Sport in Galway

Sport in Galway includes a diverse heritage, with a history in sports ranging from horse racing, Gaelic games, soccer and rugby to rowing, motorsport and greyhound racing.

Horse racing

Main article: Galway Races

The Galway Races, first held in the 1860s,[1] are widely known and one of the highlights of the Irish horse racing calendar.[2]

Gaelic games

Main article: Galway GAA

Both hurling and Gaelic football are popular in Galway city. Pearse Stadium in Salthill is the home to Galway GAA, the county's Gaelic games body. Galway's hurlers compete annually in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. The Galway senior county hurling team have won the All-Ireland five times, including in 2017 when Galway lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 29 years beating Waterford in the 2017 final.[3] The Galway county football team competes annually in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the Sam Maguire Cup. The Gaelic footballers have won the cup nine times, with the most recent being in 2001.

Association football

Main article: Galway United F.C.

Galway United F.C., based at Eamonn Deacy Park (formerly Terryland Park) in the city,[4] was playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division as of the 2025 season.[5] Originally formed as Galway Rovers in the 1930s, the club was invited to enter the League of Ireland in 1977.[6] Michael D. Higgins, later President of Ireland, has served as a president of the club in a ceremonial capacity. Galway United has won domestic honours in several men's and women's competitions. The men's team were FAI Cup winners in 1991 and League of Ireland Cup winners in 1986 and 1997, while the women's team were All-Island Cup winners in 2023 and 2024.

Rugby

Professional

The professional rugby union team for the province, Connacht Rugby, is based in the city and plays its home matches at the Galway Sportsgrounds. As of 2024, Connacht was playing in the United Rugby Championship (formerly Pro 12) competition and the European Rugby Champions Cup.[7] The team won the 2015–2016 Pro12 competition by defeating reigning champions Glasgow Warriors in the semi-final and four-time champions Leinster Rugby in the 2016 Grand Final.[8]

Club (amateur)

There are two senior amateur rugby union teams in Galway, Galwegians RFC and Galway Corinthians RFC, who play in the All-Ireland League. There are also two junior clubs, OLBC RFC & NUIG RFC who both participate in the Connacht Junior League. Galway Bay Rugby, established in 2007, offers "mini rugby" for children at in Galway City and its surrounds.[9]

Rugby league

In rugby league, the Galway Tribesmen were All-Ireland Champions in 2020,[10] and played in the first round of the 2022 Challenge Cup.[11][12]

Swimming

Salthill, to the southwest of Galway city centre, has a 25m competitive swimming pool in the Leisureland complex. Three competitive swimming clubs, Shark Swimming Club, Laser Swimming Club and Galway Swimming Club, train there. There is also a 25m pool at NUI Galway as well as one at Renmore's KingFisher Club.

Sailing and rowing

See also: Galway hooker

Rowing on the River Corrib is undertaken by seven rowing clubs. These clubs, which organise rowing competitions, include: Gráinne Mhaol Rowing Club, Tribesmen Rowing Club, Galway Rowing Club, Coláiste Iognáid ('The Jes') Rowing Club, St. Joseph's Patrician College ('The Bish') Rowing Club, NUIG Boat Club and Cumann Rámhaiochta Choláiste na Coiribe.

In sailing, Galway hosted a stopover in 2008–2009 Volvo Ocean Race. The city was also the finishing point of the round-the-world 2011–2012 Volvo Ocean Race.[13]

Greyhound racing

Near the city centre, on College Road, the Sportsground has greyhound races every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. It was refurbished by the Irish Greyhound Board, Bord na gCon, and the facility is shared with the Connacht rugby team.

Basketball

Moycullen Basketball Club, who were competing in the Super League as of the 2022–23 season, were the first Galway club to compete at the top tier of senior basketball in Ireland.[14] While the club is situated in Moycullen, 13 km (8.1 mi) west of the city, it plays its senior home games in the Kingfisher Sports Centre of the University of Galway. In 2009, Moycullen's Cian Nihill became the second Galway man to represent Ireland at senior level, being selected 20 years after Oranmore/Maree's James Burke lined-out for the national team.[15] As of 2023, Titans Basketball Club were the only club representing Galway in the (second tier) National League.[16]

Boxing

Professional boxing events have occurred in the city since Galway native Kieran Molloy "[brought] professional boxing back to Galway" in 2023 for the first time since Coleman Barrett main evented in 2009.[17] In 2024, Thomas O'Toole "main evented" at Leisureland in Galway.[18]

Other sports

The Galway Lawn Tennis Club has indoor and outdoor facilities, including 9 tennis courts, 6 squash courts and 7 badminton courts, on a 3-acre (1.2 ha) site in Salthill.[19]

Galway Hockey Club, a field hockey club formed in the early 1950s,[20] is based at the University of Galway sports campus in Dangan.[21]

References

  1. ^ "History". galwayraces.com.
  2. ^ "Galway Races". Ireland.com (in Flemish).
  3. ^ McGoldrick, Sean (3 September 2017). "Galway end All Ireland famine with tight win over Waterford at Croke Park". Irish Independent.
  4. ^ "Eamonn Deacy Park". Galway United.
  5. ^ Sport, Sunday (5 February 2025). "League of Ireland set to reach biggest ever audience as 2025 season launched". GalwayBayFM.
  6. ^ "Club History". Galway United.
  7. ^ "Connacht (Sky Sports)". SkySports.
  8. ^ "Pro12 final: Connacht 20-10 Leinster". BBC Sport. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  9. ^ "About Us". galwaybayrugby.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Tribesmen become All-Ireland champions". Galway Advertiser.
  11. ^ "Galway Tribesmen preparing for historic Challenge Cup debut". Love Rugby League. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Challenge Cup (Sky Sports)". SkySports.
  13. ^ "Volvo Ocean Race Report Finds Economic Benefit of €60.5 million to Host City". universityofgalway.ie. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  14. ^ "About". 11 July 2021.
  15. ^ Fhlatharta, Bernie Ni (20 August 2013). "Nihill walks tall after call-up". archive.connachttribune.ie.
  16. ^ "Titans Basketball Club – Titans National League Season Tickets on Sale Now". titans.ie. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2025. Titans are the only Galway team competing in the Basketball Ireland InsureMyVan.ie National League
  17. ^ "'I'm Coming Home' - Kieran Molloy to top Galway fight card". Irish-boxing.com. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  18. ^ Richards, Jon (16 March 2024). "LIVE STREAM: Thomas O'Toole Homecoming Boxing Show live from Leisureland". GalwayBayFM. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Galway Lawn Tennis Club Brochure November 2022" (PDF). gltc.ie.
  20. ^ "Galway Hockey Club". www.kennys.ie.
  21. ^ "Information for Coaches/Managers | Galway Hockey Club". www.galwayhockeyclub.com.
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