"Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = 6151 , area_rank =

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...

, seat_type =

County town In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...

, seat =

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, population_total = 276451 , population_density_km2 = auto , population_rank = 5th , population_as_of = 2022 , population_footnotes = , leader_title =

Local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

, leader_name =

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

and

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, leader_title2 = Dáil constituency , leader_name2 = , leader_title3 = EP constituency , leader_name3 = Midlands–North-West , subdivision_type =

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, subdivision_name =

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, subdivision_type1 =

Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

, subdivision_name1 =

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

, subdivision_type2 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

, subdivision_name2 = Northern and Western , blank_name_sec1 = Vehicle index
mark code , blank_info_sec1 = G , website =
, timezone = WET , utc_offset = ±0 , timezone_DST =

IST Ist or IST may refer to: Information Science and Technology * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology * Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan * Graduate School ...

, utc_offset_DST = +1 , established_title = Established , established_date = , area_code_type = Telephone area codes , area_code = 090, 091, 093, 099 (primarily) , postal_code_type =

Eircode A "postal address" in Ireland is a place of delivery defined by Irish Standard (IS) EN 14142-1:2011 ("Postal services. Address databases") and serviced by the universal service provider, '' An Post''. Its addressing guides comply with the ...

routing keys , postal_code = F31, H53, H54, H62, H65, H71, H91 (primarily) , elevation_max_m = 729 , elevation_max_point =

Benbaun Benbaun () is a mountain in County Galway, Ireland. With a height of , it is the 72nd highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 88th highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's M ...

, iso_code = IE-G , official_name = , module = County Galway ( ; gle, Contae na Gaillimhe) is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

. It is in the

Northern and Western Region The Northern and Western Region has been a region in Ireland since 1 January 2015. It is a NUTS Level II statistical region of Ireland (coded IE04). NUTS 2 Regions may be classified as ''less developed regions'', ''transition regions'', ...

, taking up the south of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

. The county population was 276,451 at the 2022 census. There are several Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county. The traditional county includes the city of

, but the city and county are separate local government areas, administered by the

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

Galway City Council Galway City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe) is the authority responsible for local government in the city of Galway, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hou ...

in the urban area and

Galway County Council Galway County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe) is the authority responsible for local government in County Galway, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housin ...

in the rest of the county.

History

The first inhabitants in the Galway area arrived around the 5th millennium BC. Shell

midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

s indicate the existence of people as early as 5000 BC. The county originally comprised several kingdoms and territories which predate the formation of the county. These kingdoms included , , , , and . County Galway became an official entity around 1569 AD. The region known as

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speak ...

retains a distinct identity within the county, though its boundaries are unclear, and it may account for as much as one third, or as little as 20%, of the county. The county includes a number of inhabited islands, such as the

Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; gle, Oileáin Árann, ) or The Arans (''na hÁrainneacha'' ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the histo ...

( ga, Oileáin Árann) and Inishbofin ( ga, Inis Bó Fine). With the arrival of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

many

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

were built in the county. Monasteries kept written records of events in the area and of its people. These were followed by a number of law-tracts, genealogies, annals and miscellaneous accounts. Extant manuscripts containing references to Galway include:

Irish language

Nearly 20% of the population of County Galway live in areas classed as Gaeltachts (Irish-speaking districts). County Galway is home to the largest

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

Irish-speaking region in Ireland. There are over 48,000 people living within this region, which extends from Galway city westwards through

. The region consists of the following Irish-speaking areas:

Galway City Gaeltacht The Achréidh na Gaillimhe (English: Galway City Gaeltacht) comprises five electoral divisions: Bearna, Baile an Bhriotaigh, An Caisleán Gearr, Mionlach and Cnoc na Cathrach. Due to its proximity to Ireland's biggest Gaeltacht, Galway ...

(parts of the city),

Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige (, lit. "Beside the Sea"/ "Seaside"), previously spelled , is a coastal area west of Galway city, where the Irish language is the predominant language (a ). It stretches from , , to . There are between 8,000 and 9,000 people living in this ar ...

Conamara Theas Conamara Theas, which is Irish for South Connemara, is however today the western Irish-speaking regions County Galway. There are around 7,000 people living in the area (excluding the Aran islands). Between 60% and 80% of residents are native Iri ...

