How did county galway get its name?

Answer 1

The county takes it name from the city. The name of the city comes from the Gaillimh river (River Corrib) that ran beside the earliest settlement, which was called Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ("fort at the mouth of the Gaillimh"). Gaillimh means "stony" as in "stony river". The Corrib is also the name of the lake from which the river flows, and which is also in the county of Galway. Another possible explanation is the name comes from the Irish "Gall", which means foreigner, given the city's foundation. Historically, the name was written as Gallive, which is closer to the Irish pronunciation.