The West is a strategic planning area within the Northern and Western Region in Ireland. It is a

NUTS Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

Level III statistical region of Ireland (coded IE042) under the Eurostat classification. It consists of the counties of

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 ...

, Mayo and Roscommon, and the city of

. The West spans 13,801 km² (20% of the total area of the state) and as of the

2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...

has a population of 453,109. The region is located on the western seaboard of Ireland with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Sha ...

delimiting the region to the east. The West Region is largely rural, with only 30% of its population living in urban areas. It is noted for its continuance of Irish traditions, such as the Irish language in the region's Gaeltacht areas.

Regional Assembly

The constituent local authorities are the councils of the counties of

, Mayo and Roscommon and the city

, which each send representatives to the

Northern and Western Regional Assembly 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'', ...

, forming the West Strategic Planning Area Committee.

Former Regional Authority

From 1994 to 2014, the West Region was administered by the West Regional Authority, which consisted of 28 elected representatives including the region's representative on the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

Committee of the Regions. These representatives met once a month and were nominated from the four administrative councils of the region: * Galway City Council (6) * Galway County Council (7) * Mayo County Council (7) * Roscommon County Council (6) In 2014, the Regional Authorities were dissolved and their functions were transferred to the Regional Assemblies.

Demographics

According to the 2006 census, the region had a population of 380,057, which constitutes 9.7% of the national population. Its population density was 27 persons per km². The population of the regional capital, Galway City, was 72,414.

Economy

According to Eurostat figures for 2012, the region has GDP of €13.802 bn and a GDP per capita of €31,500. Tourism in the region is bolstered by its geography, with it attracting tourists from across Ireland and elsewhere, with inland rivers, lakes, mountains and plains, along with off shore islands, a large number of beaches, and its rugged coastline amongst natural attractions.

Transport

The Ireland West Airport Knock is an international airport in the region which is served by flights to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and continental Europe. Mainline rail services operate from both Galway and Mayo to Dublin. The

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...

, connecting Galway to Dublin, was completed in 2009. The M17 motorway from Shannon to the M6 opened in 2010 and its short continuation north to

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 Bronz ...

(as the M18 motorway) opened in 2017. The Western Railway Corridor re-opened in 2010 as far as Athenry, a junction with the Dublin-Galway line.

Urban areas

A list of the largest urban areas in the West Region. County capitals are shown in bold.

References

External links

Project Ireland 2040: Regional Report: The West
{{coord missing, Ireland NUTS statistical regions of the Republic of Ireland