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

Galway Gaillimh
Laudatio Ejus Manet In Seculum Seculi "Praise remains for ever"
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
Irish Grid Reference M300256
Statistics
Province:	Connacht
County:	County Galway
Dil ireann:	Galway West
European Parliament:	North-West
Dialling Code:	091
Postal District(s):	G
Area:	50.57 km²
Population (2006)	72,729 City: 72,414 Suburbs: 315
Website: www.galwaycity.ie

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

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, or the fort at the bottom of the Gaillimh. 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 City of the Tribes / Cathair na dTreabh, because fourteen ^[1] "Tribes" (merchant families) led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period. The term Tribes was originally a derogatory phrase from Cromwellian times. The merchants would have seen themselves as English nobility, and hence were loyal to the King. Their uncertain reaction to the siege of Galway by Cromwellian forces earned them this label, which they subsequently adopted in defiance.

The population of Galway city, as of the 2006 census, is 72,414. Galway is Ireland's fastest growing city. ^[2]

History

Main article: History of Galway

Dún Bhun 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 Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230s, Galway fort was captured by Richard Mor de Burgh, who had led this invasion. As the de Burghs 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 mayoral 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 Hiberno-Norman 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 fourteen<ref name="fn_1" /> merchant families (12 of Norman origin and 2 of Irish origin). These were 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. Christopher Columbus is known to have visited Galway, possibly stopping off on a voyage to Iceland or the Faroe Islands. He noted in the margin of one of his books that he had found evidence of land beyond the Atlantic Ocean in or near Galway in 1477.^[3] During the 16th and 17th centuries Galway remained loyal to the English crown for the most part, even during the Gaelic resurgence, perhaps for reasons 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.

Demographics

The population of Galway city and environs is 72,729 (based on the 2006 census carried out by the CSO), of which 72,414 live in the city limits and 315 live in the city's environs in County Galway. ^[4] The population of the city, if the current growth rate continues, will hit 100,000 by 2020. ^[5]

Galway City (that is, the population inside the city limits) is the third largest in the Republic of Ireland, or fifth on the island of Ireland. However, the population of the wider urban area, is fourth largest in the Republic of Ireland (sixth on the island) after Dublin, (Belfast,) Cork, Limerick (and Derry). The population of Galway is largely descended from a mix native Celtic tribes and of Flemish and Norman settlers. There is also significant Spanish ancestry tracing back to the ship wrecks from the Spanish Armada. In recent years Galway has attracted a sizeable immigrant community, largely from Poland and other Central European and Baltic States states such as Latvia and Lithuania, many of whom work in the service industry. Small but growing Nigerian and Filipino communities has also attracted cultural and religious diversity to this West coast city.

At the time of the 2002 Census, 16.3% of the population were aged 0 to 14; 75.5% were aged 15 to 64, and 8.2% were aged 65 and above. Also, 52.9% of the population were female and 47.1% were male. The part of the city with the highest population density was the Claddagh (5,756 people per km²), and the area with the lowest density was Ballybrit (823 people per km²).^[6]

Climate

for Galway, Ireland
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
119   9.3 4.2	80   9.3 4.1	89   10.5 4.6	67   12.7 5.6	75   15.3 7.9	75   18.1 10.4	68   19.9 12.1	101   19.6 12.2	109   17.2 10.8	129   14.3 9.0	115   11.4 6.0	121   10.1 5.1
temperatures in C / precipitation in mm

Galway, like the whole of Ireland, experiences a year-round mild, moist, balmy and changeable climate, due to the prevailing winds of the Gulf Stream. The city experiences a lack of temperature extremes, with temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) and above 30 °C (86 °F) being rare, though not unheard of. The city receives an average of 1,147 mm (45.2") of precipitation annually, which is evenly distributed throughout the year. Rain is the most common form of precipitation - hail, sleet and snow are rare in the city, though will sometimes be experienced during particularly cold winters. Galway is also consistently humid, with humidity normally ranging from 70% to 100% every day, and this can lead to heavy showers, and even thunderstorms breaking out when drier east winds, originating in the European continent, clash with this humidity in the late Summer in particular.

The average January temperature in the city is 6.8 °C (40.6 °F) and the average July temperature is 16.0 °C (60.8 °F). This means that Galway is said to have a Maritime Temperate climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification system.

Extreme weather is rare, though the city and county can sometimes experience severe windstorms that are the result of vigorous Atlantic depressions that occasionally pass along the north west coast of Ireland. Most of these storms, however, happen between late autumn and early spring inclusive, being quite rare at other times of the year.

