Claddagh was once a fishing village on the western edge of Galway City.
Nothing survives today of the thatched cottages where the fishermen and their families lived but Claddagh is still a clearly defined area around the Dominican Church of St Mary on the Hill [no sign of a hill these days].
Claddagh is still a distinct community with a king, who leads the fishing fleet and makes the important decisions. The fishermen sailed a particular type of boat known as a Hooker and they spoke Irish.