GAILLIMH / GALWAY
Cidade e condado da província histórica de Connachta / Connaught, Irlanda.
|> Várias explicações para o nome, incluindo derivado dos Galaicos (Gallaeci), os celtas da Galécia (Gallaecia).
|> Abridgment from galway.net and wikipedia.org:
Galway, in English, comes from the Irish name Gaillimh, from Dún Bhun na Gaillimhe ('Fort at the Mouth of the Gaillimh'). Historically, the name was Anglicised as Galliv or Gallive, closer to the Irish pronunciation. The city's name in Latin is Galvia. Residents of the city are referred to as Galwegians. The city also bears the nickname "City of the Tribes" (Irish: Cathair na dTreabh) because of the fourteen merchant families called the "tribes of Galway" who led the city in its Hiberno-Norman period.
Galway was but an inconsiderable fishing village, under the protection of an Irish dune or fortress, and that it was then called Ballinshruane, or the "town of the little streams". English settlers afterwards came hither, they were called by the native Irish "Clann-na-Gall", the Foreign clan, sept, or colony, and that the place was from thenceforth named Ballinagall, or Gallibh, the Foreigners' town, or fortification. In the life of Hugh Ruadh O'Donnell, written by Cucoigcriche O'Clery, the writer adds, "that the city took its name from the river, in which was drowned Gaillimh, the daughter of Breasail."
Other antiquaries have, however, given sifinifications widely different. Camden is of opinion that Galway was derived from the Gallaeci of Spain, a country with which the town carried on a very early and extensive commerce. Ware says that the river Galoia, or Galiva, mentioned in the annals of Roscommon, under the years 1177 and 1190, seems to have given name to the town.
The learned Vallancey, who was fond of investigations of this nature, gave several ingenious derivations of the word; at one time he supposes it to be Galmhaith, an Irish compound, which he translates Galway, and says, signifies a rocky barren country; at another time he deduces it from Port-na-Gall, Gallorum portus; and again, from Gall-amhan, Amnis Gallorum; but he was finally of opinion, that the town received its name from a company of merchants that settled there; Gael, derived, according to him, from Gaelis, or Geilis, traffick or commerce, signifying a merchant, and ibh, in Irish, signifying tribes or families, whence Gailibh, tribes of merchants.
The word Gaillimh means "stony" as in "stony river". Today, the river is commonly called the River Corrib, after Lough Corrib, just to the north. In Irish, Galway is also called Cathair na Gaillimhe ("city of Galway") which is a modern creation to prevent confusion with Contae na Gaillimhe / County Galway which is often incorrectly called Gaillimh in Irish.
There are multiple alternative derivations of the name, some conjectural and some mythical:
The commonly held view that the city takes its name from the Irish word Gallaibh, "foreigners" i.e. "the town of the foreigners" (from Gall, a foreigner) is incorrect, since the name Gaillimh was applied to the river first and then later on to the town. Also the common word gallaibh (which is pronounced with a broad initial letter a) has never been used as an alternative spelling of Gaillimh (which is pronounced without a broad initial letter a).
The daughter of a local chieftain drowned in the river, and her name was Gailleamh, thus the river was given her name. The chieftain was so distraught that he set up camp at the point to mourn her spirit and keep it company. Later, a town sprung up around the point, and was called Gaillimh in her honour.
http://www.galway.net/galwayguide/history/hardiman/chapter1/origin_of_name.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway
