Talk:Galway

untitled

Do we need to slavishly list people associated with Galway, many of whom are quite obscure, on this page?

Yes we bloody well do! History is not just about the rich and (in)famous!

Nevertheless - the section is overly long for a summary page on Galway's many facets. I would suggest that some of the more notable persons (tempered by the quality of Wikipedia coverage) be listed, with a link to a separate article detailing a full list of people.

zoney ♣ talk 16:04, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Okay; I'll get working on it.

Population

Is Galway not the third largest city in the state follwoing the recent census? Either that or the Advertiser is wrong!

yes it is the 3rd largest city when using city limits, the truth is that limerick has over 30,000 more people.

Also ive noticed when talking about urban areas in the galway article that you have derry as a larger urban area than Limerick and that is untrue, check the derry and limerick wiki and you will see that Limerick has a larger urban area. --???

Galway is the third largest city. The Limerick Urban Area is the third largest Urban Area but it is the fourth largest city. --Red King (talk) 23:12, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Crime

The figures on crime are not presented in an accurate way. For example, the headline crime rate (from the Garda statistics) for Galway West for 2005 are 23.31 per 1000 of population. But these figures are not for Galway city (Galway West includes the city and the county west of the city). This clearly dilutes the figures. By way of comparison, Cork city has a figure of 27.81 per thousand and this does not include county Cork. So the claim that Galway city is the safest in the country is not backed up by the facts (probably Cork is safer in fact).Dontknowoo 22:13, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

crane bar

is the crane bar always open? Vev(fr)

not legally :-) --Red King 14:06, 26 Mar 2005 (UTC)

---

(Even then, "always open" would be... something of an exaggeration...)

Connacht

I corrected spelling of "Connacht Tribune" (from "Connaught"). As it's the paper I write for, I couldn't really let that pass! Sergeirichard 17:51, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

I cannot tell a lie but I confess to having written that! I've been away too long...

--Red King 18:40, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

Wait a cotton pickin' minute! Are you the Sergei of Zen sheep fame? Every time I pick up my one sheep-eared copy, I still wet myself with laughter! --Red King 18:40, 13 May 2005 (UTC)

Who wants to know if the crane bar is always open anyway??.. sure call into Padraigs on the docks... thats always open, hail rain or snow!!

Table of Contents

Does anyone agree that the table of contents is too long and detailed considering the average paragraph lenght been short in comparison - could we simplyfy things? Djegan 30 June 2005 19:17 (UTC)

I agree ℬastique▼^talk 30 June 2005 19:31 (UTC)

Barna

I would like to put some things up on the Wiki re Barna nad its history or would that require another separate page what category could I put it under? Samgalway

There is a stub of an article at Barna, telling little more than basic details. Feel free to add to it! ℬastique▼^talk 30 June 2005 23:00 (UTC)

Joyces and O'Fleah's

Did the Joyces not fight with the O'Fleaharty's (or however you spell it) against the British and as a reward, get lands now known as "Joyce Country". I am uneasy about the protrayal as Galway as a land of Irish loyal to the Queen.. even if it is true??

(Alternative) derivations of the name

Advice to editors: before you repeat yet another popular misconception of the name and its origins, please read History of Galway#(Alternative) derivations of the name. --Red King 16:23, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Anoymous editor 83.71.162.221 asserts that "Cathair na Gaillimhe" is a recent creation. Where is the evidence? Before the Normans fortified it, it was Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe - the fort at the end (mouth) of the Gaillimh. When it acquired a stone wall, it became a Caher, becuase that is how Irish people described stone forts. The conventional translation you use is based on lack of understanding of the history and invalid assumptions about anglicisations. --Red King 17:09, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

There are several theories as to the origin of the name 'Galway'. None can be proven to be correct. Local historians' views differ greatly and different history books say different things. Should the other theories not be added to the etymology section? The current THEORY is written as if it is fact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.46.44.89 (talk) 15:18, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

Please read History of Galway, where all will be explained. --Red King (talk) 23:13, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Ballyknow Quay

I've added a photo to the harbour section, but I'd like someone to check that the caption is appropriate. I'm relying on my memory and a map. Cheers! - Gobeirne 15:53, 30 October 2005 (UTC)

Galwegians redirects here

Its AFD agreed to do so. Johnleemk | Talk 11:52, 8 December 2005 (UTC)

CFD

The related Category:Members of Parliament for Galway has been nominated for deletion. You are encouraged to join the discussion on the Categories for Discussion page.

--Mais oui! 09:44, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Galway is the 3rd largest city in the Republic, not the fourth.