Due to the city's north-westerly location, Galway boasts long Summer days, with it daylight before 04:00 and not getting truly dark until after 23:00 during the midsummer period; however, the opposite is true in midwinter, when daylight does not truly start until 09.00, and is gone by 16:00.

Due to the mild, moist climate, Galway is able to support plantlife not usually found at such high latitudes, such as palm trees and even fig trees.^[7]

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 following the last election was:

• 4 Labour Party,
• 3 Fine Gael,
• 3 Progressive Democrats,
• 2 Fianna Fáil,
• 1 Green Party,
• 1 Sinn Féin,
• 1 independent.

Since then, the independent councillor, Michael Crowe, has joined Fianna Fáil, bringing their number on the council to three.

Mayoralty

Main article: Mayor of Galway

The City Council is chaired by a mayor who is 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. Tom Costello who was elected Mayor of Galway on June 18, 2007.

Deputies

Galway City is part of the Galway West constituency of Dáil Éireann. Its TDs are:

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

Economy

Galway Chamber

Galway City, capital of Connacht, is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork. The City has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years. Galway City has a strong local economy with complementary business sectors, including manufacturing industry, tourism, retail and distribution, education, healthcare and services that include financial, construction, cultural, and professional.

Employment

Most (47%) of the people employed in Galway work in either the commerce or professional sector; with a large number (17%) also employed in manufacturing. Most industry and manufacturing in Galway, like the rest of Ireland, is hi-tech (e.g. ICT, medical equipment, electronics, chemicals, etc.), due to the Celtic Tiger economic boom. Tourism is also of major importance to the city, which had over 2.1 million visitors in 2000, and produced revenue of over €400 million. ^[8]

Employment by Sector[9]	2002	%
Agriculture & Mining	200	1%
Building & Construction	1,686	6%
Manufacturing, Electrical, Gas & Water	4,679	17%
Commerce	7,615	27%
Transport	1,199	4%
Public Administration & Defence	1,452	5%
Professional	5,552	20%
Other	5,805	21%
Total	28,188	100%

Culture

Galway is often considered to be the 'Cultural Capital of Ireland', and is world renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and numerous festivals, celebrations and events.

In 2004, there were three dance organisations, ten festival companies, two film organisations, two Irish language organisations, 23 musical organisations, twelve theatre companies, two visual arts groups and four writers' groups based in the city. ^[10]

Furthermore, there were 51 venues for events; most of which were specialised for a certain field (e.g. concert venues or visual arts galleries), though ten were described as being 'multiple event' venues. ^[10]

Major squares in the city include Eyre Square, in the very centre of the city; and Spanish Parade, next to Spanish Arch.

Irish language and Culture

Main article: Culture of Ireland

Galway city is unique among Irish cities because of the strength of its Irish language, music, song and dancing traditions - it is often referred to as the 'Bilingual Capital of Ireland'. The city is well known for its ‘Irishness’, and mainly due to the fact that it has on its doorstep the Galway Gaeltacht. The language is visible on the city streets, with bilingual signage on display on shops and road signs, and can be heard by locals around the city. Irish theatre, television and radio production and Irish music are an integral part of Galway city life, with both An Taibhdhearc, the National Irish Language Theatre, in Galway city centre, while TG4 and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta headquarters are in the Connemara Gaeltacht in County Galway. This has brought an Irish-speaking young professional population to the city and county, and has generated a renewal of interest in the language and in language-related activities and social events. An organisation, Gaillimh le Gaeilge, wishes to gain full bilingual status for Galway city, a plan which has very strong support from a majority of the residents of the city. ^[11]

According to the 2002 Census, 50.8% of the population of Galway City can speak Irish; furthermore, four electoral divisions (out of twenty-two) are designated as Gaeltachtaí. ^[10]

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 still in use 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 an eclectic style, with renaissance dome, pillars and round arches, and a Romanesque portico that dominates the main facade — an unusual feature in modern 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 which was erected in 1849 (during An Gorta Mór, the Great Hunger) as one of the three colleges of the Queen's University of Ireland (along with Queen's University Belfast and University College Cork). The university holds the UNESCO archive of spoken material for the Celtic languages.

