At length arrived at the close of the sixteenth century, the reader now enters upon a period wherein he shall find the town of Galway to have acted a very conspicuous part in the eventful history of the times. Whilst the nation was agitated by the formidable rebellion of Tyrone, the town remained firm in its allegiance to the queen; but now that alarming rumours of the Spanish invasion were daily afloat, government seems to have apprehended that here the first descent would be made, as the most convenient point of communication with insurgents of the north and west.
Accordingly, in the year 1600, the lord deputy, Mountjoy, caused the town to be put into a state of security, and furnished with men and arms; and, perceiving the advantageous position afforded by the hill on which the monastery of St. Augustine stood, he laid the foundation of a fort on that eminence, within two hundred yards of the walls, which completely commanded the town and harbour, and afterwards became one of the most considerable fortifications in the kingdom.
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