Galway - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Galway lies where the River Corrib flows into Galway Bay and, with around 86,000 residents, is the largest city in the west of Ireland. The university brings a young crowd, and the centre around Eyre Square is compact and easy to explore on foot. Galway has no queer scene with its own bars, clubs or saunas. Queer life here is mostly organised through community groups and events.

The main point of contact is Amach! LGBT Galway. The group ran Teach Solais on Victoria Place, the first LGBT centre in the west of Ireland. The centre had to close because no sustainable long-term funding could be secured. Amach has since offered its support online and announced a move to the Westside Resource Centre. Through the group, newcomers can find their way to meetups and peer groups.

The most visible moment of the year is Galway Pride Festival, organised by Galway Community Pride. It takes place every year in early August and lasts a week. The programme includes awareness evenings, arts, music nights, drag sessions, a Queer Women's Night and bilingual panels in English and Irish on mental health and disability. At the end, everyone gathers at Eyre Square for the parade through the centre. The organisers describe their festival as the longest continually running Pride in Ireland.

If you visit Galway outside Pride week, keep an eye on the channels of Amach and Galway Community Pride, where queer evenings and meetups are announced. The Pride committee also looks for volunteers every year, which is a good way for newcomers to get involved in the community.