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County Galway · Connacht · Na Forbacha

About Furbo

Furbo is a town in County Galway, 11 km west of Galway city, with 868 people at the 2022 census. Fourteen townlands running from the bog to the shore between Barna and Spiddal, with no village centre at all, and the headquarters of Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Population
868 (2022 census)
Where
11 km from Galway, 196 km from Dublin
Position
53.2489° N, 9.2079° W, 15 m above sea level
In Irish
Na Forbacha
On the model
1,115 buildings, 13 streets, 175 places in 32 kinds
Read more
Furbo on Wikipedia
The 3D model of Furbo with every named place pinned
Shore side track
Shore side track
Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Landward side of Trá na bhForbacha (Furbo Beach)
Landward side of Trá na bhForbacha (Furbo Beach)
Ian Hawfinch, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Low tide at a quiet inlet
Low tide at a quiet inlet
Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Beach near Furbo
Beach near Furbo
Gareth James, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A short history

  1. About 1860
    The mausoleum. The mausoleum beside Our Lady Star of the Sea, Séipéal Mhuire Réalt na Mara, dates from around 1860; the church belongs to the parish of Bearna and na Forbacha.
  2. 20th century
    The Gaeltacht Authority. Údarás na Gaeltachta has its headquarters in Na Forbacha, and new housing must reserve more than 80 per cent of its units for Irish speakers.
  3. 2022 and 2023
    868 people. The census counted 868 people, 39 per cent of them speaking Irish daily, and the national school had over 200 pupils in 2023, taught in Irish.

The full history, 3 moments in order

What to see

  1. Réalt na Mara417 m

    Our Lady Star of the Sea, the Catholic church, with the mausoleum of about 1860 beside it.

  2. Trá na bhForbacha

    The beach on Galway Bay below the townlands.

  3. An Fearbán323 m

    The monument 300 m from the church.

  4. The hen harrier reserve3.0 km

    The moorland reserve 3 km inland.

  5. Cnoc Suain5.8 km

    The restored hill village 6 km away in the bog.

All the things to see and do

Questions people ask

Where is Furbo?
In County Galway, in the province of Connacht, in the west of Ireland: 11 km west of Galway city and 196 km west of Dublin, on the R336 coast road between Barna and Spiddal.
What is the population of Furbo?
868 people at the 2022 census.
What is there in Furbo?
On the map, 175 named places in 32 kinds: 2 places to eat and drink, 1 shop, 4 schools, churches and public buildings, and 160 things to see within 12 km.
What is Furbo known for?
The headquarters of Údarás na Gaeltachta, its Irish-speaking townlands along Galway Bay, the beach and the Sportlann.

Getting around

Furbo sits on the R336 coast road between Barna and Spiddal. 1 bus stop and 0 car parks are on the map.

History, sights and civic facts summarise Wikipedia, "Furbo, County Galway" (CC BY-SA 4.0, read 2026-09-19). Population is the CSO census as listed there. Distances and everything on the model are OpenStreetMap.