Getting a new job is always exciting – but getting a new life is even better. If you are thinking of a career move, you could go one better and move to Galway.
Galway offers all the benefits of a big city, but with the friendliness of a small town. There are about 76,000 people living in the urban area. Many more choose to live in one of the charming villages that are a short drive away. But the city packs a lot of punch despite its compact size.
There’s the bustling nightlife, a thriving arts scene, a growing foodie culture, watersports, history, gorgeous natural scenery and more festivals than you shake a stick at. Let’s see… there’s the Galway Film Fleadh, the Galway Arts Festival, Cúirt International Festival of Literature, and the Galway Races, not to mention the Oyster Festival, the Fringe Festival, and the Comedy Festival. And that’s just a handful!
Of course there’s no point dreaming of heading out West unless you can find a job. (Hint: Jobs Expo Galway takes place on 11 February!). Read on!
Homegrown talent and multinationals
Dublin may be the centre of Ireland’s technology sector, but Galway is nipping at the capital’s heels.
Jobs growth in the West of Ireland is a priority for the government and there’s a lot happening already. The West is a globally recognised medical technology hub and the ICT sector is booming too. Better still, many of these companies are in recruitment mode.
Galway is home to Avaya, EA Games, Cisco and HP. The city has a busy start-up scene too and its the birthplace of successful companies such as Altocloud, SpamTitan and OnePageCRM.
However, medtech is where the city really shines.
Galway employs one third of the country’s 25,000 medical device employees. Boston Scientific, Surmodics, Zeltiq, Advant Medical and are just some of the medical device and medtech employers based in the City of Tribes.
In addition, Galway has a strong local economy. Tourism and hospitality, as well as commerce and manufacturing sectors are all performing well. It's no wonder tourism is booming – around 2 million people visit the City of Tribes every year.
From here, go anywhere!
Galway is within an hour’s drive of Shannon airport – handy for trips to the US! Plus with the M4 motorway connecting Dublin and Galway, the two cities are only two hours drive apart. In addition, Galway has a well-connected rail and bus network. Wherever you might want to go, you can get their easily from Galway.