Editing Galway (section)

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Galway}}
Galway has a diverse sporting heritage, with a history in sports ranging from horse racing, [[Gaelic games]], association football and rugby to rowing, basketball, motorsport, greyhound racing and others. The [[Galway Races]] are known worldwide and are the highlight of the Irish horse racing calendar. Over the years it has grown into an annual festival lasting seven days.

====Gaelic games====
{{Main|Galway GAA}}
[[File:Pearse Park.jpg|thumb|[[Pearse Stadium]]]]
Both [[hurling]] and [[Gaelic football|football]] are strong in Galway city. [[Pearse Stadium]] in Salthill is the home to [[Galway GAA]], the county's [[Gaelic games]] body. The Galway hurlers compete annually in the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]] for the [[Liam MacCarthy Cup]].  Despite having won the cup only five times in their history, Galway is considered one of the top teams in the Championship. Galway reached the [[2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final|2012 All-Ireland final]] only to draw with [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]] to force a replay, the first since 1959, which they eventually lost. In 2017 Galway lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the first time in 29 years beating Waterford by [[List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners|0–26 to 2–17]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/galway-end-all-ireland-famine-with-tight-win-over-waterford-at-croke-park-36095604.html|title=Galway end All Ireland famine with tight win over Waterford at Croke Park|work=[[Irish Independent]]|first=Sean|last=McGoldrick|date=3 September 2017}}</ref> The footballers compete 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 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|2001]].

====Association football====
[[File:Terryland park.jpg|thumb|[[Eamonn Deacy Park]]]]
[[Galway United FC]] is based in the city and plays in the [[League of Ireland Premier Division]]. The team plays its home games at [[Eamonn Deacy Park]]. The current incarnation of the club, formed in 2013 from a merger of the Galway United Supporters Trust, [[Mervue United A.F.C.|Mervue United]] and [[Salthill Devon F.C.|Salthill Devon]], first competed in the [[2014 League of Ireland|2014 season]].

The previous tenants of Eamonn Deacy Park, also called [[Galway United F.C. (1937–2011)|Galway United]], first competed in the League of Ireland in 1977, then known as ''Galway Rovers''. [[Michael D. Higgins]], later elected [[President of Ireland]] in 2011, served as the 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.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

====Rugby====
[[File:Galway Sportsgrounds - 3.jpg|thumb|[[Galway Sportsgrounds]]]]

=====Professional=====
The professional team for the province, [[Connacht Rugby]], is based in the city. The team play their home matches at the [[Galway Sportsgrounds]] which is the current provincial Rugby Stadium.

The team participate in the [[Pro14]] League competition, and in season [[2015–16 Pro12|2015–2016]] won their first ever Championship by defeating reigning Champions [[Glasgow Warriors]] in the Semi-final and then beating four times champions [[Leinster Rugby]] in the [[2016 Pro12 Grand Final|Grand Final]] on 28 May 2016 played at [[Murrayfield Stadium]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Pro12 final: Connacht 20-10 Leinster|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/36400483|access-date=15 August 2016|work=BBC Sport|date=28 May 2016}}</ref>

=====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 (rugby union)|All-Ireland League]]. There are also two junior clubs, OLBC RFC & [[NUIG RFC]] who both participate in the Connacht Junior League.

"Barna Knocknacarra Rugby Club" (or Na Bairneachaí), established in 2007, offers "mini rugby" for children at levels U8 to U12.<ref>{{cite web|title=Club History|url=http://bkrc.ie/index.php/club-info/history|website=Barna Knocknacarra Rugby Club|access-date=15 August 2016|archive-date=22 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822035631/http://bkrc.ie/index.php/club-info/history|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In [[Rugby league in Ireland|rugby league]], the Galway Tribesmen have been All-Ireland champions and in January 2022 entered the [[2022 Challenge Cup]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Galway Tribesmen preparing for historic Challenge Cup debut |url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/galway-tribesmen-preparing-for-historic-challenge-cup-debut/ |website=Love Rugby League |date=14 January 2022 |access-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>

====Swimming====
Nearby [[Salthill]] has a 25m competitive swimming pool in the Leisureland complex and three competitive swimming clubs (i) Shark Swimming Club, (ii) Laser Swimming Club and (iii) Galway Swimming Club train there. There is also a [[Gaelic handball|handball]] and [[racketball]] club while there are several martial arts clubs throughout the city. There is a 25m pool at NUI, Galway as well as one at Renmore's KingFisher Club.

====Sailing and rowing====
Sailing is common and [[Sport rowing|rowing]] on the River Corrib is undertaken by seven rowing clubs. These provide related facilities and organise rowing competitions. These clubs include Gráinne Mhaol Rowing Club, Tribesmen Rowing Club, Galway Rowing Club, [[St Ignatius College (Galway)|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 2009 Galway hosted a stopover on the [[Volvo Ocean Race]] and the city was the finishing point of the round-the-world competition in July 2012.

====Greyhound racing====
Near the city centre, on College Road, the [[Galway Sportsgrounds|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|Connacht rugby team]].

==== Boxing ====
[[Professional boxing]] events have occurred in the city since Galway native [[Kieran Molloy (boxer)|Kieran Molloy]] "[brought] professional boxing back to Galway" in 2023 for the first time since [[Coleman Barrett]] main evented in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 Feb 2023 |title='I'm Coming Home' - Kieran Molloy to top Galway fight card |url=https://www.irish-boxing.com/im-coming-home-kieran-molloy-to-top-galway-fight-card/ |access-date=11 May 2025 |website=Irish-boxing.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2024, Thomas O'Toole main evented,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=Jon |date=16 Mar 2024 |title=LIVE STREAM: Thomas O’Toole Homecoming Boxing Show live from Leisureland |url=https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/sports/thomas-otoole-homecoming-boxing-show-live-from-leisureland-158433 |access-date=11 May 2025 |website=GalwayBayFM |language=en}}</ref> and in 2025, Molloy is due to box at [[Pearse Stadium]] in June 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 Apr 2025 |title=Kieran Molloy To Box In Pearse Stadium In June |url=https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/sports/kieran-molloy-to-box-in-pearse-stadium-in-june-191243 |access-date=11 May 2025 |website=GalwayBayFM |language=en}}</ref>