According to the most recent census, Galway is the 3rd largest city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.101.187.94 (talk • contribs)

That is an artefact due to a large chunk of Limerick being legally in County Clare. --Red King 19:22, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

How can a "large chunk" of Limerick be "legally" in a different county? You must be talking about an urban area of County Clare that borders on Limerick. It's still in County Clare and obviously not part of County Limerick. Cities and counties have established boundaries. In any event, the data are provided by the official census bureau. And I contend that it's of more than trivial interest from an historical and cultural perspective that Galway has surpassed Limerick in size. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.118.0.14 (talk • contribs)

After the second city these things quickly become a trivial matter. Djegan 20:00, 26 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree with Djegan. However saying that Galway city is the 3rd city is officially true if you look at census 2006 but in reality it isn't.

• 52,000 live in Limerick city.
• 40,000 live in suburbs in Co. Limerick(Ballycummin 16,000, Ballysimon 11,000,Limerick North Rural 7,000, Limerick South Rural 1,500, Roxboro 1,600 etc)
• 5,000 live in suburbs in Co. Clare (Ballyglass)
• Total = Limerick city and suburbs 97,000

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Taoiseach (talk • contribs)

But there are also a lot of smaller towns around Galway that are effectively suburbs of the city which is why it's best to use the census data based on defined city limits. Akilleen 21:18, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes there are a few smaller towns around Galway, such as Barna, Athenry, Oranmore, Carnmore etc. but the thing is with these towns is that they are geographically farther away from Galway city than Limerick suburbs are from Limerick city. http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=Galway&state=&country=IE

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?city=Limerick&country=Ireland&zoom=6

Galway suburbs extend from Barna on the west to Oranmore on the east. It's all built up and there are commuters who live in those areas and beyond. But those towns are not part of what the census office counts anymore than are Limerick's suburbs. What I find interesting is that 20 or more years ago the city of Limerick clearly had a larger population than the city of Galway. That has changed for various reasons which need to be described. Galway has one of the fastest growth rates of any city in Europe whereas Limerick city's population has declined since the last census. These are the facts that raise many questions about why Galway is growing so rapidly. Is it the University? Is is government funding? What exactly is attracting so many people to Galway? And why has Limerick fallen behind in population? Akilleen 20:45, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

More likely, people have decamped from inner city Limerick to the suburbs, but less so in Galway where the inner city is a desirable squat. Inner Limerick is just a squat.

The aerial survey shows a clear green belt between Galway and Oranmore/Barna - you are being misled by the ribbon development along the coast road.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Galway&ie=UTF8&ll=53.275684,-9.07505&spn=0.091972,0.310707&t=h&om=1

but Limerick and its 'burbs are much more cohesive

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Limerick&ie=UTF8&ll=52.65806,-8.602295&spn=0.093296,0.310707&t=h&om=1

(Is UL in Limerick City or County Limerick?) --Red King 21:27, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Looking at the map in "Proposal for a City Boundary Extension", Limerick City Council it would appear to confirm that the university is not located within the present boundary. Djegan 21:35, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

UL is not located within Limerick city (it's located in Castletroy(part of Ballysimon ED). In fact the 2 cineplexes in Limerick are not even located within the city limits, they are located in the suburbs of Co. Limerick(Castletroy + Raheen). The reason why Limerick city has experienced a population decline is because people don't want to live in the actual city, they prefer to live in a wealthier safer leafy suburbia outside of the city limits, so because of this the suburbs are growing in population, but the city population is declining. Hence the battle between the following councils Co. Clare, Limerick city, Co. Limerick over the City Boundary extension proposal. Co. Limerick county council is geting so much money in rates/taxes etc and none of this money is going to help the city with social initiatives etc.(which is just propagating the vicious circle of poverty/crime etc) Co. Clare doesn't want to lose any of its territory to a Greater Limerick. So what we are witnessing is a County versus City War. (The Have's against the Have Nots)

Enough of the rubbish statistics:

City name - Population of city council - Population of urban area

2002

Limerick - 54,023 - 87,000

Galway - 65,832 - 66,200

2006

Limerick - 52,560 - ?

Galway - 71,983 - ?

The reason for the question marks for 2006 is that these results require a certain amount of analysis, which

the CSO only gives in the final report. However, there is no possible way that Galway is a larger city than

Limerick. Its political boundary encloses a larger population, yes, but the actual size of the urban area is

the only thing that actually means anything. Dublin's boundary only encloses half a million people, despite the

fact that there are about 1.1 million people in the city.

