Galway Holiday

The Irish city of Galway (Gallimh in Gaelic) is small, vibrant, welcoming and charming.

Located in the west of the country, in County Galway, the city has a particularly strong arts scene, an excellent university and hosts an array of annual festivals.

Perched on the banks of the River Corrib in the province of Connacht, Galway is nicknamed the City of the Tribes, as it was led by 14 merchant families during the Hiberno-Roman period.

Built in 1124, the fort of Galway was a small settlement that grew steadily, boosted by international trade. The settlement witnessed long-standing tensions build between its Hiberno-Norman citizens and the native Irish and by 1642 it had allied itself with the Catholic Confederacy of Ireland.

Cromwellian forces took the city by force following a bitter nine month siege and suffered under English rule, falling into decline until the Celtic Tiger economic boom of the late 20th century.

Galway has a population of just over 65,000, but its spirit more than makes up for its size. The city is renowned for the strength of its traditional Irish music, songs, language and dance, and has a large Irish-speaking population.

Key places to visit during a trip to the city include the Renaissance-style Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven, Lynch's Castle, an original medieval town house, St Nicholas, the largest remaining medieval church in Ireland, and Galway Harbour.

Other tourist spots include Nora Barnacle, home to the companion and wife of celebrated Irish writer James Joyce, Galway City Museum and the Spanish Arch, central Eyre Square and Kennedy Park,

Renowned for its lively bars and nightclubs, Galway has a glut of pubs catering to all tastes, from upscale wine bars to cosy traditional drinking dens. The city has a growing number of good restaurants, serving hearty Irish food and international cuisine.

Annual festivals in Galway include the Jazz Festival in February, the Festival of Literature at Easter, the Galway Early Music Festival in May and the colourful Galway Arts Festival, which takes place every July.

From Galway, visitors can access a host of other attractions, from the remote Aran Islands to the dramatic Burren and Cliffs of Moher in County Clare and the mystical mountains of Connemara.

Flights are available daily to Galway Airport and Shannon Airport, around 90 minutes drive away from a number of UK airports. Knock International Airport and Connemara Regional Airport are nearby. Galway has rail, bus and road links with Dublin and the rest of Ireland and car hire is relatively easy to arrange.

The city has numerous excellent hotels and hostels, though many of the best are booked up well in advance, and accommodation tends to be privately run and comfortable.

Galway has changeable weather throughout the year, with cold wet winters and milder summers, though temperatures rarely get high.