County Galway

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Template:Infobox Irish Place 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.

The county 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).

The estimated 2006 population is 219,750 [1].

1 Towns and villages in County Galway
2 Frequently occurring Surnames in County Galway
3 History
4 See also
5 External links

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Towns and villages in County Galway

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

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Frequently occurring Surnames in County Galway

Audley, Bermingham, Burke, Concannon, Connolly, Conneely, Donnellan, Donnelly, Egan, Fahey Folan, Green, Hynes, Joyce, Kelly, Kilkelly, Lynch, Mac Donough, Mac Hugh, Madden, Mannion, Martyn, Nolan, Ó Ceallacháin, O Ceidigh, O Faherty, O Fahey, O Flaherty, O Halloran, O Leonard O Rainne, O Shaughnessy, O Toole, Scahill, Tierney, Walsh, Ward.

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History

The first inhabitants in the Galway are arrived there over 7000 years ago. Shell middens tell us about the existence of people as early as 5000 BC. With the arrival of Christianity many monastries where built.

After the invasion of the vikings, who founded the town Galway, the small village developed into a big town. The district Claddagh was stony foreshore and fishermaen lived there a long time before the vikings.

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