its stones.

DFG architects were commissioned to address the structural damage that occurred to stonework above window openings at the castle building. The damage is occurred due to the corrosion of embedded iron cramps that are built into the walls.

As the corroding iron swells, it is damaging the adjacent stones and forcing them apart, resulting in loss of support to sections of the wall directly above the window lintels. Active damage is thought to be occurring to two window openings on Shop Street and first-floor level and a further window opening at second floor