, and Duiche Sheoigheach (a part of the northern Galway region known as "Joyce Country" and

Maam Valley Gleann an Mháma (English: Maam Valley) is a glacial valley in County Galway, Ireland. It lies within Joyce Country in Connemara and is part of an aspirant geopark. Much of the valley is in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Location and topography The ...

). All schools within the Gaeltacht use the Irish language for classroom instruction. There is also a third-level constituent college of NUIG called

Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge (; English: "The Irish Language University Academy") is a third level educational and research institution headquartered in Galway, Ireland. It was established as part of the University of Galway in 2004, to fu ...

Carraroe Carraroe (in Irish, and officially, , meaning 'the red quarter') is a village in County Galway, Ireland, in the Irish-speaking region (Gaeltacht) of Connemara. It is known for its traditional fishing boats, the Galway Hookers. Its population i ...

and Carna.

Clifden Clifden (, meaning "stepping stones") is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Cap ...

is the largest town in the region. Galway City is also home to Ireland's only Irish-language theatre,

Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe An Taibhdhearc is the national Irish language theatre of Ireland. It was founded in 1928. The word ''taibhdhearc'' appears as a gloss for the Latin ''teatrum'' (theatre) in an old Irish document, derived from roots meaning "dream" and "glance ...

. There is a strong Irish-language media presence in this area too, which boasts the radio station Raidió na Gaeltachta and ''

Foinse ''Foinse'' (; Irish for "''Source''") was an Irish-language newspaper in Ireland. It was first published October 1996 and had both print and online editions until September 2013 when its publisher, Móinéar Teo, announced that it would become ...

'' newspaper in

and national TV station

TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...

Baile na hAbhann Baile na hAbhann, anglicised as Ballynahown, is a Gaeltacht village about west of Galway, Ireland, on the R336 regional road between Indreabhán and Casla. The name means "town of the river". The village is in the townland of Baile na hAbha ...

. The

are also part of the Galway Gaeltacht. According to Census 2016, 84,249 people in County Galway claimed they could speak Irish. According to Census 2011, the Galway city and county Gaeltacht has a population of 48,907, of which 30,978 said they could speak Irish; 23,788 classed themselves as native Irish speakers, while 7,190 speak Irish daily only within the classroom. There are 3,006 attending the ten

Gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language-medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary an ...

(Irish language primary schools) and three

Gaelcholáiste A Gaelcholáiste is a secondary school on the island of Ireland (in either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland) located outside Gaeltacht areas, where Irish is the primary language of teaching and communication. Gaelcholáistí are sup ...

(Irish language secondary schools) outside the Galway Gaeltacht. According to the Irish Census 2016, there are 9,445 people in the county who identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system.

Local government and politics

and

are the local authorities for the respective local government areas. The local government area of County Galway includes some suburbs of the city not within the city area. Each local authority is responsible for certain local

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

such as

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. The evolution of forethought, the capacity to think ahead, is consi ...

and

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

libraries A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, the collection of

motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

ation, local

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s and

social housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

. Under the

Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that established a system of local government in Ireland similar to that already created for England, ...

, County Galway was divided into the urban districts of

Ballinasloe Ballinasloe ( ; ) is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-ce ...

and

, and the

rural districts Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the ad ...

of Ballinasloe No. 1, Clifden, Galway, Glennamaddy, Gort, Loughrea, Mount Bellew, Oughterard, Portumna, and Tuam.

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the town's skyline ...

, within the rural district of Loughrea, and

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

, within the rural district of Tuam, had

town commissioners Town commissioners were elected local government bodies that existed in urban areas in Ireland from the 19th century until 2002. Larger towns with commissioners were converted to urban districts by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with ...

. The rural districts were abolished in 1925. In 1937, the urban district of

became the borough of Galway, remaining part of County Galway. In 1986, the borough of Galway became the

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

of Galway and ceased to part of County Galway. In 2002, all county boroughs were redefined as cities. In 2002, the urban district of Ballinasloe and the town commissioners of Loughrea and Tuam became

town councils A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

. All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014. As part of the

, Galway County Council has three representatives and Galway City Council has two representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. The county is part of three

Dáil constituencies There are 39 multi-member electoral districts, known as Dáil constituencies, that elect 160 TDs (members of parliament), to Dáil Éireann, Ireland's lower house of the Oireachtas, or parliament, by means of the single transferable vote, ...