Museum

Main article: Galway City Museum

Recently, The Galway City Museum has been opened, featuring two parts: "Fragments of a City" and "On Reflection." "Fragments of a City" is be mainly about the heritage of Galway, while "On Reflection" is a collection of the most important Irish artists from the second half of the 20th century. This museum was designed to allow tourists and local visitors to really get to understand and know the city of Galway. This museum also houses the statue of the famous poet, Pádraic Ó Conaire which was originally in Kennedy Park, prior to its renovations

Events

Annual events include the:

• Celtic start of Spring festival Fleadh Imboilg (start of February)
• Cúirt International Festival of Literature (April)
• Galway Early Music Festival (May)
• Galway Sessions traditional Irish music festival (June)
• Salthill Air Show (June)
• Galway Film Fleadh (July)
• Project06 (July)
• Galway Arts Festival (July)
• Galway Races horse racing festival (start of August)
• Galway Gay Pride Festival (end of August)
• Galway International Oyster Festival (September)
• Galway Jazz Festival (October)
• Baboró Galway International Arts Festival for Children (October)
• Tulca visual arts festival (November).

Theatre

Galway has a permanent Irish language theatre located in the city centre, 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.

In addition it also has the Town Hall Theatre, a state of the art theatre, that was opened in 1993. It is a 52 week program that covers all aspects of the performing arts including: concerts, ballets, musicals, operas, etc. It has also been the venue for many popular Irish film premieres, during the famous Galway Film Fleadh.

Education

Main article: Education in Ireland

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, in addition to having 2 campuses in Galway City (its administrative headquarters on the Dublin Road and its art campus in Cluain Mhuire), also has campuses in Castlebar, Mountbellew and Letterfrack. According to the 2002 census, 40.8% of residents aged 15 and older in Galway had completed third level (higher) education, which compares favourably to the national level of 26.0%.

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.

In 2002, there were 27 primary schools and 11 secondary schools in Galway.^[12]. St. Mary's College, founded in 1912, was the former Catholic diocesan junior seminary and recently ended its boarding provision.

Educational Attainment (Aged 15+)[12]	2002	%
None/Not Stated	2,760	4.3%
Primary	4,938	12.1%
Lower Secondary	5,915	14.5%
Upper Secondary	11,540	28.3%
Third Level	15,549	40.8%
Total	40,702	100%

Other

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

A "Galway Hooker" is a traditional boat native to Galway. Is also the name of a new local micro-brewed beer. Galway is mentioned in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It was the hometown of Angel and the place where he became a vampire.

Infrastructure

According to the 2002 census, the most popular way by which Galwegians travel to work and school was by car (49.3%), followed by foot (29.6%), bus (9.2%), bike (4.1%), motorbike (0.7%) and train (0.3%). The remaining 6.8% travelled by other means or didn't state how. ^[13]

Airport

Galway Airport, 6 kilometres east of the city, has frequent flights throughout Ireland, the United Kingdom and Mainland Europe.

Aerfort na Minna, 22 kilometres west of the city, operates reqular flights to each of the Oileáin Árann.

Shannon Airport (90 kilometres) and Ireland West Airport Knock (86 kilometres) are also within easy reach of the city, both of which have frequent flights around Ireland and to Britain, Europe and North America.

Buses

There are two companies providing bus services throughout the city - Bus Éireann and Galway City Direct. There are 16 bus routes serving the city and its suburbs altogether - Bus Éireann operates 11 routes, while Galway City Direct runs 5 routes. In February 2007, Bus Éireann announced a major expansion plan for the city, including more routes, more buses and higher frequencies. ^[14] This is part of the €1 billion Ceannt Station Quarter and public transport development plan. ^[15]

Waterways

The River Corrib is by far the most important waterway in Galway. In order to reduce the river from flooding, many canals where built in the city to both divert and control the water from the river, as part of two major schemes - one between 1848 and 1858 and the other during the 1950s. The canals provided a power source for Galway and were the location of the first industries in the mid-19th century. Most of the mills are still used today for various purposes; for instance, NUIG still use a mill for electricity generation for their building on Nun's Island.

Currently, there are four bridges across the Corrib: the William O'Brien Bridge, the Salmon Weir Bridge, the Wolfe Tone Bridge and the Quincentennial Bridge. There are plans for a fifth bridge as part of the Galway City Outer Bypass project.

Railway

Main article: Rail transport in Ireland

Galway's main railway (and bus) station is Ceannt Station, which opened on 1 August 1851^[16] and which is about to get a major redevelopment, complete with a completely new urban district - Ceannt Station Quarter.^[17][18]



The Midland Great Western Railway (MGW) reached Galway in 1851, giving the city a direct main line to its Broadstone terminus in Dublin.

As the 19th century progressed the rail network in Connacht was expanded, making Galway an important railhead. The nearby town of Athenry became a railway junction, giving Galway links to Limerick and the south in 1869 and Sligo and the north in 1894. In 1895 the MGW opened a branch line between Galway and Clifden.

