Loughrea, market town, County Galway, Ireland. It lies along the northern shore of Lough (lake) Rea, 116 miles (185 km) west of Dublin. It has a Roman Catholic cathedral (1900–05) and the remains of a medieval castle and friary and of the town fortifications. Near Loughrea are a dolmen (a prehistoric stone-slab monument), souterrains (underground passages and chambers), and two ruined towers. Crannogs, or prehistoric stockaded islands, have been found in the lake. Pop. (2002) 4,004; (2011) 5,062.