A-Z Placefinder
Towns of Galway
Galway City —County Galway
Galway City is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and, with a population of approx. 65,000, it has become the third city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork. It began as a small fishing village centred around the estuary of the River Corrib, a river traditionally called Abhainn na Gaillimhe (The Galway River) after Galvia, a mythological princess said to have drowned in its waters.
Early records tell of a Dun or fort erected by local chieftains (where Flood Street is today) to guard against attack by what the ancient Annals call 'Munster Men'. By 1235, the Anglo-Norman de Burgos captured in its place around which a settlement grew into the mediaeval city of Galway.