: Galway East (3 seats), Galway West (5 seats) and Roscommon–Galway (5 seats). It is part of the Midlands–North-West constituency for

European elections Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's. Until ...

Geography

County Galway is home to Na Beanna Beola (

Twelve Bens , photo=Boats and mountains, Roundstone (6047965086).jpg , photo_caption= View of the range from Roundstone village. , region = Connacht , region_type = Provinces of Ireland , translation = The peaks of Beola , language = Irish language ...

) mountain range, Na Sléibhte Mhám Toirc (the Maum Turk mountains), and the low mountains of Sliabh Echtghe (Slieve Aughty). The highest point in the county is one of the Twelve Bens, Benbaun, at 729m.

Lakes

County Galway is partly home to a number of Ireland's largest lakes including

Lough Corrib Lough Corrib ( ; ) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway River connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Nea ...

(the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland), Lough Derg and

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

. The county is also home to a large number of smaller lakes, many of which are in the

region. These include

Lough Anaserd Lough Anaserd () is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in west County Galway on the Slyne Head peninsula. Geography and hydrology Lough Anaserd is about south of Clifden, near Ballyconneely. The lake has numerous rocky i ...

Ardderry Lough Ardderry Lough is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong associati ...

Aughrusbeg Lough Aughrusbeg Lough is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area in west County Galway. Geography and hydrology Aughrusbeg Lough lies about northwest of Clifden near the village of Cleggan. The lake is olig ...

Ballycuirke Lough Ballycuirke Lough (), also known as Ballyquirke Lough, is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is part of the Lough Corrib catchment in County Galway. Geography and natural history Ballycuirke Lough is located about northwest of Galw ...

, Ballynahinch Lake, Lough Bofin,

Lough Cutra Lough Cutra (formerly ''Lough Cooter'', ) is a lake in County Galway, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western ...

, Derryclare Lough,

Lough Fee Lough Fee () is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway. Geography Lough Fee measures about long and wide. It is located about northeast of Clifden and just south of Killary Harbour. Hy ...

, Glendollagh Lough,

Lough Glenicmurrin Glenicmurrin Lough or Lough Glenicmurrin () is a lake in County Galway, Ireland. Wildlife Fish on Glenicmurrin Lough include sea trout, brown trout, grilse and Arctic char The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a col ...

Lough Inagh Lough Inagh () is a freshwater lake in the Inagh Valley, in Connemara, Galway, in the west of Ireland. Geography Lough Inagh is located about east of Clifden on the R344 road in the Inagh Valley. The Twelve Bens range lies to the west of the ...

Kylemore Lough Kylemore Lough () is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway. Geography Kylemore Lough measures about long and wide. It is located about northeast of Clifden, just east of Connemara Na ...

Lettercraffroe Lough Lettercraffroe Lough is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway. Geography Lettercraffroe Lough measures about long and wide. It is located about southwest of Oughterard and about nor ...

, Maumeen Lough, Lough Nafooey,

Lough Rea Lough Rea (), also Loughrea Lake, is a lake in Ireland, located south of Loughrea, County Galway. Wildlife Lough Rea is stocked with three-spined stickleback, ninespine stickleback, eel, perch, brown trout, rudd and pike. In folklore In the tr ...

, Ross Lake and

Lough Shindilla Lough Shindilla is a freshwater lake in the west of Ireland. It is located in the Connemara area of County Galway. Geography Lough Shindilla measures about long and wide. It lies about northwest of Galway city on the N59 road near the vill ...

Climate

The location of County Galway, situated on the west coast of Ireland, allows it to be directly influenced by the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

. Temperature extremes are rare and short lived, though inland areas, particularly east of the Corrib, can boast some of the highest recorded temperatures of the summer in the island of Ireland (sometimes exceeding 30 °C); though these temperatures only occur when land warmed east winds sweep the area; the opposite effect can occur in the winter. Overall, however, Galway is influenced mainly by Atlantic airstreams which bring ample rainfall in between the fleeting sunshine. Rainfall occurs in every month of the year, though the late autumn and winter months can be particularly wet as Atlantic cyclonic activity increases and passes over and around the area, and which is why Galway tends to bear the brunt of severe windstorms that can occur between August and March. The county on average receives about 1300mm of rainfall annually, though some areas along the west coast of the county can receive up to 1900mm and beyond.

