Top ten facts about Galway – ‘Ireland's Cultural Heart’ - PHOTOS

Georgie Boy, Every time you open your mouth on this site, your disdain for all things Irish shows through. Why, in the name of heaven are you on this site if you dislike the Irish and Ireland so much. Did something so bad happen to you in Ireland that you have to let everyone know how much you dislike it or are you just a mean spirited malcontent? I'm wondering if you are an elderly person, as they sometimes have a reputation of being a bit crabby.

You forget the Galway Races which are a "destination" for the Irish. I had two half holidays to attend while working at NUI, Galway

George, a mhac, táim im' chónaí sa Ghaillimh. Tá an gaeilge go flúrseach sa chathair. Cloisim daoine ag caint faoí gach lá. George, I live in Galway. The Irish language is still strong here. I have a shop in the city and hear conversations in Irish every day. I had a lovely chat tré gaeilge with a young man from Ros a' Mhíl yesterday. Yes, we hear all the other languages as well, polish, russian, french, spanish, italian. It's part of what makes Galway such a wonderful place to visit.

I don't have sufficient interest to correct everything here, but two of the claims are definitely wrong. Galway is not the third largest city in the 26 Counties, that would be Limerick. And the claim that there are "6,870 Irish speakers in Galway city"! That's utter garbage. Check it for yourself--take a stroll around Eyre Square and listen to the languages all around you. Chinese? Yes. Russian? Yes. Hindhi? Yes. Irish? NO.

Sir, – Congratulations to Declan McCormac on winning The Irish Timespostcard for modern Ireland competition 2011 (Free with The Irish Times, August 29th). I have sent his card to my son and his family in Australia. After a successful career in retail management in Dublin he was made redundant, and in February this year, emigrated to join his brother in New South Wales, the last of my three sons to continue their careers abroad. I feel he and his wife will appreciate the ironic image of modern Dublin depicted in your winning postcard. – Yours, etc, ANN KING, Carysfort Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin. http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/index.html#1224303499486

Being a "Lynch," our tribe is from the County Galway area. The Lord Mayor of Galway, James Lynch, convicted and hanged his own son in the late 15th century, when crowds wouldn't allow it and the executioner wouldn't do it. The event is immortalized in stone on a part of a ruin still in Galway. Some sources even credit the even to the term "lynching." Another part of our family's proud history...

I visited Ireland last April. Went to Dublin, Cork and Galway. The weather was just great. Dublin is just a big city. Cork was nice but Galway was great. When I return, I will go straight to Galway. I loved it. .

I can't believe my luck: in February of 2009, I got to visit Ireland, land at Shannon, drive up to Galway and stay at the Eyre Square Hotel right off the bat. My dinner that night included mussels. We were there for a fortnight and we never had to fight any of the tour buses - it was definitely off-season and the time to be with the locals. And then to stay with a local? Died and gone to heaven. Cast my Mother's ashes, she is a Kelly, on Shrove or Pancake Tuesday in Holly Mount. As I began to cast, a hail storm began which ended when the last of Mom's ashes were freed. I love Galway and I love Ireland.