The first inhabitants in the Galway area arrived around the 5th millennium BC. Shellmiddens indicate the existence of people as early as 5000 BC.
The county originally comprised several kingdoms and territories which predate the formation of the county. These kingdoms includedAidhne,Uí Maine,Maigh Seóla,Conmhaícne Mara,Soghain andMáenmaige. County Galway became an official entity around 1569 AD.[6] The region known asConnemara retains a distinct identity within the county, though its boundaries are unclear, and it may account for as much as one third, or as little as 20%, of the county.
The county includes a number of inhabited islands, such as theAran Islands (Irish:Oileáin Árann) andInishbofin (Irish:Inis Bó Fine).
With the arrival ofChristianity manymonasteries were built in the county. Monasteries kept written records of events in the area and of its people. These were followed by a number of law-tracts, genealogies, annals and miscellaneous accounts. Extant manuscripts containing references to Galway include:
Nearly 20% of the population of County Galway live in areas classed as Gaeltachts (Irish-speaking districts).[citation needed] County Galway is home to the largestGaeltacht Irish-speaking region in Ireland. There are over 48,000 people living within this region, which extends from Galway city westwards throughConnemara. The region consists of the following Irish-speaking areas:Galway City Gaeltacht (parts of the city),Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige,Conamara Theas,Aran Islands, andDuiche Sheoigheach (a part of the northern Galway region known as "Joyce Country" andMaam Valley).
According to Census 2016, 84,249 people in County Galway claimed they could speak Irish.[15] According to Census 2011, the Galway city and county Gaeltacht has a population of 48,907, of which 30,978 said they could speak Irish; 23,788 classed themselves as native Irish speakers, while 7,190 speak Irish daily only within the classroom. There are 3,006 attending the tenGaelscoil (Irish language primary schools) and threeGaelcholáiste (Irish language secondary schools) outside the Galway Gaeltacht.[16] According to the Irish Census 2016, there are 9,445 people in the county who identify themselves as being daily Irish speakers outside the education system.[15]
In 1937, the urban district ofGalway became the borough of Galway, remaining part of County Galway.[20] In 1986, the borough of Galway became thecounty borough of Galway and ceased to part of County Galway.[21][22] In 2002, all county boroughs were redefined as cities.[23]
In 2002, the urban district of Ballinasloe and the town commissioners of Loughrea and Tuam becametown councils.[24] All town councils in Ireland were abolished in 2014.[25]
As part of theNorthern and Western Region, Galway County Council has three representatives and Galway City Council has two representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly.[26]
The prehistoric hill fort of Dún Aonghasa, Inishmore Island
County Galway is home to 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 highest point in the county is one of the Twelve Bens, Benbaun, at 729m.
The location of County Galway, situated on the west coast of Ireland, allows it to be directly influenced by theGulf Stream. Temperature extremes are rare and short lived, though inland areas, particularly east of the Corrib, can boast some of the highest recorded temperatures of the summer in the island of Ireland (sometimes exceeding 30 °C); though these temperatures only occur when land warmed east winds sweep the area; the opposite effect can occur in the winter. Overall, however, Galway is influenced mainly by Atlantic airstreams which bring ample rainfall in between the fleeting sunshine. Rainfall occurs in every month of the year, though the late autumn and winter months can be particularly wet as Atlantic cyclonic activity increases and passes over and around the area, and which is why Galway tends to bear the brunt of severe windstorms that can occur between August and March. The county on average receives about 1300mm of rainfall annually, though some areas along the west coast of the county can receive up to 1900mm and beyond.Extreme weather such as blizzards, thunderstorms, flash flooding and hail, though rare, can and do occur, particularly whenair masses of continental origin are undercut by more humid and unstable Atlantic flows.
Largest settlements in County Galway (2022 Census)
According to numbers published by Galway Chamber of Commerce in early 2019, there were then 196information and communications technology (ICT) organisations in Galway, including IBM, SAP, Oracle and Cisco.[29] There is a number of medical device companies in the area, including Medtronic (with approximately 1,800 employees) and Boston Scientific (2,800 employees).[29]
Gaelic games are the most popular sport in the county. Galway has had traditional regions in whichGaelic football or hurling is played. For example, in south and eastern County Galway, in places such asPortumna,Gort,Clarinbridge andAthenry, hurling is the dominant sport with successful teams at county and national level.Gaelic football is more prominent throughout much of the rest of the county, with most of the county players being from theTuam area,Oughterard,Moycullen or parts ofGalway city.[citation needed]
^MANNION, JOSEPH (20 June 2019). "Elizabethan County Galway: The Origin and Evolution of an Administrative Unit of Tudor Local Government".Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society.64:64–89.JSTOR24612855.
^Mannion, Joseph (2012). "Elizabethan County Galway: The Origin and Evolution of an Administrative Unit of Tudor Local Government".Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society.64:64–89.JSTOR24612855.
^For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy 14 March 1865.
^Lee, J. J. (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.).Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
^Local Government (Galway) Act 1937, s. 4: Formation of the Borough of Galway (No. 3P of 1937, s. 4). Enacted on 10 June 1937. Act of theOireachtas. Retrieved fromIrish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
^Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985, s. 5: Establishment of Borough of Galway as County Borough (No. 7 of 1985, s. 5). Enacted on 3 April 1985. Act of theOireachtas. Retrieved fromIrish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
^Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985 (County Borough of Galway) (Appointed Day) Order 1985 (S.I. No. 425 of 1985). Signed on 18 December 1985. Statutory Instrument of theGovernment of Ireland. Retrieved fromIrish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