Extreme weather Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a locat ...

such as blizzards, thunderstorms, flash flooding and hail, though rare, can and do occur, particularly when

air mass In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and humidity. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to la ...

es of continental origin are undercut by more humid and unstable Atlantic flows.

Largest settlements in County Galway (2022 Census)

, 85,910 #

, 9,647 #

, 6,597 #

, 6,322 #

Oranmore Oranmore ( or ''Úarán Mór'') is a town near the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. It is also the name of the civil parish and Roman Catholic parish in which the town lies. It is east of Galway city on the edge of Oranmore Bay, an ...

, 5,819 #

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

, 4,603 #

Gort Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...

, 2,870 #

Bearna Barna (Bearna in Irish) is a coastal village on the R336 regional road in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It has become a satellite village of Galway city. The village is Irish speaking and is therefore a constituent part of the regions o ...

, 2,336 #

Moycullen Moycullen ( ga, Maigh Cuilinn) is a Gaeltacht village in County Galway, Ireland, about 10 km (7 mi) northwest of Galway city. It is near Lough Corrib, on the N59 road to Oughterard and Clifden, in Connemara. Moycullen is now a satel ...

, 2,279 #

Oughterard Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of Lough Corrib in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest of Galway on the N5 ...

, 1,846

Economy

According to numbers published by Galway Chamber of Commerce in early 2019, there were then 196 information and communications technology (ICT) organisations in Galway, including IBM, SAP, Oracle and Cisco. There is a number of medical device companies in the area, including Medtronic (with approximately 1,800 employees) and Boston Scientific (2,800 employees).

Sports

Gaelic games are the most popular sport in the county. Galway had traditional regions in which

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

or hurling is played. For example, in south and eastern County Galway, in places such as

Portumna Portumna ( - meaning 'the landing place of the oak') is a market town in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland, on the border with and linked by a bridge to County Tipperary. The town is located to the west of the point where the River Shanno ...

Clarinbridge Clarinbridge () is a village in south County Galway, Ireland. It is on the mouth of the Clarin River at the end of Dunbulcaun Bay, which is the easternmost part of Galway Bay. The placename is also spelled Clarenbridge. Notable people *Alexan ...

and

, hurling is the dominant sport with successful teams at county and national level. Most of the rest of the county is considered to be footballing territory, with most of the county players being from the

area,

or parts of

Galway city Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city o ...

Galway United FC Galway United Football Club ( Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They ...

compete in the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland f ...

and plays home games in

Eamonn Deacy Park Eamonn Deacy Park, formerly known as Terryland Park, is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Galway Football Association and is the home ground of both Galway ...

Connacht Rugby Connacht Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Connachta) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Con ...

, which competes in the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

, is based in the Sportsgrounds in

. The two main amateur rugby clubs in the county are

Galway Corinthians RFC Galway Corinthians Rugby Football Club is a rugby club in Galway, Ireland and the largest rugby union club in the province of Connaught. The club was founded in 1932 and plays in Division 2B of the Irish domestic club competition the All-Irela ...

and

Galwegians RFC Galwegians Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in Galway, Ireland. The Galwegians senior side plays in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League, the Irish domestic club competition. Galwegians field over 16 teams including Senior, Junior (S ...

which compete in the All-Ireland League. County Galway is home to multiple basketball clubs, including

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

teams University of Galway Maree and

Moycullen Basketball Club Moycullen Basketball Club is an Irish basketball club based in Moycullen, County Galway. The club was founded in 1966. The club's senior men's representative team plays in the Irish Super League The Super League (officially known as the Be ...

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

is also a very popular sport in Galway, a few clubs being; Galway City Harriers,

Craughwell Craughwell (historically ''Creaghmoyle'', from ) is a town and townland in County Galway, Ireland. Name The name Craughwell is also used as a surname, properly '' Ó Creachmhaoil'', though often anglicised as ''Craughwell'', ''Croughwell'' and ...

Athletic Club,

A.C,

A.C and many others.

