"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 elec ...

, seat =

Galway 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 on t ...

, population_total = 276451 , population_density_km2 = auto , population_rank = 5th , population_as_of = 2022 , population_footnotes = , leader_title = Local authorities , 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, whil ...

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Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, subdivision_type1 =

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

, 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 = and , timezone = WET , utc_offset = ±0 , timezone_DST = IST , utc_offset_DST = +1 , established_title = Established , established_date = c. 1569 , 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 th ...

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

West of Ireland 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 ...

, taking up the south of the

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

. There are several Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county. The traditional county includes, and is named for, the city of

, but the city and county are separate local government areas, administered by the local authorities of Galway City Council in the urban area and Galway County Council in the rest of the county. The population of the county was 276,451 at the 2022 census.

History

The first inhabitants in the Galway area arrived over 7000 years ago. 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 e ...

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 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 Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran ...

() and Inishbofin (). 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 popu ...

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 the Gaeltacht (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 reco ...

Irish-speaking region in Ireland. There are over 48,000 people living within this region, which extends from Galway city westwards through Connemara. The region consists of the following Irish-speaking areas: Galway City Gaeltacht (parts of the city), Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige, Conamara Theas,

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

in Carraroe and Carna. Clifden is the largest town in the region. Galway City is also home to Ireland's only Irish-language theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe. There is a strong Irish-language media presence in this area too, which boasts the radio station Raidió na Gaeltachta and Foinse newspaper in Carraroe and national TV station TG4 in Baile na hAbhann. The

are also part of the Galway Gaeltacht. According to Census 2016, there were 84,249 people in County Galway who 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 can be classed as native Irish speakers, while 7,190 speak Irish daily only within the classroom. There are 3,006 attending the ten Gaelscoil (Irish language primary schools) and three Gaelcholáiste (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

Galway City Council and Galway County Council 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 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 a ...

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 cons ...

and development,

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 vi ...

, the collection of motor taxation, 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, de ...

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

, 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 te ...

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. All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014. As part of the Northern and Western Region, 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: 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. Unti ...

Geography

County Galway is home to Na Beanna Beola ( Twelve Bens) 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 N ...

(the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland), Lough Derg and Lough Mask. The county is also home to a large number of smaller lakes, many of which are in the Connemara region. These include Lough Anaserd, Ardderry Lough, Aughrusbeg Lough, Ballycuirke Lough, Ballynahinch Lake, Lough Bofin, Lough Cutra, Derryclare Lough, Lough Fee, Glendollagh Lough, Lough Glenicmurrin, Lough Inagh, Kylemore Lough, Lettercraffroe Lough, Maumeen Lough, Lough Nafooey, Lough Rea, Ross Lake and Lough Shindilla.

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 Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Unite ...

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

Flora and fauna

One of the least densely populated counties, County Galway harbors a variety of wildlife. The region's biodiversity is best represented by Connemara National Park, situated in the west of the county.

Largest settlements in County Galway (2016 Census)

, 79,934 #

, 8,767 #

, 6,662 # Loughrea, 5,556 # Oranmore, 4,990 #

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 virt ...

, 4,445 # Gort, 2,994

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, Gort, Clarinbridge 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, Oughterard, Moycullen 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 compete in the SSE Aitricity League of Ireland and plays home games in Eamonn Deacy Park. Connacht Rugby competes in the United Rugby Championship is based in

. The two main amateur rugby clubs in the county are Galway Corinthians RFC and Galwegians RFC which compete in the All-Ireland League. Athletics is also a very popular sport in Galway, a few clubs being; Galway City Harriers, Craughwell Athletic Club,

A.C,

A.C, Loughrea A.C and many others.

Notable people

* Mícheál Ó Cellaigh (fl. 1875) Irish scribe * Tomás Ó Reaftaraigh (fl. 1899) Irish scribe * Nicola Coughlan Irish Actor

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 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 provinces were administratively associat ...

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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