Tribes of Galway

The fourteen families who dominated the political, commercial and social life of Galway City from the 1400s to the 1700s were called the "Tribes of Galway". As a result, the city is to this day known as the ""City of the Tribes". The Lynch[?] family, in particular, monopolised the office of mayor over this period.

• The families were;

• • Athy[?], Blake, Bodkin[?], Browne[?], D'Arcy[?], Deane[?],ffont[?], ffrench[?], Joyce[?], Kirwan[?], Lynch[?], Martin, Morris and Skerrett[?].

The ffonts and ffrenches are the only Irish families not to spell their surnames with a capital letter.