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This article is about the city in Ireland. For other uses of the name, see Galway (disambiguation).

Galway (official Irish name: Gaillimh) is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland and capital of County Galway. The city is located on the west coast of Ireland. In Irish, Galway is also called Cathair na Gaillimhe ("city of Galway").

City of Galway
Laudatio Ejus Manet In Seculum Seculi "praise remains for ever"
Map
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53.4667 Lat. -09.1000 Long.
Area:	50.57 km²
County:	Galway
Population:	65,832 (CSO 2002)
Province:	Connacht

The city takes its name from the Gaillimh river (River Corrib) that formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe. The word Gaillimh means "stony" as in "stony river". (Alternative, more mythical, derivations are given in History of Galway). The city also bears the nickname The City of the Tribes, because fourteen¹ "tribes" (families) led the city in its Anglo-Norman period.

Contents 1 History 2 Politics 2.1 City Council 2.2 Mayoralty 2.3 Deputies 3 Culture 3.1 Architecture 3.2 Events 3.3 Theatre 3.4 Education 3.5 Other 4 Infrastructure 4.1 Airport 4.2 Railway 4.3 Road 4.4 Galway Harbour 4.5 Sport 5 See also 6 External links 6.1 General 6.2 Media 7 Footnotes

History

Dún Bun na Gaillimhe ("Fort at the Mouth (bottom) of the Gaillimh") was constructed in 1124, by the King of Connacht Tairrdelbach mac Ruaidri Ua Conchobair. A small settlement eventually grew up around this fort. During the Anglo-Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230's Galway fort was capturted by the de Burgos (Burkes) the family who had led this invasion. As the de Burgos eventually became gaelicised the merchants of the town pushed for greater control over the walled city. This led to them gaining complete control over the city and the granting of mayorial status by the English crown in December 1484. Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours. A notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Oge Martyn fitz William, stated "From the Ferocious O'Flahertys may God protect us". A bye-law forbade the native Irish (as opposed to Galway's Anglo-Irish citizens) unrestricted access into Galway, saying "neither O' nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway" without permission. During the middle ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen¹ merchant families (of mixed Anglo-Saxon, French, Gaelic, Norman and Welsh origins), the 'tribes' of Galway. The city thrived on international trade. In the middle ages, it was the principal Irish port for trade with Spain and France. There is a legend of uncertain truth which claims that Christopher Columbus, on a trip to Iceland or the Faroe Isles, found signs of land beyond the Atlantic Ocean in or near Galway in 1477.² Galway remained mostly loyal to the English crown during the Gaelic resurgence as a matter of survival, yet by 1642 the city allied itself with the Catholic Confederation of Kilkenny during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. During the resulting Cromwellian conquest of Ireland Cromwellian forces captured the city after a nine month siege. At the end of the 17th century the city supported the Jacobites in the Williamite war in Ireland (it supported King James II of England against William of Orange) and was captured by the Williamites after a very short siege not long after the Battle of Aughrim in 1691. The great families of Galway were ruined, the city declined, and it did not fully recover until the great economic boom of the late twentieth century.

Politics

City Council

Main article: Galway City Council

Services such as rubbish collection, recycling, traffic control, parks and housing are controlled by a fifteen member city council elected to five year terms by proportional representation, the next such election is due in June 2009. The make-up of the current city council is: four Labour Party, three Fine Gael, three Progressive Democrats, two Fianna Fail, one Green Party, one Sinn Fein and one independent.

Last June's 2005 elections to the city council saw a significant change in its composition as left wing parties (Labour, Greens and Sinn Fein) increased their number of seats from two to six. At the same time, Fianna Fail lost three seats and there was an independent councillor elected in the north/east ward. Although some have argued that this has given the city council a more representative make-up, others say that it has led to grid-lock and infighting. Certainly the situation has been exacerbated by the number of new and thus inexperienced councillors (eight out of fifteen elected are first time councillors).

