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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 it’s ‘Irishness’, and mainly due to the fact that it has on it’s doorstep the Galway Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area). The language is visible on the city streets, with bilingual signage on display on shops and road signs, and can be heard by locals around the city. Irish theatre, TV production and Irish music are an integral part of Galway city life, with both An Taibhdhearc, the National Irish Language Theatre, and TG4 headquaters in Galway. This has brought an Irish-speaking young professional population to the city and county, and has generated a renewal of interest in the language and in language-related activities and social events.
Galway Architecture
The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas
St. Nicholas' Anglican Church is the largest remaining medieval church in IrelandProbably the finest medieval town house in Ireland, Lynch's Castle is in Shop Street; it is now a branch of the Allied Irish Bank.
The Church of Ireland St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church is the largest remaining medieval church in Ireland. It was founded in 1320 and enlarged in the following two centuries. It is a particularly pleasant building in the heart of the old city. Its Roman Catholic counterpart, the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, which was consecrated in 1965, is a far larger, more imposing building constructed from limestone. It has a Renaissance style, with its dome, pillars and round arches. The Romanesque arch which dominates the main facade is an unusual feature in Irish church building. It was suggested by a church in the city of Salamanca in Spain. Not far from the cathedral stands the original quadrangle building of National University of Ireland, Galway was erected in 1849 (during the famine) and, with Cork and Belfast was a constituent college of the "Queen's University of Ireland". The university holds the UNESCO archive of spoken material for the Celtic languages.
Events
Annual events include the Cúirt International Festival of Literature (April), the Galway Early Music Festival (May), the Super8 Size It 8mm festival (June), the Galway Film Fleadh (July), the Galway Arts Festival (July) , the other Galway Arts Festival (July), Galway Races (August), Galway International Oyster Festival (September), the Baboró Galway International Arts Festival for Children (October) and the Tulca visual arts festival (November)
Theatre
The city has a permanent Irish language theatre, Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe, which has produced some of Ireland's most celebrated actors. The Druid Theatre Company has won international acclaim for its cutting edge production and direction.
The Claddagh
The powerful River Corrib flows through the city from Lough Corrib, with many mill races and a canal to the sea. This picture (from the Claddagh) has the canal dock in the foreground, then the river (below sight line), Spanish Parade and on to the cathedral dome.The Claddagh Ring is associated with the Claddagh, a fishing village located just outside the old walls of the Galway city.
Wikipedia contributors (2006). Galway. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:52, April 7, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Galway&oldid=46923659.
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