Like Clare, County Galway has some of nature's most beautiful scenery on show, including Connemara and the Aran Islands. The land also doubles very fittingly as a fine backdrop for some of mankind's own scenic offerings in the form of field monuments, ruins and other constructions of archaeological note.

County Galway is known as the 'stone wall County', due to the predominant use of stone walls as boundary markers throughout the county. This use of stone is probably due to the abundance of limestone to be found within the region.

The county's principal town Galway City, situated by the sea, is a vibrant place, a hub of activity, always filled with entertaining street-life and many things to see and do. The 'City of Tribes' - is steeped in a rich history of trade and travelers. This history can still be appreciated in contemporary times.

Galway City boasts a diversity of culture and cosmopolitan atmosphere usually only to be found in larger cities. Great music venues, cafes, shopping, a centuries old saturday market and world renowned festivals including the Galway Arts Festival (July) and Barbaro Children's festival (October). If you enjoy cafe-culture, you must pay the city a visit, to experience it 'Galway style'.

There are many other places in County Galway that are well worth exploring, including towns like Ballinasloe, which holds a famous horse fair annually (early October) and Gort for its links with the Irish literary revival - Coole Park - the former home of Lady Gregory frequently visited by W.B.Yeats and other notables of the literary revival.

Gort in particular is a good place to start any tour of the Burren and should include a visit to Kilmacduagh

As mentioned before, Connemara - a National park offering some quite breathtaking scenes of natural beauty, is also located in the county of Galway. If you are visiting the Galway area, you would do well to spend some time in these beautiful surroundings. It is also likely that if you visit the villages and towns ( Clifden, Spiddal etc.) of this area, you will get to hear the Irish language being spoken as a first language by many of the area's inhabitants.

In late October the Annual Connemara Horse and Pony fair is held at Malm Cross in North Connemara. The fair which dates from the late 19th century, is one of the oldest fairs to have run consistently in Ireland annually.

Quick links: birds, flora, the Burren

If you're from Galway or descendant of someone from Galway then pay a Visit to our genealogy pages to view past visitor's family details on the message boards. More information...

For more information (i.e. Galway history, golf, villages and towns), use the left hand-side menu.

Some Useful Links
Galway Hotels: Irish accommodation and hotel booking service for hotels in Galway and Ireland.
History of Galway City - chronological history of the city including the reason why it is known as 'The City of Tribes'.
Towns and villages - information about many of County Galway's towns and villages
Discover Ireland Directory - wide ranging Irish only directory listing everything relevant to visitors and inhabitants of Ireland alike. Categories covering Art, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Accomodation, Travel, Business and Services.