The bohemian and artsy town of Galway is legendary on a global scale for its entertainment scene, and its brightly painted pubs pump out onstage music most nights. Its many atmospheric cafs open out onto winding cobblestone streets. A diversified mix of banjos, fiddles, harps, bagpipes, tin whistles, bodhrns ( handheld drums made from goatskin ), guitars, poets, painters, jugglers, magicians in decorative masks and puppeteers beguile passers-by. Actors in traditional Irish costume tread the boards around the town.
The streets of Galway are drenched in history. However, there remains a contemporary feel. Scholars account for a quarter of the city's population. The medieval city walls sit diagonally opposite to businesses selling handcrafted Claddagh rings, a collection of secondhand and new books and Aran sweaters. The city is attached to the seaside suburb of Salthill by a long promenade. The region's famous oysters can be discovered in the nearby Galway Bay.
Galway has a wide variety of food and drinks options, starting from the market, where farmers in wellies sell veg not long out of the ground, to adventurous fusion restaurants redefining Irish cuisine. Nearby one may sample Guinness, Galway Hooker ale and Irish coffees in a range of atmospheric pubs.
It can't be denied that it rains a great deal in Galway, yet even this fails to moisten Galway's joie de vivre. When the sun shines, the city is chock-full of life, and it is vibrant all year. It is commonly referred to as the most 'Irish' of Ireland's towns, with Irish stll spoken in the stores, pubs and streets.
The origination of the Irish word for Galway, Gaillimh, can be traced back to the Irish word gaill, meaning 'outsiders' or 'foreigners'. This term has been quite relevant throughout the city's history. It commenced as a humble fishing village at the mouth of the salmon-filled Stream Corrib. Nevertheless it ended up as a major town when the Anglo-Normans, under Richard de Burgo, captured territory in 1232. Its fortified walls were built around 1270.
A charter granted by Richard II in 1396 transferred power to fourteen merchant families or 'tribes' hence the pet name 'City of the Tribes'. The ruling merchant families, the majority of whom were constant to the Crown, successfully maintained the city's independent standing. Galway's location on the Atlantic supported a successful trade in salt, fish, spices and wine with Spain and Portugal. The town was to eventually be weakened nevertheless , by its support of the English in 1651 when the city was held siege by Cromwell. The city slipped in 1652. In 1691, William of Orange and his armed forces added to the havoc. Trade slipped off with Spain and, as the sea traffic of Waterford and Dublin kept growing, Galway languished for many years.
In the early 1900s visitors started to reappear and student numbers started to grow, breathing new life into the town. The cobbled streets and thatched cabins of Claddagh were tarred and flattened to make way for hygienic, modern buildings in 1934. The city's population carries on growing as new residents move in, making it the swiftest growing city in Europe.
The streets of Galway are drenched in history. However, there remains a contemporary feel. Scholars account for a quarter of the city's population. The medieval city walls sit diagonally opposite to businesses selling handcrafted Claddagh rings, a collection of secondhand and new books and Aran sweaters. The city is attached to the seaside suburb of Salthill by a long promenade. The region's famous oysters can be discovered in the nearby Galway Bay.
Galway has a wide variety of food and drinks options, starting from the market, where farmers in wellies sell veg not long out of the ground, to adventurous fusion restaurants redefining Irish cuisine. Nearby one may sample Guinness, Galway Hooker ale and Irish coffees in a range of atmospheric pubs.
It can't be denied that it rains a great deal in Galway, yet even this fails to moisten Galway's joie de vivre. When the sun shines, the city is chock-full of life, and it is vibrant all year. It is commonly referred to as the most 'Irish' of Ireland's towns, with Irish stll spoken in the stores, pubs and streets.
The origination of the Irish word for Galway, Gaillimh, can be traced back to the Irish word gaill, meaning 'outsiders' or 'foreigners'. This term has been quite relevant throughout the city's history. It commenced as a humble fishing village at the mouth of the salmon-filled Stream Corrib. Nevertheless it ended up as a major town when the Anglo-Normans, under Richard de Burgo, captured territory in 1232. Its fortified walls were built around 1270.
A charter granted by Richard II in 1396 transferred power to fourteen merchant families or 'tribes' hence the pet name 'City of the Tribes'. The ruling merchant families, the majority of whom were constant to the Crown, successfully maintained the city's independent standing. Galway's location on the Atlantic supported a successful trade in salt, fish, spices and wine with Spain and Portugal. The town was to eventually be weakened nevertheless , by its support of the English in 1651 when the city was held siege by Cromwell. The city slipped in 1652. In 1691, William of Orange and his armed forces added to the havoc. Trade slipped off with Spain and, as the sea traffic of Waterford and Dublin kept growing, Galway languished for many years.
In the early 1900s visitors started to reappear and student numbers started to grow, breathing new life into the town. The cobbled streets and thatched cabins of Claddagh were tarred and flattened to make way for hygienic, modern buildings in 1934. The city's population carries on growing as new residents move in, making it the swiftest growing city in Europe.
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Visitors can stay at hotels in Galway or Galway Bed and Breakfast while exploring Galway
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