County Galway Holiday Accommodation

County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe in Irish) 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.

County Galway contains a number of distinct territories including Iar Chonnachta, which covers the portion of the county west of Loch Corrib and which contains Connemara in the far west and Joyce Country in the north-west. 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).

Galway city is unique among Irish cities because of the strength of its Irish language, music, song and dancing traditions - it is often referred to as the 'Bilingual Capital of Ireland'. The city is well known for it’s ‘Irishness’, and mainly due to the fact that it has on it’s doorstep the Galway Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area). The language is visible on the city streets, with bilingual signage on display on shops and road signs, and can be heard by locals around the city. Irish theatre, TV production and Irish music are an integral part of Galway city life, with both An Taibhdhearc, the National Irish Language Theatre, and TG4 headquaters in Galway. This has brought an Irish-speaking young professional population to the city and county, and has generated a renewal of interest in the language and in language-related activities and social events.