The 20th century brought increasing road competition, and this led the Great Southern Railway to close the Clifden branch in 1935. Its former junction is still visible from Ceannt Station's platforms. Galway station was renamed Ceannt in 1966. In the 1970s Córas Iompair Éireann closed the Sligo-Ennis line to passenger services, and it has since closed to freight as well.

Iarnród Éireann, the Republic of Ireland's national rail operator, runs six return passenger services each day between Dublin, Galway and intermediate stations. Travel time is just under 3 hours to Dublin Heuston.

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

Galway is due to get suburban rail by 2008, with regular commuter services to Athenry, and in 2009, a new stop will be included at Oranmore.

Road

Main article: Roads in Ireland

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). The M4 motorway from Dublin towards Sligo and Galway was further extended in late 2005 and now reaches just west of Kinnegad; work on the next extension (the M6 motorway) towards Galway has begun. By 2015, the Galway-Dublin (by 2010), Galway-Limerick and Galway-Tuam routes will be completey motorway or high-quality dual-carriageway standard.

In addition, there are plans for a semi-ring road of the city, the Galway City Outer Bypass, which should also be complete by 2015. ^[19][20] There is also an Inner City Ring (Cuar Inmheánach) route that encircles the city centre, most of which is pedestrianised.

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.

Bus travel to the city from all major towns and airports is serviced by many private operators and the national bus company Bus Éireann.

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 used by vessels up to 10,000 dwt and the inner dock can accommodate up to 9 vessels at any one time. Pending approval, Galway Harbour may see major changes, should the €1.5 billion development plan go ahead.

With Rossaveal and Doolin, it is one of the gateways to the Oileáin Árann.

Commuter ferry services have been proposed to the commuter town of Kinvara, on the opposite side of Galway Bay. ^[21]

Sport

Main article: Sport in Ireland

Galway has a magnificent and heterogeneous sporting heritage. Sports range from horse racing, Gaelic games, Soccer and Rugby to Rowing, Motorsport, Greyhound racing and many more. The Galway Races are known worldwide and are the highlight of the Irish horse racing calendar. Over the years it has grown into an annual festival lasting seven days. In Motorsport, the Galway International Rally was the first international rally to be run from the republic of Ireland. Throughout its history it has attracted many star drivers from all over the world. The 2007 event was won by twice World Rally Champions Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen.

The city has many hurling and gaelic football teams at all levels; match times and venues are listed in local newspapers, such as the Galway Advertiser. Major football and hurling matches take place at Pearse Stadium in the city. The stadium is also the home of the Salthill Knocknacarra Gaelic Athletic Association club which won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship in 2006 for the first time.

Galway also has an soccer team, Galway United in the League of Ireland. Galway is constantly striving to improve the situation for youth football in Ireland. The most recent effort being in the form of The Umbro Galway Cup, which is held annually at the home of Salthill Devon F.C.. There are two Senior rugby union teams in the city Galwegians RFC and Corinthians RFC, as well as provincial Connacht Rugby who play in the Magners (Celtic) League who host their matches at the Galway Sportsground.

Moycullen Basketball Club have been the flagship basketball club of Galway for the last number of years. They compete in the National League and are a consistent feature of the post-season and have appeared in two of last three finals.They are situated 13 km (8 mi) west of the city. Between Moycullen and Oranmore/Maree Club(another thriving club east of the city) numerous Irish youth international stars have been produced over the last 10 years who have represented Ireland at European championships. A new club Titans Titans Basketball Club have recently been created in the city.Yet to make a mark underage,they have huge numbers and are a club for the future.They also comepete in the National League but have yet to make the breakthrough to the post-season.

Sailing on both sea and lake are popular, as is rowing in the River Corrib with five clubs providing the necessary facilities and organising rowing competitions. These clubs include:

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

The Galway Motor Club provides a focus for enthusiasts. Just off the city centre on College Road there is a state of the art Greyhound Stadium that races every Thursday, Friday and Saturday Night. It was refurbished recently by the Irish Greyhound Board, Bord na gCon, where it shares the facility with the Connacht Rugby Team. Nearby Salthill has three competitive swimming clubs Shark Swimming Club, Laser swimming club and Galway swimming club. There is also 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.

Galway has also produced European and World Champion kick-boxers.

Music

Galway boasts a very rich and textured musical scene, that gives the city a lot of life. As in most Irish cities there is a large traditional music scene which is kept alive in pubs and street performers. Galway is most notable for its youth music scene, with emphasis placed mainly on rock and metal bands.

