or GALLOWAY, a county of Ireland, which is 76 miles in length, and 40 in breadth, bounded by the counties of Clare, Tipperary, King's County, Roscommon, and the sea. The river Shannon washes the frontiers of the east and south-east, and forms a lake several miles in length. This county contained 142,000 inhabitants in 1792. It sends two members to the imperial parliament. See GALWAY, Supplement.

town of Ireland, in the county of the same name, and province of Connaught, of which it is the capital. It is seated on the bay of Galway on the western ocean, 96 miles west of Dublin, and in W. Long. 8° 58' N. Lat. 53° 15'. It is surrounded with strong walls; the houses are well built, and the number of inhabitants is about 15,000. It has a good trade into foreign parts, on account of its harbour, which is defended by a fort. It is governed by a mayor, sheriffs, and recorder. It has but one parish church, which is a large and beautiful Gothic structure, an exchange, barracks for 10 companies of foot, a charter school, and an hospital. This was one of the strongest towns in the kingdom; it held out some time against General Ginkel, who invested and took it after the battle of Aughrim. Its fortifications were then repaired. The walls are flanked by bastions, but are mostly gone to decay. The salmon and herring fisheries are carried on here with great spirit, and employ 700 boats; the quantity of kelp manufactured and exported is considerable; and the growth of the linen manufacture, though of late introduction, is become very important. In 1206, Sir William de Burgh founded a monastery here for Franciscan friars, on St Stephen's island, situated without the north gate of the town. In 1381, there being two popes at Rome, and the people of Ireland being doubtful to which they should pay obedience, Pope Urban, to fix them entirely to his interest, empowered the guardian of this monastery to excommunicate every person in the province of Connaught who should adhere to his rival Clement VII., who assured them was antipope.—Near the west gate of the town, without the walls, was the monastery of St Mary of the Hill; on the nuns forsaking it, the secular clergy entered into and kept possession of it for a considerable time; but on the petition of the inhabitants of the town to Pope Innocent VIII., it was granted to the Dominican friars, by a bull dated the 4th December 1488. There are no remains of this foundation except the cemetery; the whole building having been demolished by the townspeople in the year 1652, in order to prevent Cromwell from turning it into a fortification against themselves; there was also an Augustinian friary, on a hill near this town, founded by Stephen Lynch, and Margaret his wife, in the year 1508, at the earnest solicitation of Richard Nangle, a friar of the same order, who afterwards became bishop of Tuam.