Great Southern Hotel Galway Ireland

Galway

An overview of Galway City and Galway County in Ireland

The overview includes travel options to Galway City, tourist attractions through-out the city and county, visitor accommodation options and the educational infrastructure.

Galway is the second largest county in Ireland. The county has a natural geographical split with Galway City in the middle. Connemara stretches to the West surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, while the fertile limestone farmlands lie to the East towards Roscommon. Galway City, known as the City of the Tribes with its seaside suburb of Salthill, is an important tourist centre and main commercial centre for the county. Off the coast in Galway lie the Aran Islands, the home of the Aran Sweater, which has been worn by inhabitants for many centuries. Across Galway Bay, one gets magnificant views of the Burren in North West Clare. Galway City is famed for its many annual festivals, including the Galway Races, Galway Arts Festival and two Oyster Festivals. Galway has been the birth place of many famous people.

Travel to Galway
One can travel to Galway by air, sea, bus, train or road. For air travel, Galway is served by Galway regional airport, located at Carnmore, mid way between Oranmore and Claregalway. Most flight are domestic, or overseas to the United Kingdom.
Galway port is visited primarily by fishing trawlers and cargo ships. The nearby village of Oranmore is home the Galway sailing club, where visiting yachts can moor.
The bus station, located beside the train station is served by the national bus company, Bus Eireann, and also by a number private bus operators. All regions of the country are serviced from Galway bus station. The local train station, beside Eyre Square, is the Western terminus for the Dublin Galway line. This is the only train service out of Galway. For road travel, Galway is located on the southern end of the N17 route. The main Eastern and Southern traffic to / from Galway is served by the N6 route, which divides at Oranmore.

Tourist Attractions in Galway
Tourism has been a main stay of Galway for many generations. Galway City and the main towns in Galway County are renown for the many tourist attractions.
A scenic tour through Connemara, to the West of the county, is a wonderful way to pass a day. In the words of Oscar Wilde - "Connemara is a savage beauty". From the rugged Twelve Bens mountain range, through lake-rich National Park, to the golden beaches reaching out into the Atlantic Ocean, you'll know you're in Connemara by the light that constantly changes the mood and tone of the landscape. This natural rugged terrain and unspoilt environment offers the visitor a wonderland of sights, experiences and adventure. The plains of South Galway and in particular Coole Park near Gort, was home to Lady Augusta Gregory.

Meanwhile, Galway City attractions include :
Spanish Arch, located on the bank of the River Corrib. The Spanish Arch was originally a 16th century bastion, which was added to Galway's town walls to protect merchant ships from looting. The "Spanish Arch" refers to the merchant trade with Spain, whose galleons regularly docked in Galway. The Arch is now home to the Galway City Museum.

The Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sea-farers is the largest medieval church in Ireland. It is reported that Christopher Columbus prayed here in 1477 before sailing to reach the New World.

Lynch's Castle in Shop Street, formerly owned by one of the fourteen tribes of Galway. The castle now houses Allied Irish Bank. There are many relis of the past on display within the bank, including coats of arms, stone fireplaces and a separate exhibition room which opens during the week.

Galway Cathedral located on the west bank of the River Corrib, near Salmon Weir Bridge is one of the largest buildings in Galway. Construction was completed in 1965. It was the last large church in Ireland to be made from stone and features an octagonal dome that complements the skyline of the City of Galway. Inside the visitor will find the rose windows and wall paintings particularly impressive.

Galway City Museum is located beside the famous Spanish Arch and houses exhibitions which explore aspects of the history and heritage of the City. It focuses on the medieval town and the nearby Claddagh village - 1800-1950. The building itself affords impressive views of the Claddagh Village (home of the Claddagh Ring), the Spanish Arch, the River Corrib and of course Galway Bay.

Visitor Accommodation
Galway City and county offers a vast array of hotel, bed & breakfast and self catering accommodation. Hotels in Galway range for budget level two star hotels, to modern five star luxury hotels. In the B&B sector many are family run cottage industry operations, while others are custom built guesthouses. Self catering accommodation is akin to a home away from home.

Education
Galway City is home to one of the National Universities of Ireland (NUI Galway).
NUI Galway is one of Ireland's foremost centres of education, With over 15, 000 students. NUIG has a long established reputation of teaching and research excellence in each of its seven faculties - Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering, Celtic Studies, Medicine & Health Sciences, and Law.
Galway also hosts a Regional Institute of Technology with approximately 9, 000 students attending. This college opened in 1970 as a Regional Technology Centre (RTC).