It's a pity that every city uses it's own propaganda to make itself look bigger than the others. It's pathetic

really, but so typically Ireland. Merlante 09:10, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Compare List of localities in England by population with List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population. There's a lot of it about! --Red King (talk) 23:19, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

Cities in Ireland

Unfortunately it appears content (irrespective of quality) is now determined by straw votes, see Talk:Cities in Ireland. Comments welcome. Djegan 19:28, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

I disagree; a definitive link to the size of the cities in Ireland was made at the opening of the article: ..The population of the city was 71,983 at the most recent census ... I say 'definitive', because the Central Statistics Office is the body that defines the size of the populations in the different living areas in Ireland, so the appropriate figure is given in the article. If people want to muse on the legitimacy of this, fine, but the article holds the latest and definitive population (this may be updated shortly, as the statement on the population was described as 'preliminary' by the CSO, meaning the CSO has set it, but may refine it, watch this space) -- PD 18:43, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

Is Galway legally a city?

above problem solved. Now there is a new problem. Galway's pedigree as a city is very much in question there (by me, but I would like to be proved wrong!) --Red King 21:12, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes it is - the relevant statute is the Local Government (Reorganisation) Act, 1985. --Red King 22:26, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Not only is Galway a city, but the smallest city in the world is claimed to be in County Galway, namely Tuam. -- PD 16:44, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

the population figures from the 2006 census offically stated that Galway is the third largest city in the republic.until the boundaries of other cities change, that is how it will officially remain.

GA failed

The article currently has no sources at all which is a requirement under the GA criteria. Add inline citations to all statements that may be questioned about verifiability and look to other GA/FAs for examples. Make sure the other criteria are met as well before reformatting. --Nehrams2020 09:06, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Party political content removed

I removed the following segments relating to transport in Galway. This page is no place for the promotion of political parties.

In addition, a proposal has been put forward for a Light-rail system, the Corrib Light Rail. The proposal has proved very popular with Galway City Council and Galwegians alike, and in January 2007, the Green Party promised light rail for Galway, as well as Cork, if it forms part of the next government. A map of the Green Party's proposal can be found here.

Fianna Fáil have now announced that they will carry out feasibility studies for bringing light rail to Ireland's main 'provincial cities' - Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. This has further boosted the possibility of light rail in Galway.

Morna

"Although some gig goers have voiced their disapproval of some of these groups shameless self promotion." Who? When? What? This is contentious, vague and undocumented. 74.64.42.117 15:14, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

You are absolutely right and you should have deleted it (preferably citing WP:POV). --Red King 19:15, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

Excessive detail about Connacht Tribune group

It seems to me that the amount on information about the CT group is excessive and disproportionate. This article is about Galway, not the CT group. Comments welcome. --Red King 19:37, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

Healthcare in Galway

Hi, is there anyone who can shed light on healthcare available in Galway and health status of the population in Galway? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.126.191.194 (talk) 07:51, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Language and Infrastructure

The information about Irish being spoken by locals is misleading. Irish is heard very rarely, whereas you hear Polish everywhere and all the time.

Why was my comment on the infrastructure of Galway removed? Everyone who has been to Galway knows that the roads are horrible. Looking at the traffic jams you'd think your in New York city, not a small town in Ireland. I don't think that should be omitted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.17.194.59 (talk) 20:14, 28 September 2007

Hi. The sentences which read "Infrastructure in Galway, like in most of Ireland, is of poor quality, which causes daily traffic jams. Public transportation is largely underdeveloped. These factors make living in Galway time inefficient" was removed for several reasons. Firstly, it contains a number of assertions and conjecture as to the cause of traffic issues (See: WP:OR), is wholly unsourced (See: WP:CITE) and represents personal opinion (See: WP:NPOV).

Similarly, the assertion which read "However, if one hears a language other than English in the streets of Galway, it is most likely Polish" was also problematic for having no sources, and also from a WP:TONE point of view. Hope this answers your query. Guliolopez 10:28, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

Should the list of twin cities be organized in a certain way?

