Robert Martin built this little Gothic tower around 1840 for one purpose: somewhere to take afternoon tea and watch the boats on the River Corrib. It never had a practical job – a folly is an ornamental building, put up for the look of it – and it made its point as much by where it stood as by what it was. Martin set it on the west bank directly opposite Menlo Castle, home of the Blakes, the family his own had long jostled with. A tea-house aimed straight across the water at your rivals’ castle is a fairly pointed way to take tea.
It’s a roofless stone ruin now, with corner turrets and arched openings, standing in the University of Galway grounds at Dangan, north-west of the city centre. The university includes it in its public heritage trail. Be realistic about the scale: this is a ten-minute stop, best folded into a walk round the campus rather than made a trip of its own.
The Martins and the Blakes
The Martins were one of County Galway’s leading families, seated at the nearby Dangan House estate, of which the folly was an ornament. The same family produced Richard “Humanity Dick” Martin, remembered as a pioneer of animal-welfare law – though he died in 1834, several years before this folly went up, and his exact place on the family tree relative to Robert isn’t settled. So take it as a Martin family piece, not as anything Humanity Dick himself ever used.
The building
Gothic Revival was the fashionable style of the day, and the folly wears its version lightly: a compact rectangular plan, a steep roof line, arched windows and doors, and a turret at each corner. After Martin’s death it was left to the ivy, and it spent decades as an overgrown ruin once the university took in the surrounding land.
Restoration
Two rounds of work saved it. The University and the Galway Civic Trust part-restored the folly in 1992, and the Trust’s FÁS crew returned for a fuller job finished in 2002, supervised by Michael Davis and Martin Barrett – stabilising the stonework, clearing the vegetation and putting up an interpretative plaque by the entrance arch.
What to see and do
- Look across to Menlo Castle – the ivy-wrapped Blake ruin on the far bank is the best thing in the view, and the whole reason the folly stands where it does. The view towards Menlo is available from parts of the campus route.
- Follow the university trail – use the university’s trail information and stay on public campus paths.
- Look from outside – leave the masonry undisturbed and keep back from the riverbank.
- Photograph it early or late – low sun rakes across the stone and the turrets read cleanly against the water.
- Mind the campus – this is a working university, so keep to the paths.
Practical information
The folly is a ruin on a university campus, so treat it as a place to look at rather than to explore. Check the university trail page for the route and current visitor guidance before you go.
- Getting there: the folly is north-west of the city centre, on the University of Galway campus at Dangan. Check the trail page for the route from the main entrance.
- Parking: there is no parking at the folly itself, and campus parking is not guaranteed for visitors. Walk or use public transport where you can.
- Access: the approach is outdoors on campus paths, and the ground near the river is uneven, so it is not suited to buggies or wheelchairs.
The plaque by the entrance arch gives you the short version of the Martin story.