Chapter 12: Introduction to Galway and IrelandGalway City is the seat of County Galway, which is the largest county in the region of Connaught. Galway is the third largest city in Ireland, after Dublin and Cork. It is Europe's fastest growing city, with about 80,000 residents.
Galway operated as a port in the time of the Vikings, but the Norman Richard DeBurgos, accompanied by fourteen mercenary families, conquered the city at the end of the 12th century. Galway grew into a major port, and foreign trade helped build the city's wealth. The fourteen families prospered and were a powerful political and mercantile presence over the centuries, providing Galway with its name, "City of the Tribes." Their defensive walls surrounded the city and kept the Irish natives out; the "Tribes" were loyal to England. Excluded from the city, the locals congregated in an overcrowded area called the Claddagh. Today's only vestige of the area is the popular Claddagh ring, named for the neighborhood. Today, the Claddagh still exists on the shoreline, but it is part of central Galway City.
In the 1600s, King William of England sent forces to seize Galway from the 14 families, who had been loyal to James II of England. Their property was confiscated and awarded to new owners, and the practice of Catholicism was forbidden. This was a time of decay and desolation for the people of Galway, and the city languished under increasingly onerous British rule.
In the 1840s, Queen's College Galway (later NUIG) was established. But the great Famine struck the country from 1845-1851, and the combined forces of starvation and emigration reduced the population of the city to just 13,000 by the early 20th century. With independence in 1923, Galway began a resurgence. Industry and commerce revived, the University expanded, and the population rose, with many artists drawn by the landscape and shoreline location. Nearly half of Galway's current population was born elsewhere, and the new arrivals have brought with them a cosmopolitan feel. Recently, immigrants from outside Ireland, including Africans, Eastern Europeans, and Asians, have deepened the city's diversity.
Language
Once you get used to the lilt of Irish-accented English, and pick up a bit of local slang, you'll feel completely at home. You will note that all street signs are in both English and Irish...and County Galway is the heart of Irish traditional language. There are Gaeltachts, regions where Irish language is spoken as a first language, all over Ireland - but the largest is in Connemara, not far from Galway. NUIG itself has a commitment to preserving the language, so you will see many University signs and publications in both Irish and English. While it's unlikely you'll run across anyone who doesn't speak English, you might enjoy learning a few words in Irish from new friends in Galway.
When traveling to non-English speaking countries, try to learn a few phrases in the local language. It will ease your experience, and you'll get a little more respect than the average tourist. People do appreciate your efforts to speak their language.
Suggested Reading, Viewing, and Surfing...
By all means, make every effort to expose yourself to what Ireland has to offer before you leave the United States.
Irish Authors
The list below are suggestions. They range from serious to rather lightweight, but all can contribute to your knowledge of all things Irish.
Maeve Binchy - easy-reading novels
Joseph Coohill - Ireland: A Short History (2nd edition)
Frank Delaney - Ireland, A Novel
Roddy Doyle - novels that vary from comic to tragic, all set in Ireland
Frank McCourt - especially Angela's Ashes
Edward Rutherfurd - The Princes of Ireland, and The Rebels of Ireland
David McKittrick - Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of Conflict in Northern Ireland
Robert Scally - The End of Hidden Ireland: Rebellion, Famine, and Emigration
William Trevor - novels and short story collections. Arguably Ireland's greatest living author.
Let's Go! Ireland - By far the best travel handbook for college students in Ireland. Updated every year, it gives a no-nonsense, honest approach to traveling in Ireland. If a restaurant is a dive, Let's Go will tell you. It also has other helpful hints and suggestions about traveling. For those who will go beyond the borders of Ireland, they also publish Let's Go! Europe and individual guides on many countries.
There are also plenty of other travel guides. It doesn't hurt to have two. Be sure to shop around, because they are written for different audiences; some for traditional tourists, others for families, and still others, like Rough Guide and Small Planet guides, for more flexible "adventure" travelers.
Films
Most video stores stock classic and recent Irish movies. Some suggestions:
Angela's Ashes (2000)
The Boxer (1997)
Cal (1984)
Circle of Friends (1995)
The Commitments (1991)
The Field (1991)
In the Name of the Father (1994)
Into the West (1993)
The Magdalen Sisters (2003)
Michael Collins (1996)
My Left Foot (1989)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
The Snapper (1993)
The Van (1997)
Waking Ned Devine (1998)
Websites
Do some web surfing and you'll find a wealth of information and great pictures of the city and surroundings. Here are some to start with:
Information on the history and geography of the West of Ireland
Great information: Galway Travel Guide | 