Notable people

Joe Canning Joseph Canning (born 11 October 1988) is an Irish hurling, hurler who plays for club side Portumna GAA, Portumna and previously at inter-county level with the Galway county hurling team, Galway senior hurling team. Often considered one of the g ...

(born 1988), hurler *

Davy Carton Davy Carton (born 10 April 1959) is a singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist from Tuam, County Galway, in the Republic of Ireland. He is best known as a core member of the Saw Doctors, the folk-rock band he co-founded with Leo Moran and others ...

(born 1959), member of

The Saw Doctors The Saw Doctors are an Irish rock band. Formed in 1986 in Tuam, County Galway, they have achieved eighteen Top 30 singles in the Republic of Ireland including three number ones. Their first number one, "I Useta Lover," topped the Irish charts fo ...

Aaron Connolly (Irish footballer) Aaron Anthony Connolly (born 28 January 2000) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Hull City, on loan from club Brighton & Hove Albion, and for the Republic of Ireland national team. Club career Brighton & Hove ...

(born 2000), professional footballer *

Nicola Coughlan Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–presen ...

(born 1987), actress * Seán William McLoughlin (born 1990), Youtuber *

Mike Denver Michael Fallon (born 15 June 1980 in Portumna, County Galway) known as Mike Denver, is an Irish country singer. Career Starting touring at age 16, he later on met manager Willie Carty who signed him. Denver recorded his first album ''Wings to Fl ...

(born 1980), country singer *

Maura Derrane Maura Catherine Derrane (born 8 July 1970) is an Irish television presenter and journalist. She currently works for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), having previously worked for TV3 and TG4. Derrane is a from Inishmore, County Galway. She ...

(born 1970), journalist and TV presenter *

Pádraic Joyce Pádraic Joyce (born 1 April 1977) is a Gaelic football manager and former player who played as a forward. He has been manager of the senior Galway county team since 2019. Joyce won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship twice with Galw ...

(born 1977), Gaelic footballer *

Dolores Keane Dolores Keane (born 26 September 1953) is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the group De Dannan and has since embarked on a solo career. Background Keane was born in a small village called Sylane (near ...

(born 1953), folk singer *

Seán Keane (singer) Seán Keane (born 24 August 1961) is an Irish singer and musician, known for his distinctive sean-nós-style voice. Background Seán Keane was born in a small village called Caherlistrane near Tuam in County Galway into a musical family, includ ...

(born 1961), folk singer *

Leo Moran Leo Moran (born 9 November 1964 in Tuam, Galway) is best known as lead guitarist and sometimes vocalist in the Irish folk rock band The Saw Doctors. Moran studied French and Sociology at University College Galway. He later trained as a secondary ...

(born 1964), member of

Brendan Murray Brendan Hugh Francis Murray (born 16 November 1996) is an Irish singer and former member of the Irish boy band HomeTown. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dying to Try" but failed to qualify for the fina ...

(born 1996), singer *

Mícheál Ó Ceallaigh Mícheál Ó Ceallaigh () was an Irish scribe. Ó Ceallaigh is known from only a very few manuscripts, such as LN G. 751. His work contains songs by Antoine Ó Raifteiri, stories of the Fianna, and may have known Lady Gregory. One of his manusc ...

(fl. 1875), Irish scribe * Tomás Ó Reaftaraigh (fl. 1899), Irish scribe *

Gráinne Seoige Gráinne Seoige (; born 5 November 1973) is an Irish journalist, news anchor and documentary and entertainment television presenter. A noted Irish language supporter, Seoige is the only television personality to have worked with all four Irish ...

(born 1973), journalist *

Síle Seoige Síle Seoige (; born 13 April 1979) is an Irish television presenter. She has sometimes been referred to as Sheila. Early life Seoige was born in An Spidéal, County Galway, the youngest of four children, to parents Mairtín and Philomena. She a ...

(born 1979), TV presenter *

John Conness John Conness (September 22, 1821 – January 10, 1909) was a first-generation Irish-American businessman who served as a U.S. Senator (1863–1869) from California during the American Civil War and the early years of Reconstruction. He intr ...

