The Tribes of Galway were fourteen merchant families who dominated the political commercial and social life in the town of Galway between the 13th and 16th centuries. They were the families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin , Browne , Darcy, Deane, Font, French, Joyce, Kirwin , Lynch, Martyn, Skerrett , Morris. They were of Welsh (Blake, Joyce), French (Athy, Font, French), Norman (Lynch, Morris, Browne) Norman-Welsh (Bodkin, Martyn), Anglo-Saxon (Deane, Skerrett) and Irish (Darcy, Kirwin) origins.

The Lynch family were the first known to have settled in the town in the 1270's, and remained the premier Tribal family till well into the 19th centuary. The family has dominated the mayor's office since 1485 to the present.

Lord Killanin (1915-99), sixth president of the International Olympic Committee 1972-80, was a descedant of the Morris tribe.

Captain James "Spanish" Blake (fl.1588-1630?) was an agent for the English secret service in during the Nine Years War (Ireland) (1594-1603) and was responsible for the assassination of Red Hugh O'Donnell in Spain in 1602.

Richard Martin (1754-1834) was a long-time advocate of Catholic Emancipation and a founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653), Galway took the side of the Confederate Catholics of Ireland, and as a result the Tribes were punished following the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town was besieged and after the surrender of Galway in April 1652, the Tribes of the city had to face the confiscation of their property by the New Model Army. The Galway Corporation was taken over in October 1654 by English Parlimentarians and, despite a measure of power during the reign of King Charles II (1660-1685) and the War of the Two Kings (1689-91), the Tribes had lost their power within the city.

Almost all of the Tribes are still to be found in Galway City and County. However, no Athys or Fonts are left, and others such as Deane and Skerret are rare.

In 2000, Angela Lynch became the 84th Lynch to serve as Mayor of Galway since 1485.

Sources

• "History of Galway", James Hardiman, 1820.
• "Old Galway", M.D. O'Sullivan, 1942.
• "Na Tuatha Gallimhe/The Tribes of Galway", Adrian J. Martyn, 2001.
• "Role of Honour: The Mayors of Galway 1485-2001", William Henry, 2002.