Galway Galway Galway (; , ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht. Galway lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, surrounded by County Galway, and is the sixth most populous city in Ireland, with a population at the 2016 Census of 79,934. Galway will be the European Capital of Culture in 2020, alongside Rijeka, Croatia. The city's name comes from the Irish name "Gaillimhe", which formed the western boundary of the earliest settlement, "Dún Gaillimhe" "Fort Gaillimh". (Mythical and alternative derivations of the name are given in History of Galway).
County Galway average receives about 1300mm of rainfall annually, though some areas along the west coast of the county can receive up to 1900mm and beyond. Extreme weather such as blizzards, thunderstorms, flash flooding and hail, though rare, can and do occur, particularly when air masses of continental origin are undercut by more humid and unstable Atlantic flows. One of the least densely populated counties, County Galway harbors a variety of wildlife. The region's biodiversity is best represented by Connemara National Park, situated in the west of the county. The Irish fast food chain Supermac's, which also operates Irish Papa John's Pizza