Book Galway tours tickets

Few Irish cities carry their reputation as naturally as Galway does. Positioned at the mouth of the River Corrib where it meets Galway Bay on Ireland's western seaboard, this is a city that has always faced outward, towards the Atlantic and the wild landscapes that surround it, while maintaining an intensely local character within its medieval street plan. The old walled town, the Latin Quarter, the long arc of the Salthill promenade, the Spanish Arch standing at the edge of the quays: these are not merely landmarks but the daily fabric of a city that takes its own culture seriously.

Galway's reputation as a centre of Irish language and arts is well earned. It is one of the few cities in Ireland where you will hear Irish spoken on the street without contrivance, partly because of its proximity to the Connemara Gaeltacht to the west. The city has long sustained a lively theatre and music scene, with traditional sessions in the pubs along Quay Street and Dominick Street drawing both locals and visitors into the same rooms. The Galway International Arts Festival, held each summer, transforms the city into something even more concentrated and alive, though the underlying energy is present year-round.