Galway

This article is about the city.
For other uses, see Galway (disambiguation).

Galway is a city on the western coast of Ireland, and one of the most important transport hubs in the country, as it links Dublin, the Atlantic Corridor medley of roads from Cork to Derry, and the main roads to the Gaeltacht areas of County Galway and County Mayo to the west. The N6 is the main road around the city itself, while the R336 also acts as an inner ring road.

Since 2009, Galway has been directly linked to Dublin almost entirely by motorway: a key demonstration of the progress the country has made towards equipping itself with a modern transport network. The M18 links the city to Limerick and southwest Ireland. The motorway will eventually connect with the main road north from Galway, the N17, removing traffic from the suburbs. The N59, providing the main route to western County Galway and to Mayo, runs from a junction with the N6 in Newcastle, northwest of the city centre.

In 2021 planning approval for a bypass to the north of the city was granted at a cost of around €600 million; however, this was subsequently quashed in 2022. The eastern side of the bypass was planned to be a grade separated dual two lane carriageway, with the western side being at-grade single carriageway. The project would have also seen local road improvements.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M6	Áth Cliath / DUBLIN · Baile Áth an Rí / ATHENRY
M17	Sligeach / SLIGO · Tuaim / TUAM	For N63 Roscommon
M18	Luimneach / LIMERICK · Inis / ENNIS
N6	Aerfort / AIRPORT
N59	Uachtar Ard / OUGHTERARD · An Clochán / CLIFDEN
N67	Inis Diomáin / ENNISTIMON · Tairbeart / TARBERT	Partly former N18
N83	Tuaim / TUAM	Former N17
N84	Caisleán an Bharraigh / CASTLEBAR
R336	An Spideál / SPIDDAL	Coast Road
R446	Baile Áth an Rí / ATHENRY	Old N6

Names / ainmneacha

The City of Galway is not itself in the Gaeltacht, though immediately surrounded by it on several sides. In consequence, directional signs within the city may include the English versions of the names of places that officially have Irish-language names only.

This provision has proven to be controversial, however, in particular with regard to the nearby village of An Spidéal on the north coast of Galway Bay, and signs on the R336 bearing the anglicized Spiddle have not infrequently been defaced or stolen. Increasingly, therefore, it is the Irish version only of Gaeltacht names that is shown on signs even within the city itself.

This sign in Galway has had the English-language name Spiddle blanked out. It also misspells An Spidéal!