Galway City

Galway sits on the shores of Galway Bay, with its rugged seascapes and scenic islands.Galway County is dotted with pretty villages, visitor attractions, restaurants and traditional pubs.Many return to rediscover the wild Atlantic coast with its deserted sweeps of golden sand, to hike the craggy mountains, windswept bogs and deserted valleys of Connemara. The glorious Aran Islands remain criss-crossed by a labyrinth of stone walls and are home to the dramatic Dun Aonghasa fort and a bastion of traditional dance, music and song. The islands are a world away from the hustle and bustle of city-life. Galway city is unique among Irish cities because of the strength of its Irish language, music, song and dancing traditions - it is often referred to as the 'Bilingual Capital of Ireland'. The city is well known for its Irishness, and mainly due to the fact that it has on its doorstep the Galway Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) Among some of the events taking place in Galway City each year is the Cúirt International Festival of Literature (April), the Galway Early Music Festival (May), the Galway Sessions traditional Irish music festival, the Galway Film Fleadh (July), the Galway Arts Festival(July), Galway Raceshorse racing festival (start of August), Galway City Rat Race (September), Galway International Oyster Festival(September), the Baboró Galway International Arts Festival for Children (October) and the Tulca Visual Arts Festival (November) to name but a few.