Well known bands from Galway include Toasted Heretic, The Stunning, The Saw Doctors (from Tuam) and many other bands in a wide variety of genres.

In addition Galway also holds an annual music festival. Starting in 1996 the "Early Music Festival" has been incorporating European Music from the 12th-18th century. It encourages not only music, but dance and costumes as well for the events. The festival invites not only professional musicians but amateurs as well.

The Galway Arts Festival (Féile Ealaíon na Gaillimhe) takes place in Galway, Ireland every July. It first began in 1978 and since has grown into one of the biggest arts festivals in Ireland. It attracts international artists as well as providing a platform for local and national performers also.

The festival includes parades, street performances and numerous plays, musical concerts and comedy acts. Over the years the festival has developed a reputation to rival the near-hedonistic atmosphere which envelopes the city of Galway during those weeks. Highlights of the festival tend to be Macnas and Druid performances, two large local performance groups.

Media

Main article: Media in Ireland

Galway can receive all the national radio stations and television stations, as well as cable and satellite services.

One of the main regional newspapers for the county is the The Connacht Tribune which prints three titles every week - the Connacht Sentinel on Tuesday, the Connacht Tribune on Thursday and the Galway City Tribune on Friday. As of January 2007, The Tribune has a weekly readership of over 150,000.

Another Galway-based newspaper is the Galway Advertiser — a free paper printed every Thursday with an average of 160 pages and a circulation of 70,000 copies. It also prints a free newspaper on Monday called Galway First aimed at the 18-35 market with a lot of emphasis on news, entertainment and sport. It is the main paper of the Advertiser Newspaper Group which distributes 200,000 newspapers per week to a variety of other Irish cities and towns.

Another free paper, the Galway Independent, prints on a Tuesday night for Wednesday circulation.

Galway Bay FM (95.8 FM) broadcasts from the city to the whole county of Galway. Another radio station is Flirt FM (101.3 FM), which is a student radio station for the National University of Ireland, Galway and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. The cable channel City Channel, which was originally based in Dublin, has recently launched a version of the channel for Galway.

Telecommunications

Main article: Communications in Ireland

The area code for Galway is 091, or from outside Ireland, +35391.

In 2004, Galway got its own Metropolitan Area Broadband Network; which is made up of 56 kilometres of fibre optic cable. This encircles the city from Knocknacarra to Ballybrit/Ballybane and also incorporates a 6 kilometre extension to the commuter town of Oranmore. The network cost €10 million to install. ^[22]

Furthermore, there are proposals to install a city-wide free Wi-Fi network; which is backed by a former city mayor. Galway-based IT company iZone are planning to also install extra features in certain 'hotspots', such as wireless telephone and text messaging services, and live music and video streams.^[23]

Crime

Galway is located in the Garda Western Region, which has the lowest crime rate out of any other region in the country. It has been claimed that Galway is the safest city in Ireland. In 2005 the official figures for 'Galway West' show that the headline crime rate was 23.33 per 1,000 people. This can be compared with Cork city's 27.81 crimes per 1,000 people, and Dublin's 39.15 crimes per 1,000 people. In 2006, 2 murders occurred in Galway city.^[24] It was also revealed in 2007 that the crime rate in the city has actually fallen from 2005 as well, despite some high-profile assault cases^[25].

Twinnings

The following places are twinned with Galway:

• Aalborg, Denmark (1997)
• Bradford, West Yorkshire, England (1986)
• Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (1997)
• Chicago, Illinois, USA (1997)
• Lorient, Morbihan, France (1978)
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (2001)
• Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada (2002)
• Qingdao, Shandong, China (1999)
• Seattle, Washington, USA (1986)
• St. Louis, Missouri, USA (1977)
• Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand (2002)

^[26]

Adopted ship

• LÉ Aisling (1996)

See also

• List of Galway people
• History of Galway
• Sieges of Galway
• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Cities_in_Ireland
• List of cities, boroughs and towns in the Republic of Ireland

External links

• Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Galway City Council (local authority)

References

Cities in Ireland

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

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

•  • [ e] Counties of Ireland
Connacht	Galway (Galway City) Leitrim Mayo Roscommon Sligo
Munster	Clare Cork (Cork City) Kerry Limerick (Limerick City) Tipperary (North Tipperary • South Tipperary) Waterford (Waterford City)
Leinster	Carlow Dublin (Dublin City • Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown • Fingal • South Dublin) Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow
Ulster	Cavan Donegal Monaghan Antrim Armagh Down Fermanagh Londonderry Tyrone
Italics denote non-administrative counties   (Parentheses) denote eponymous cities or non-traditional counties