Mayoralty

Main article: Mayor of Galway

The City Council is chaired by a mayor who elected to a one year term by their fellow councillors. Their role is mainly ceremonial, although they do have the casting vote. The current mayor is Cllr. Brian Walsh (Fine Gael) who was elected in June 2005.

Deputies

Galway City is part of the Galway West constituency of Dail Eireann. Its TDs include:

• Noel Grealish (Progressive Democrats)
• Michael D. Higgins (Labour ). He is the party's President and former minister for Minister for Arts, Culture & the Gaeltacht..
• Éamon Ó Cuív (Fianna Fail).
• Frank Fahy (Fianna Fail).
• Pádraic McCormack (Fine Gael).

All but Éamon Ó Cuív have significant support in the city. Senator Margaret Cox (Fianna Fail) also maintains her political base in Galway city. In the General Election of 2002, Galway West was considered a 'swing constituency' due to the battle between Fianna Fail's Senator Margaret Cox and the Progressive Democrats' Noel Grealish. The victory of Noel Grealish by several hundred votes over Senator Cox deprived Fianna Fail of its first overall majority since 1977 and led to a coalition government being formed between Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats that has been in office since then.

Culture

Architecture

Probably the finest medieval town house in Ireland, Lynch's Castle is in Shop Street; it is now a branch of the Allied Irish Bank.

The Church of Ireland St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church is the largest remaining medieval church in Ireland. It was founded in 1320 and enlarged in the following two centuries. It is a particularly pleasant building in the heart of the old city. Its Roman Catholic counterpart, the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, which was consecrated in 1965, is a far larger, more imposing building constructed from limestone. It has a Renaissance style, with its dome, pillars and round arches. The Romanesque arch which dominates the main facade is an unusual feature in Irish church building. It was suggested by a church in the city of Salamanca in Spain. Not far from the cathedral stands the original quadrangle building of National University of Ireland, Galway was erected in 1849 (during the famine) and, with Cork and Belfast was a constituent college of the "Queen's University of Ireland". The university holds the UNESCO archive of spoken material for the Celtic languages.

Events

Annual events include the Cúirt International Festival of Literature (April), the Galway Early Music Festival (May), the Super8 Size It 8mm festival (June), the Galway Film Fleadh (July), the Galway Arts Festival (July), Galway Races (August), Galway International Oyster Festival (September), the Baboró Galway International Arts Festival for Children (October) and the Tulca visual arts festival (November)

Theatre

The city has a permanent Irish language theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, which has produced some of Ireland's most celebrated actors. The Druid Theatre Company has won international acclaim for its cutting edge production and direction.

Education

Two higher education institutions are located in the city, the National University of Ireland, Galway and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. The institute of technology also has a campus in Castlebar, County Mayo.

The offices of the Central Applications Office are also located in the city, this is the clearing house for undergraduate college and university applications in the Republic of Ireland; a related organisation, the Postgraduate Applications Centre processes some taught postgraduate courses.

Other

Main article: History of Galway

The Claddagh Ring is associated with the Claddagh, a fishing village located just outside the old walls of the Galway city.

Infrastructure

Airport

There are five flights daily from Galway Airport to Dublin, and two flights daily to London (Luton, England), as well as flights to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and Lorient. Also convenient to the city is Shannon International Airport (about 90 minutes drive from Galway) and Knock International Airport (also about 90 minutes drive). Flights to the Aran Islands are operated from Connemara Regional Airport at Inverin, west of the city.

Railway

The railway to Galway from Dublin's Broadstone Station was completed in 1851, and operated by the Midland Great Western Railway Co. (MGWR). As the 19th century progressed, the rail network in Connaught was expanded, so that by 1920, Galway was quite an important railhead. Not only did the branch line to Clifden start at Galway (the junction is still visible from Ceannt Station's platforms), but the nearby town of Athenry was the junction of the cross-country line from Ennis to Claremorris. However, these lines were taken out of use in 1935 and the 1970s, respectively. A campaign exists to bring about the re-opening of the Ennis-Claremorris line (via Athenry and dubbed the Western Rail Corridor), to connect the commuter belt towns of Gort and Tuam to Galway by rail.

There are six return rail services to/from Dublin each day on Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) services. The services also stop at Athenry, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Tullamore, and Kildare. Passengers can interchange with other services at Athlone for Westport and Ballina; and Kildare for Cork, Limerick, Tralee and Waterford. Travel time is just under 3 hours to Dublin Heuston.

The distance by rail between Galway and Dublin is 208 km.

Road

Three national primary roads serve the city: the N17 from the North (Tuam, Sligo, Donegal), the N6 from the East (Athlone, Dublin), and the N18 from the South (Shannon Town, Limerick and Cork). It is expected that motorways will link Galway to the other major cities sometime between 2010 and 2020. Meanwhile, travel time to Dublin is about 3 hours. Travel time to Shannon International Airport is approximately 90 minutes, whilst travel time to Limerick is 2 hours.

Galway is considered the gateway to Connemara and the Gaeltacht. The N59 along the western shore of Lough Corrib and the R337 along the northern shore of Galway Bay lead to this wild and romantic region.

Galway Harbour

Galway is the most central port on the West Coast of Ireland in the sheltered eastern corner of Galway Bay. The harbour can be been used by vessels up to 10,000 dwt and the inner dock can accommodate up to 9 vessels at any one time.

With Rossaveal and Doolin, it is one of the gateways to the Aran Islands.

Sport

Galway has an Association Football (Soccer) team, Galway United in the League of Ireland; two local rugby union teams, Galwegians and Corinthians, as well as Connacht Rugby who play in the Celtic League; and contributes players to the County Gaelic football and hurling teams. Gaelic football and hurling take place at Pearse Stadium. Sailing on both sea and lake are popular, as is rowing in the river corrib with five clubs providing the necessary facilites and organising rowing competitions. These clubs include:

• Galway Rowing Club
• Jesuits College ('The Jes') Rowing Club
• St. Joseph's College ('The Bish') Rowing Club
• NUIG Rowing Club
• Tribesmen Rowing Club

Nearby Salthill has a handball and racketball club while there are several martial arts clubs throughout the city. "Power walking" and roller blading on the promenade from the Claddagh to Blackrock are popular all year round.

See also

• List of Galway people
• History of Galway
• Sieges of Galway

External links

General

• Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Galway City Council (local authority)
• Galway County Council (local authority)
• Galway.Net: Galway City & County Portal
• Galway railway station
• Galway Harbour and Port

Media

• The Connacht Tribune
• The Galway Advertiser (free sheet)

Footnotes

Note 1: They were the merchant families of Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, Darcy, Deane, Font, French, Joyce, Kirwin, Lynch, Martyn, Morris, Skerrett.

Note 2: This claim can be found on a stone block on the Spanish parade, dedicated to the City of Galway by Columbus' native city of Genova. See also Christopher Columbus

Cities in Ireland

Republic of Ireland: Dublin | Cork | Limerick | Galway | Waterford | Kilkenny

Northern Ireland: Belfast | Derry | Armagh | Newry | Lisburn

	Counties of Ireland
Connacht: Galway (~City) | Leitrim | Mayo | Roscommon | Sligo
Munster: Clare | Cork (~City) | Kerry | Limerick (~City) | Tipperary (North~; South~) | Waterford (~City)
Leinster: Carlow | Dublin (~City; Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown; Fingal; South~) | Kildare | Kilkenny | Laois | Longford | Louth | Meath | Offaly | Westmeath | Wexford | Wicklow
Ulster: Antrim * | Armagh * | Cavan | Donegal | Down * | Fermanagh * | Londonderry * | Monaghan | Tyrone *
* denotes counties in Northern Ireland (others are in the Republic of Ireland); italics denotes non-administrative counties; (parentheses) denotes non-traditional counties

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