Salthill · Feature
Kick the wall
Nobody knows why Galway kicks a wall at Blackrock. Everybody does it anyway. The theories, the plaque, and the tap machine.
Gaillimh3 November 2026 · 3 min read
Walk the Prom from Grattan Road and at the far end, past the diving tower, the path stops at a low stone wall. Watch for a minute. Runners, pensioners, buggies, hen parties: they reach it, kick it, turn round. Visitors who walk past without kicking are sent back.
The theories
- It marks the turn. The simplest one. The Prom is about 2 km, the wall is where out becomes back, and the kick proves you went the whole way.
- Luck. Most people, asked, say it brings good luck, then admit it never has.
- Engineering. A long-running Galway claim that the wall’s footings run under the Prom and the kicking keeps the stones seated. Lovely, and unverified.
- Extending the Prom. Generations of Galwegians have wanted the Prom to go further west. Kicking is pushing.
How old is it? Older than anyone writing about it. An Irishwoman’s Diary in the Irish Times in 2011 found nobody who could date it, and one boards.ie regular insisted it only started in the 1990s. His friends told him he was wrong.
The plaque
In 2012 Galway Salthill Rotary Club, with the council, turned the habit into a collection: a plaque reading “When you kick the wall, make it a powerful one” and a box underneath. The charity changes monthly so every local cause gets a turn. In June 2026 the Rotary added a contactless tap machine beside it, launched with Galway Simon Community during their Steps for Simon month. Kick, tap, turn.
Do it properly
- Where
- End of the Prom, 30 m past Blackrock Diving Tower
- How
- Sole of the shoe, firm, once. Then turn.
- Donate
- Coins in the box or tap the machine. Small change, big impact, as the sign says.
- Getting there
- Our Salthill Promenade walk ends at the wall. Bus 401 back.