Galway Bay

This article is about the bay. For the song, see Galway Bay (song).

Map showing Galway Bay's location.

Galway Bay (Irish: Loch Lurgan or Cuan na Gaillimhe) is a large bay (or sea lough) on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to 30 kilometres (19 mi) in breadth. The Aran Islands (Oileáin Árann) are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay. The approaches to the bay between the Aran Islands and the mainland are as follows; the North Sound (An Súnda ó Thuaidh) lies between Inishmore and Leitir Mealláin in Connemara; it was formerly known as Bealach Locha Lurgan in Irish. Gregory's Sound (Súnda Ghríoghóra) lies between Inishmore and Inishmaan; it was formerly known as Bealach na h-Áite. Foul Sound (An Súnda Salach) lies between Inishmaan and Inisheer; it was formerly known as Bealach na Fearbhaighe. South Sound (An Súnda ó Theas), formerly known as Bealach na Finnise, lies between Inisheer and County Clare.

Galway Bay is famous for its unique traditional sailing craft, the Galway Hooker.

Galway Bay in popular culture

Songs

From traditional Irish song The Rare Old Mountain Dew:

Let grasses grow and waters flow

In a free and easy way

But give me enough of the rare old stuff

That's made near Galway Bay

From John Lennon's song The Luck of the Irish:

If we could make chains with the morning dew

The world would be like Galway Bay

From Arthur Colahan's song Galway Bay:

If you ever go across the sea to Ireland

Then maybe at the closing of your day

You will go and see the moon rise over Claddagh

Or see the sun go down at Galway Bay.

From a song performed by Sean Connery in Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People:

Have you ever seen the seagulls

a-flying o'er the Heather

or the crimson sails on Galway Bay

the fishermen unfurl?

From Steve Earle's musical tribute to Townes Van Zandt, Ft. Worth Blues:

There's a full moon over Galway Bay tonight

Silver light over green and blue

And every place I travel through, I find

Some kinda sign that you've been through

Earle also mentions Galway and The Long Walk in his song "Galway Girl".

From the Pogues's Fairytale of New York:

The boys in the NYPD choir

are still singing "Galway Bay"

And the bells are ringing out

For Christmas day."

From Toasted Heretic's Galway Bay

The sun goes down on Galway Bay

The daughter goes down on me

Her dad's not due until one or maybe two

And I'm happy as I'll ever be

From The Mahones A Drunken Night in Dublin

A drunk night in Dublin

Ended up in Galway Bay

Galway Bay is also mentioned in Ireland's Call, Ireland's official rugby anthem, written by Phil Coulter.

Gallery

Map of Galway Bay and environs.
Galway Bay from Salthill.
Galway Bay near County Clare.
Galway Bay in December.

Other references

O'Carra, B., Williams, D.M., Mercer, B. and Wood. B. 2014. Evidence of environmental change since the earliest medieval period from the inter-tidal zone of Galway Bay. Ir. Nat. J. 33: 83 - 88.

Other projects