Galway – Dún Gaillimhe, the fort built in 1124
Galway's history as a town began in 1124, when Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht and High King of Ireland, completed Dún Gaillimhe, the fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh. It served as a naval base for his fleet, and a new settlement grew up around it.
In the 1230s the fort was captured during the Norman invasion of Connacht by Richard Mor de Burgh. Later the town's merchant families, known as the Tribes of Galway, gained control of the walled city, which received mayoral status in 1484. Today Galway, on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, is Connacht's largest city, full of music, students and culture. Have a Galway memory to share? Tell the community!