Galway is the fifth largest city in Ireland. Galway is the third largest city in the Republic of ireland and the only city in the province of Connacht. It is located on the west coast of Ireland.
The city takes its name from the Gaillimh river (River Corrib) that formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ("fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh").
The city also bears the nickname City of the Tribes because "fourteen tribes" (merchant families) led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period. The term tribes was often a derogatory phrase in Cromwellian times. The merchants would have seen themselves as Irish gentry, but were loyal to the King. They subsequently adopted the term in defiance to the Cromwellian occupiers of the town.
The population of Galway city and it's environs is 72,729 according to the 2006 census.
The River Corrib flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay. The river is among the shortest in Europe, with only a length of six kilometres from the lough to the Atlantic. It is popular with local whitewater kayakers and is the training ground of NUI, Galway Kayak club, as well as several rowing clubs.
