Galway

Michael Cusak (1847-1906) the founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association, was born in this cottage in Carron, County Galway. He was a fluent speaker of the Irish language, and encouraged its promotion in Irish education.

In spite of their isolation the three islands of Aran, in the mouth of Galway Bay, have for generations played an important role in supporting Irish culture. Islanders continue to use the Irish language, and preserve cultural traditions and their oral folklore. An export has been created of the local knitwear, and the traditional work of fishing also continues, but the islands are mainly dependent on tourism as a source of income.

Patrick (Pádraig) Henry Pearse (1879-1916) spent many summers in this simple cottage near Screeb in County Galway. His life's work was to ensure that the Irish had control over their own education, and that the language of Ireland should be respected and preserved.

The ruins of Aughanure Castle stand on Lough Corrib, a lake lying 3 km/2 mi west of Oughterard, Galway. In the 11th century the castle was the stronghold of the O'Flaherty family. The tower in the foreground was once a lookout tower and formed a bastion in the walls.

Rocky outcrops on the Aran Islands, in Galway Bay. Farming, along with fishing, is a key economic force on the islands, but scarcity of fertile soil is an ongoing problem. One traditional method of creating topsoil was to mix sand and seaweed gathered from the shores, and spread them on the fields.

County on the west coast of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Connacht; county town Galway; area 5,940 sq km/2,293 sq mi; population (2002) 209,100. Lead and zinc are found at Tynagh, and marble is quarried and processed at several sites. The main farming activity is cattle and sheep grazing. The Connemara National Park is in Galway. Towns include Salthill, a suburb of Galway city and seaside resort, Ballinasloe, Clifden, and Tuam.

Features

Physical The east is low-lying, fertile, limestone plain, but in the west the surface is mountainous, with the Twelve Bens group, the highest of which is Benbaun (730 m/2,395 ft), and the Maamturk Mountains, which rise to over 701 m/2,300 ft; in the south are the Slieve Aughty Mountains, which include Mweelrea Mountain (819 m/2,688 ft). Also in the south is Galway Bay, with the Aran Islands. To the west of Lough Corrib is Connemara. The Shannon is the principal river.

Coast and waterways The county is bounded to the west by the Atlantic (where the coast is much indented); to the south by County Clare; to the southeast by County Tipperary, Lough Derg, and the River Shannon; to the east by counties Offaly and Roscommon; and to the north by Roscommon and Mayo. Among the islands off the coast are Inishbofin, Inishark, and Gorumna in the northwest, and the Aran Islands in the southwest. The chief rivers, other than the Shannon, are the Shannon's tributaries the Corrib, the Suck, and the Clare. A branch of the Grand Canal connects the harbour at Shannon with Ballinasloe, but is closed to navigation.