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About the Galway, Ireland Program

The Galway program is a USAC specialty program. Learn more about on-site program elements and the city itself below.

About Galway

Streets lit up at night in Galway, Ireland.

  • Distance from Dublin: 130 miles
  • Distance from Cork: 130 miles

Galway is celebrated throughout the world in song and story and takes center stage on Ireland’s western seaboard. The city was founded in the thirteenth century by the Anglo Norman de Burgos on the eastern bank of the River Corrib. It became a walled and fortified city-state ruled by fourteen powerful merchant families, later known as the Tribes of Galway.

Today it is the fourth largest city in Ireland and a vibrant, bustling center of the arts and commerce, though it still retains a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The city, with its medieval streets, waterways, range of shopping facilities, wealth of music, and other cultural events, is a place to be treasured. The center of the city is closed to traffic and compact enough for you to wander around comfortably while exploring everything the Galway has to offer.