Galway

Fast Facts

• Location: Galway
• Attraction Type: City
• Significance: Center for culture and sports.
• Best time to Visit: Throughout the year. Spring should be preferred. January 16th and 18th sees a lot of people coming in due to the Galway International Rally
• Visiting Hours: Throughout the day
• How to Reach: Galway is connected to other parts of Ireland, UK and Europe through flights. It is also connected to Dublin and other parts of Ireland by road links and regular train service.
• Nearest Airport: Galway Airport

An Irish city with a large population of English speaking people , Galway is the fourth largest city in Ireland. The Corib river has flown by this city for ages and the folklore and history associated with the city also harks back to the medieval times. Little wonder then that a visit to Galway is a cultural experience. It is also a lesson in history. From its humble beginnings in 1124, the city has seen Norman conquest, a vibrant trade during the colonial period with Spain and France and of course frequent skirmishes with the English. Christopher Columbus visited the city on his way to the Faroe Island. Spanish influence on Galway is evident when you see the renaissance domes and the Romanesque porticoes in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas. A visit to the city is not complete if you cannot take part in the Galway Arts Festival and the Macnas period that it organizes. The city takes pride in its cultural organizations. If you are spending some time, check out any of the multiple dance organizations or writers groups. The preservation of this rich cultural heritage happens through the Galway City Museum and the National University of Ireland, Galway. Visit both, it is a time well spent.

Things to Do

If you would like to meet with people head to Eyre Square, the traditional meeting place of people at Galway. If you are culturally inclined, the many arts organizations,music societies and writers groups and the cultural exhibitions at the City Museum will keep you busy for a considerable amount of time. Old architecture brings to Galway a charm few cities can provide. Of particular interest are Church of Ireland St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas .

Other Activities

Of late, Galway has been the epicenter of all things sport. The Galway International Rally is so popular that it is a permanent fixture in the calendar of world rally events. It becomes a sort of a festival lasting seven days nowadays. The city is also the proud host of different events like hurling, Gaelic football,basketball,rowing, martial arts, power walking and roller-blading.

Accommodation

Galway has been inhabited since medieval times. Tourists found the city to be an off-beat unexploited culture center years ago. Hence accommodation is not very difficult to find. A convenient place to book is online. Some of the hotels are given below-

• Radisson SAS Hotel & Spa Galway,
  Lough Atalia Road, Galway, Ireland
  Phone: +353 91 538 300
  
• The Ardilaun Hotel
  Taylors Hill
  Galway City
  Galway
  Phone: 00 800 369 87412

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