West Region, Ireland


The West Region is a NUTS Level III statistical region of Ireland. It consists of the territory of Galway City, the regional capital, as well as the counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The West region spans 13,801 km² and has a population of 453,109.
Prior to 2014, the region was governed by the West Regional Assembly. Statutory instrument No. 573/2014 abolished that assembly. Since that date, the association between Regional Assemblies and NUTS regions has ceased. The NUTS regions are used for statistical reporting to Eurostat, while the Regional Assemblies are responsible for planning at a local government level.
The region is located on the western seaboard of Ireland with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the River Shannon delimiting the region to the east. The West Region is largely rural, with only 30% of its population living in urban areas. It is noted for its continuance of Irish traditions, such as the Irish language in the region's Gaeltacht areas.

Former Regional Authority

The West Region was administered by the West Regional Authority, which consisted of 28 elected representatives including the region's representative on the European Union Committee of the Regions. These representatives met once a month and were nominated from the four administrative councils of the region:
The Regional Authorities were dissolved in 2014 and were replaced by Regional Assemblies.

Demographics

According to the 2006 census, the region had a population of 380,057, which constitutes 9.7% of the national population. Its population density was 27 persons per km². The population of the regional capital, Galway City, was 72,414.

Economy

According to Eurostat figures for 2012, the region has GDP of €13.802 bn and a GDP per capita of €31,500.

Tourism in the region is bolstered by its geography, with it attracting tourists from across Ireland and elsewhere, with inland rivers, lakes, mountains and plains, along with off shore islands, a large number of beaches, and its rugged coastline amongst natural attractions.

Transport

There is an international airport in the region – Ireland West Airport Knock which is served by flights to the United Kingdom, and continental Europe. Mainline rail services operate from both Galway and Mayo to Dublin. The M6 motorway, connecting Galway to Dublin, was completed in 2009. The M17 motorway from Shannon to the M6 opened in 2010 and its short continuation north to Tuam opened in 2017.
The Western Railway Corridor re-opened in 2010 as far as Athenry, a junction with the Dublin-Galway line.

Urban areas

A list of the largest urban areas in the West Region. County capitals are shown in bold.
RankTownCountyPopulation
1GalwayGalway79,934
2CastlebarMayo12,068
3BallinaMayo10,171
4TuamGalway8,767
5BallinasloeGalway6,662
6WestportMayo6,198
7RoscommonRoscommon5,876
8LoughreaGalway5,556
9OranmoreGalway4,990
10AthenryGalway4,445
11ClaremorrisMayo3,687
12CastlereaRoscommon2,970
13BallyhaunisMayo2,366