Should the list of twin cities be organized in a certain way? I think that they should be ordered either by country, date of start of twinning or alphabetical order. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shanehahaha (talk • contribs) 20:53, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

I think it looks like a mess at the moment! Why are there 2 flags for some cities? Unless there are objections for why it should be different to other pages, I'd like to clean it up —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.2.100.13 (talk) 17:39, 1 September 2009 (UTC)

Personally I agree. Because of the potential problems noted in the WP:FLAGCRUFT guideline (see the "sub-national flags" notes in particular), and because such issues often lead to warring and other nonsense, there has been a longstanding consensus on the Cork and Dublin articles to avoid flags entirely. IE: If the ostensible goal of the flags is to aid the readers understanding of the location of the twinned city, and the end result is actually the opposite (because the list is actually an incomprehensible matrix), then it's probably best to remove them entirely. Guliolopez (talk) 08:07, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Airports

Airports: I have been living here for a few months and added in the link to CityLink, because I use it to get to Cork or Dublin Airports. It's not for promo as I would rather not be living here at all, but they are the only service I know that links Galway to Dublin or Cork, which is where most European visitors come into Ireland from. Likewise, Galway Airport connects to virtually nowhere and most tourists will be arriving by Dublin or Cork seeing as Shannon goes nowhere but London outside of the US. I think it would be a good idea to put in all the distances to the airports, and to say how to get there - as far as I know, the quickest way to Dublin ro Cork airports is by CityLink or by driving. I could have certainly benefitted if someone had put that on when I moved here 6 months ago and saved myself a lot of car journeys.

There is also a need I think to have Aerfort na Minna and the Aran Islands written in English in brackets as some people will come specifically for those and not know why they are not listed. Again, just to help tourism and for foreigners looking to visit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Peter4779 (talk • contribs) 18:50, 17 December 2007

Hi Peter. Your points are understood. However, Wikipedia is expressly *not* a travel guidebook. So your suggestion to "put in all the distances to the airports, and to say how to get there" is not really appropriate. With regard to the external link added. I'll leave the link you added in place (for now). However it remains slightly problematic from the perspective of the External Links policy as it remains only vaguely related to the highlevel topic, and probably shouldn't be included "in line" as it is currently. Anyway - welcome to the project. (And consider having a quick read through some of the key guideline docs (starting with the above) as you traverse the project.) Thanks. Guliolopez (talk) 19:04, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

purchasing a home for retirement

Bold text Excuse the bold text. I have very bad eye sight.

I live in Washington State in USA. I and my wife are retired and are looking to relocate to Ireland. My ancestry I have been told, has its roots in Galway.

I think we would like to live out our lives in a quiet, one story, perhaps country style home to enjoy the beauty of your country and location.

We are wondering what a home cost range would be for a couple in their retirement years. We do not like apartment or condo living.

Thank you, LS CONEY —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.183.119.116 (talk) 15:51, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Hello. Consider looking at Daft.ie or MyHome.ie. FYI - Please also note that this isn't a forum "about Galway". This is a talk page to discuss "changes to the Galway article on Wikipedia". Thanks. Guliolopez (talk) 16:05, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

GCLP and GSBA

Terrible pity two of the largest and most influential legal organisations in the City of Galway cannot get a link. Particularly where other commerce related groups are getting mentioned. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Zoom505 (talk • contribs) 10:04, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

They won't even give us the time of day - expression

". . . St. Nicholas Collegiate Church in Galway, a Protestant Church with a clock steeple. There are clocks on three sides of the steeple but the fourth side, which faces the traditionally Catholic community, has no clock which gave rise to the expression, 'They won't even give us the time of day!'"

source: http://www.sabrams.com/news/travelgirl/2007/07/2007_07_travelgirl.php

If this is true it would be good to add and perhaps added to an origin-of-phrases section somewhere else —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.64.235.42 (talk) 01:43, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Is the Galway Volvo Ocean Race an annual event?

Hello, I'm not sure if the Volvo Ocean Race is actually an annual event, as mentioned on line 212. It even says on that list the year '2009'. Could this event perhaps be moved into it's own section on the page? Shane (talk) 20:35, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

As you note, the Volvo race should likely not be in that section in its current form. (As it is not an annual event). However I would strongly advise against moving to its own section. (The race is already covered in the relevant article, and covering the Galway stopover in this article would have issues in terms of WP:UNDUE and WP:NOTNEWS.) Personally I think the whole "annual events" section itself is problematic in terms of the "Wikipedia is not a travel guide" and "Wikipedia is not a repository of lists/links/events" guidelines. There are of course obviously important cultural events which take place in Galway, but an exhaustative list would seem to be GUIDE/REPOSITORY cruft. I'm going to attempt a summary. Guliolopez (talk) 23:18, 18 June 2009 (UTC)

I've Moved it under Sports, because the Galway stop-over seems to have been a one-time event (if eventually recurring). -Mardus (talk) 17:25, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

In July 2009, a private individual set up GalwayTransport.Info, a website that provides information about all scheduled public transport services operating to, from or through Galway. This was done be

