Loughrea (Baile Locha Riach in Irish) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies on Loch Riach, "the grey lake". The town has a range of hills along its southern boundary.

The population of the town and its immediate hinterland is in the region of 4500, the town is undergoing a period of rapid expansion as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway. As of 2004 the town is widely known for its traffic hold-ups. This problem should be resolved with the opening of a by-pass, scheduled for late 2005. Loughrea was traditionally a farming town; however, it now hosts a number of pharmaceutical and data processing industries. Tourism and small cottage industries also play an important role.

See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland