Situated on the west coast of Ireland, Galway City is Connacht Province’s only city. Named after the Gaillimh River, Galway is recognized as Ireland’s fastest growing city with a population of over seventy thousand people and rising. What Galway is best known for throughout all of Ireland is its celebratory lifestyle and the wide array of festivals and events that are held there all year round. For this, Galway has been given the title “Ireland’s Cultural Heart”. With over fifty venues for special events to be held, it’s no wonder that Galway has succeeded in becoming a tourist’s mecca.

Another distinction that Galway has in Ireland is its close ties with the ancient Gaelic language, music, and dancing traditions. Because of this, many of the Irish consider Galway to be the ‘Bilingual Capitol of Ireland‘. Many of the aforementioned venues cater to this tradition, with some of the more well-known venues being the National Irish Language Theatre and the Druid Theatre Company, who has won critical international acclaim for some of their edgier works. Irish television and radio are represented through TG4 who have set up their base of operations in Galway as well. Galway is also a place that taps into the architectural culture of Ireland. Many of Ireland’s notable styles of buildings are preserved, some examples being the Church of Ireland St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church. Built in 1320, it is the largest medieval church in Ireland that is still used for religious purposes. Another one of Galway’s unique landmarks is the Hotel Maverick, a building that was erected in 1845, and is the city’s oldest hotel that is still operating.

The word Gaillimh, the name of the river that Galway is named after, means “rock”, and there are historical ties between the river and the city. The legend goes that in ancient times, the daughter of a chieftain, whose name was Gailleamh, had drowned in the river. To honor her, the chieftain named the river after her. The chieftain then ordered his tribe to set up camp on the riverside, so they could keep her spirit company. It was this site what would eventually become the city of Galway.