Is this line spammy or legitimate. When I visited there, it seemed a bit unprofessional. Eitherway, if this link is relevant then mabye it should blend in more with the tone of the page. Shane (talk) 21:58, 21 August 2009 (UTC)

File:GalwayMontageJanuary2012.jpg Nominated for Deletion

An image used in this article, File:GalwayMontageJanuary2012.jpg, has been nominated for deletion at Wikimedia Commons in the following category: Media without a source as of 12 January 2012 What should I do? Don't panic; a discussion will now take place over on Commons about whether to remove the file. This gives you an opportunity to contest the deletion, although please review Commons guidelines before doing so. If the image is non-free then you may need to upload it to Wikipedia (Commons does not allow fair use) If the image isn't freely licensed and there is no fair use rationale then it cannot be uploaded or used. This notification is provided by a Bot --CommonsNotificationBot (talk) 20:54, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Harbour

ships of up to 10,000 metric tonnes dwt??? Deadweight tonnage is a measure of capacity and does not require the metric tonne designation. Apart from the blurriness of this information it might be more useful to specify what the maximum draught offered by Galway harbour is. Moreover does Galway style itself as a "harbour" or a port? Everybody got to be somewhere! (talk) 17:15, 2 February 2014 (UTC)

Public bicycle rental scheme

The original article on the Galway public bicycle rental scheme has been removed (as have several attempts on the Limerick page) I would propose adding an article based on the Cork (city) page as, despite some editors categorising the scheme as advertising, I believe that the scheme is noteworthy and advertising is not the schemes reason for being. The scheme has had a lot of public money spent on it and is not set up to provide a revenue flow to the (admittedly unpopular to some) sponsor. Many other public bicycle rental schemes are included in Wikipedia, with several having their own pages, including some with the sponsors name included in the title, the London scheme is sponsored by a bank (surely there can not be a less popular classification of business). There is even a category “Community bicycle programs.”

The text, with references, I propose follows, What is the feeling out there in Wiki land? Is this worth including on the Galway page?

“In 2014, a public bicycle rental scheme was launched. The scheme is operated by An Rothar Nua on behalf of the National Transport Authority, with funding supplemented by an advertising sponsor.” Regards Johnny  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.153.248.8 (talk) 22:14, 18 February 2015 (UTC) 

Image

Why is there no montage image for the article while other cities in Ireland with a smaller population have? I would gladly make one myself but I have no idea how. Anyone? Sliothar (talk) 09:56, 5 June 2015 (UTC)

Changes to sections and layout

I've made several changes to sections, their positions, and the general layout of the article, based on how the Dublin article has been laid out. Some sections might not even need to be coded as sections. -Mardus (talk) 17:26, 15 August 2015 (UTC)

Infobox montage

Clockwise, from the top: Galway port; A Galway street Cafe; Aughnanure Castle; Spanish Arch; Quay Street; View from Cladagh Quay

Please feel free to change and try out other images.Charlesolivercork

I have removed the montage, as it completely took over the infobox. Beside that, due to its size, it was not an improvement. The Banner talk 18:11, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Industry

"Galway Textile Printers" located on Sandy Road was the first major industry to come to Galway and quickly became one of the biggest employers in the west of Ireland. Some of those who worked there were specialists who were brought in to help set the factory up, but most employees were local. The Mills eventually went out of business in in the early 1980s and its former site now hosts various small business establishments.

I have severe doubt if this section is relevant. (Nore, I did not remove it.)The Banner talk 20:05, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

History section

This section is not to an encyclopedia standard. Some of the 'facts' seem dubious, and the sources quoted appear to be selected from obscure works (which probably would not withstand a peer-review). Indeed some 'facts' are not even cited. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:7E8:CB4A:A500:6472:9AE4:46DC:5476 (talk) 17:15, 28 February 2021 (UTC)

The opening sentence

The first sentence currently says "Galway is a city in the county town of County Galway."

This wording implies that the county town is some larger entity which contains the city of Galway and more. I'm not that familiar with Irish local government but that does seem unlikely to me.

Should it instead say something like "Galway is a city in, and the county town of, County Galway"?

Karl (talk) 23:11, 22 July 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Karl. The user Encyclopedia Lu made that change. I hadn't noticed it at the time, but agree that the change introduced grammatical and/or factual errors. And, absent other thoughts, could simply be reverted. ("Trimming" is all very well. But a "trim" that causes errors of fact and readability is not an improvement....) Guliolopez (talk) 09:09, 23 July 2024 (UTC)