Galway is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland and is located on the west coast of
Ireland. The city has been nicknamed 'Ireland's Cultural Heart' and is renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and numerous festivals, celebrations and events.
Galway has a population of over 70,000 and is Ireland's fourth largest city and a major hub for visits to West Ireland. It has long since been known as "The City of the Tribes" and this title could not be more appropriate these days, given the multicultural vibrancy of present-day Galway.
The town has a reputation amongst Irish cities for being associated with the Irish language, music, song and dancing traditions and is sometimes referred to as the 'Bilingual Capital of Ireland'. Although like all other cities in the Republic, the bulk of the city's inhabitants converse mostly in English.
The city has experienced rapid growth in recent years and has a strong local economy with complementary business sectors, including manufacturing industry, tourism, retail and distribution, education, healthcare and services that include finance and construction. Galway, like the rest of Ireland, experiences a year-round mild, moist, temperate and changeable climate, due to the prevailing winds of the Gulf Stream. The city experiences a lack of temperature extremes, with temperatures rarely going below 0°c and above 30°c.
In 2007, Galway was named as one of the eight "sexiest cities" in the world, and in a 2008 poll was ranked as the 14th most popular tourist destination in Europe and 2nd the whole of Ireland.
