I booked asome Canadians into The Western for two nights in July 2006, around the time of the Arts Festival. They really liked it -- friendly staff and good value accommodation (3 rooms for 4 people cost 460 Euro for 2 nights and included the breakfasts). Of course it is far from being the fanciest hotel in Galway, but the rates were great considering the outstanding location.
The recently renovated ensuite rooms are very clean, some have balconies, and have all the usual facilities. One didn't need a car but there was parking included underground.
The bar on the ground floor is a well-known location for Gaelic sports fans. The hotel offered to put ice buckets in the rooms because it was quite hot at that time of the year and I wanted the Canadians to have cool juices in their rooms at night.
I wish the hotel offered a room rate rather than counting the number of people per room, but in fairness, the rates were great for that time of year.
Overall, I recommend this hotel highly, and especially for people who want to be right downtown in Galway without having to pay exorbitant rates.