County Galway (Irish: Contae na Gaillimhe) is located on the west coast of Ireland. It is in the Irish province of Connacht. The county takes its name from the city of Galway, which is the county's capital. It is the second largest county in Ireland, after County Cork. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county.

The county comprises a number of distinct territories which predate the formation of the county by the English colonial administration in Ireland in the late 1500s. The major ones are Iar Connacht 'West Connacht', which covers the portion of the county (and also a small part of County Mayo) west of Loch Corrib and which contains Connemara in the far west and Joyce Country in the north-west. The territory of Aidhne lies in the south of the county and is coextensive with the diocese of Kilmacduagh. The territory of Uí Mhaine or Tír Maine covers most of the east of the county but also covers south County Roscomman. Maigh Seola covers the portion of the county along the eastern side of Loch Corrib. A number of inhabited islands are administered by the county; they include Oileáin Árann (Aran Islands) and Inis Bó Fine (Inishbofin).

County Galway is home to Lough Corrib (the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland) the Na Beanna Beola (Twelve Bens) mountain range, Na Sléibhte Mhám Toirc (the Maum Turk mountains), and the low mountains of Sliabh Echtghe (Slieve Aughty).

The population of the county as a whole at the April 2006 census was 231,052; however, when the city of Galway, which forms a separate administrative unit, was excluded, the population of the area under the control of Galway County Council was 159,052.

1 Towns and villages in County Galway
2 History
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Towns and villages in County Galway

Ardrahan, Athenry, Aughrim
Ballinasloe, Ballyconneely, Ballygar, Ballymoe, Ballynahinch, Barna, Bealadangan
Camus, Carraroe, Castlegar, Claregalway, Clarinbridge, Cleggan, Clifden, Clonbur, Corr na Móna, Corofin, Casla, Craughwell
Dunmore
Furbo
Galway, Glenamaddy, Gort
Headford, Hollygrove
Inveran
Kilcolgan, Kilconnell, Kilkieran, Killimor, Kilronan, Kinvara
Laurencetown, Leenaun, Lettercallow, Letterfrack, Lettermore, Loughrea
Maam Cross, Maum, Monivea, Mountbellew Moycullen, Muckanaghederdauhaulia
Newbridge
Oranmore, Oughterard
Portumna
Recess, Rosmuck, Rossaveal, Roundstone
Spiddal
Tuam, Turloughmore
Woodford

[edit] History

The first inhabitants in the Galway area arrived over 7000 years ago. Shell middens tell us about the existence of people as early as 5000 BC.

With the arrival of Christianity many monasteries were built.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Counties of Ireland

Image:Four Provinces Flag.svg

Connacht: Galway ^* (~City ^*) • Leitrim ^* • Mayo ^* • Roscommon ^* • Sligo ^*

Munster: Clare ^* • Cork ^* (~City ^*) • Kerry ^* • Limerick ^* (~City ^*) • Tipperary ^* (North~ ^*; South~ ^*) • Waterford ^* (~City ^*)

Leinster: Carlow ^* • Dublin ^* (~City ^*; Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown ^*; Fingal ^*; South~ ^*) • Kildare ^* • Kilkenny ^* • Laois ^* • Longford ^* • Louth ^* • Meath ^* • Offaly ^* • Westmeath ^* • Wexford ^* • Wicklow ^*

Ulster: Antrim ^† • Armagh ;^† • Cavan ^* • Donegal ^* • Down ^† • Fermanagh ^† • Londonderry ^† • Monaghan ^* • Tyrone ^†

^† denotes counties in Northern Ireland ^* denotes counties in the Republic of Ireland;
italics denotes non-administrative counties; (parentheses) denotes non-traditional counties

ast:Condáu de Galway

ca:Comtat de Galway de:Galway (County) es:Condado de Galway fr:Comté de Galway ga:Contae na Gaillimhe is:County Galway it:Galway (contea) nl:County Galway ja:ゴールウェイ州 no:Galway (grevskap) pl:Hrabstwo Galway pt:Condado de Galway ro:Comitatul Galway ru:Голуэй (графство) fi:Galwayn kreivikunta sv:Galway (grevskap) tg:Вилояти Горлуэй