The City

Galway, the beautiful city in the west of Ireland is the capital of the county with th same name and the main city of the province Connaught.

Its official Irish name is Gaillimh or the longer version Cathair na Gaillimhe, the City of Galway. This term comes from the Gaillimh river, also known as River Corrib, flowing through the city.

The city also carries the nickname The City of the Tribes as it was once controlled by 14 merchant families. They had these surnames: Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D'Arcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyes, Kirwan, Lynch, Martin, Morris and Skerrett. The story of those tribes begins in the 12th century; their influence ends in the 19th century.

In 2006 Galway had about 72,000 inhabitants and was therefore the fourth biggest city in the whole Republic of Ireland. They are living in an area of 1,837 km².

There are many sights to visit in the city. Among the most famous are Lynch's Castle, St. Nicholas' Church, National University of Ireland, Galway, the Spanish parade, and Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, the Irish language theatre.