(born 1821), passed bill to make Yosemite National Park

References

Select Bibliography

* Conor McNamara, 'War and Revolution in the West of Ireland, Galway 1913–22' (Irish Academic Press, 2019). * ''History of Galway'',

James Hardiman James Hardiman (1782–1855), also known as Séamus Ó hArgadáin, was a librarian at Queen's College, Galway. Hardiman is best remembered for his '' History of the Town and County of Galway'' (1820) and '' Irish Minstrelsy'' (1831), one of the f ...

, 1820 * ''Education in the

Diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of Kilmachduagh in the nineteenth century'', Sr. Mary de Lourdes Fahy, Convent of Mercy, Gort, 1972 *"On the Corporation Books of Galway", Trench, W.F. & Lawson, T.D., Journal of the

Galway Archaeological and Historical Society The Galway Archaeological and Historical Society was founded on 21 March 1900, at the Railway Hotel, Galway. It promotes the study of the archaeology and history of the west of Ireland. Since 1900, the Society has published 70 volumes of the ''J ...

Vol. 1, 1900–1901, no. 2. *"The Lurgan canoe", Costello, T.B, JGAHS Vol. 2, 1902, no. 1. *''Blake Family Records'', vol. 1, Martin J. Blake. *"Portrait of Sir Valentine Blake of Menlough, 3rd Baronet (1608–1652)", anon, JGAHS Vol. 3, 1903–1904, no. 3. *"Will of Geoffrey French of Galway, A.D. 1528", Martin J. Blake, JGAHS Vol. 4, 1905 –1906, no. 4. *"A De Burgo silver chalice, A.D. 1494: with notes on the family of Bourke of Turlough, Co. Mayo; drawing & text."JGAHS Vol. 5, 1907–1908, no. 4. *''Old Galway'', Maureen Donovan-O'Sullivan, 1942. *"The Anglo-Normans in Co. Galway: the process of colonization", Patrick Holland, JGAHS Vol. 41, 1987–88. * ''Galway: History and Society'', ed. Gerard Moran and Raymond Gillespie, Geography Publications, Dublin, 1996, (selections below) **"The Topography of Medieval and Early Modern Galway City"; **"From Warlords to Landlords: Political and Social Change in Galway 1540–1640"; **"Religion and the Laity in Early Modern Galway"; **"The Transfer of Power: Galway 1642–1703"; **"The Politics of Protestant ascendency: County Galway 1650–1832"; **"Landlords and Land Usage in Eighteenth Century Galway"; **"The Galway Tribes as Landowners and Gentry **"The Response of the Poor Law to the Great Famine in County Galway **"The Encumbered Estates Court and Galway Property 1849–58 **"Bishop John MacEvilly and the Catholic Church in Late Nineteenth Century Galway **"Minor Famines and Relief in Galway, 1815–1925" **"From Connacht to North America: State Aided Emigration from County Galway in the 1880s" **"Trade Unionism in County Galway, 1898–1914" **"Scríobhaithe Lámhscribhínni Gaeilge I nGallimh" **"The Galway Gaeltacht, 1926–81: a Sociolinguistic Study of Continuity and Change" *''A town tormented by the sea: Galway 1790–1914'', John Cunningham, 2004. *''The Ploughman on the Pound Note'', Eugene Duggan, 2004. *''Land and Revolution" – Nationalist Politics in the West of Ireland 1891 – 1921'', Fergus Campbell, 2005. *"The de Berminghams, Barons of Athenry", Paul Mohr, JGAHS Vol. 63, 2011. *''Clár Amhrán Mhaigh Cuilinn'', Ciarán Ó Con Cheanainn, 2011. *''He Who Dared and Died" – The Life and Death of an SAS Original, Sergeant Chris O'Dowd MM'', Gearóid O'Dowd, 2011 *''The case of the Craughwell Prisoners during the Land War in Co. Galway, 1879–85'', Pat Finnegan, 2012 *''Loughrea, that den of infamy: The Land War in County Galway, 1879–82'', Pat Finnegan, 2014. *''East Galway agrarian agitation and the burning of Ballydugan House, 1922'', Anne O'Riordan, 2015. *''Rebellion in Galway – Easter Rising 1916'' Kevin Jordan, 2016. *''The Tribes of Galway: 1124–1642'', Adrian Martyn, 2016. *''He was Galway:Máirtín Mór McDonogh, 1860–1934'', Jackie Uí Chionna, 2016.

External links

Galway County CouncilThe Galway Independent, a local newspaper
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