Galway

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History

Built on the site of an earlier settlement, Dún Gaillimhe ("Fort at the Mouth (bottom) of the Gaillimh") was completed in 1124, by the King of Connacht and High King of Ireland Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1088–1156). The castle served as a naval base from which his fleet operated. A new settlement grew around it. During the Norman invasion of Connacht in the 1230s, Dún Gaillimhe was captured by Richard Mor de Burgh, who had led the invasion. As the de Burghs eventually became Gaelicised, the merchants of the town, the Tribes of Galway, pushed for greater control over the walled city. {{Historical populations|state=collapsed |1813|24684 |1821|27775 |1831|33120 |1841|17275 |1851|20055 |1861|16048 |1871|15597 |1881|15471 |1891|13800 |1901|13426 |1911|13255 |1926|14227 |1936|18294 |1946|20370 |1951|21316 |1956|21366 |1961|23700 |1966|26295 |1971|29375 |1981|41861 |1986|47104 |1991|50853 |1996|57363 |2002|66163 |2006|72729 |2011|75529 |2016|79934 |2022|85910 | footnote = Galway endured difficult relations with its Irish neighbours. A notice over the west gate of the city, completed in 1562 by Mayor Thomas Óge Martyn, stated "From the Ferocious O'Flahertys may God protect us". A by-law forbade the native Irish (as opposed to Galway's Hiberno-Norman citizens) unrestricted access into Galway, saying "neither O' nor Mac shall strutte nor swagger through the streets of Galway" without permission. During the Middle Ages, Galway was ruled by an oligarchy of fourteen

Geography

Like most of Ireland, Galway has an oceanic climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification, being one of the world's mildest cities for its latitude, partly because it is on an island. Galway has a year-round mild, moist, temperate and changeable climate, due to the prevailing winds of the North Atlantic Current together with the Gulf Stream, whilst on the other side of the Atlantic temperatures can be 20 °C cooler or more. The city does not experience temperature extremes, with temperatures below and above being rare. The city receives an average of of precipitation annually, which is evenly distributed throughout the year. The average January temperature in the city is and the average July temperature is . The highest temperature ever recorded in Galway was in July 1921, whilst the lowest temperature recorded was in January 1945. While extreme weather is rare, the city and county can experience severe windstorms that are the result of vigorous Atlantic depressions that occasionally pass along the north west coast of Ireland. Most of these storms occur between late autumn and early spring. Due to the city's northerly location, Galway has long summer days. Sunrise on summer solstice occurs at 05:07 WEST and sunset at 22:07. By contrast, on winter solstice, the sun rises at 08:49 WET, and sets at 16:19. * Lynch's Castle on Shop Street is a medieval townhouse built by the prosperous Lynch family in the 16th century and is now a branch of Allied Irish Banks. * St. Nicholas' Collegiate Church is the largest medieval church still in everyday use in Ireland. This Church of Ireland church was founded in 1320 and enlarged in the following two centuries. * Galway Cathedral, known as the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas, was…

Most-observed species

• Herring Gull

  Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 · Aves
  3,029
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,861
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,840
• Rook

  Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,454
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,059
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,029
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,977
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,898