Co. Galway Area Guide

County Galway is situated in the west of Ireland in the province of Connaught. County Galway is home to Galway City and the Connemara region.

Connemara lies to the west of County Galway which has a unique rugged coastline, deserted white-sand beaches and many bogs which are dominated by the superb mountain range the Twelve Pins. Connemara is famous for its strong Irish-speaking areas which include; the Aran Islands Indreabhan near Galway city, Ros Muc and Carna, and people all over the world come to learn Irish in the town of Oughterard and in Colaiste Chonnacht in Spiddal.

The beautiful Lough Corrib, the largest lake in the country, is situated in County Galway and makes for an angler’s paradise. There are many small towns and villages close to the Lough such as Glenammaddy, Dunmore, Williamstown and Headford. Maam Cross, Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord, Thoor Ballylee the summer home of WB Yeats and Pease Cottage formerly owned by Padraig Pearse are some great examples of places of interest in County Galway.

Galway City is a compact but historic and vibrant city at the mouth of Galway Bay and has vast cultural reputation. Shoppers are drawn to the narrow streets and alley-ways by countless boutiques, music and book shops, restaurants and pubs. Among a long list there are many famous sites and sounds of Galway that attracts a mixture of people to the city, such as the Galway Arts Festival, Galway Film Festival, the city cathedral, the Spanish Arch, Galway Race week, and Salthill, renowned for its promenade.

Outside Galway City to the north east and south east of the county is a wealth of well established and thriving towns such as; Tuam, Athenry, Ballinasloe, Barna, Clarinbridge, Craughwell, Glenamaddy, Loughrea, Monivea, Portumna, Rosmuck, Rossaveal and Turloughmore.

There are a number of national primary roads the run through County Galway. The main routes are; the N6, N18, N17 and N84 which connect Galway City with, Dublin, Limerick, Sligo and Castlebar. County Galway has a number of railway stations situated on the Dublin to Galway City rail line. The county also has an airport located just outside Galway City and serves may scheduled and charter destinations across Ireland, the UK and Europe.