Overview
In An Spidéal the road signs are in Irish only, and around three in four people you pass have Irish as a first language – this is one of the largest Irish-speaking villages in the country, even if only 254 people live in it. It sits on the western shore of Galway Bay, about 18 km (11 miles) west of Galway city on the R336, on the Wild Atlantic Way and at the gateway to Connemara. Quiet most of the year, it fills up each summer with teenagers on Irish courses and day-trippers heading west. If you have an hour, walk the path between the two beaches and stop at the craft village for lunch.
The name and a bit of history
The name comes from the Irish ospidéal (hospital), after a medieval leper hospital that once stood in west Spiddal. A famine hospital operated here during the Great Hunger, and the Connemara Orphan’s Nursery followed in the 1850s. The Catholic church, Cill Éinde (St Enda’s), was built in 1904, and the ruins of a chapel dated 1776 stand nearby. For all that it is only 18 km from the city, the harbour end of the village has changed little in 150 years. The official English name, oddly, is Spiddle, though almost everyone writes Spiddal.
The Irish language and summer colleges
An Spidéal is a working Gaeltacht, not a heritage display. You’ll hear Gaeilge in the shops, the pubs and on the street. Each summer the village swells with teenagers on intensive courses at Coláiste Chonnacht and Coláiste Lurgan, staying with local families and immersed in Irish for three weeks. For a visitor it’s an easy place to try a few words; if you want a head start, you can learn basic Irish before you go.
Beaches and coastal walks
Two south-facing beaches sit at either end of a walking and cycling path. Trá na mBan (Ladies’ Strand), tucked behind the pier, is a Blue Flag beach and the better one for a low-tide swim. Céibh an Spidéal, closer to the main road, looks straight across Galway Bay to the Burren. Both have free parking, picnic benches and playgrounds. The old pier, Seanchéibh an Spidéil, is a popular spot for shore angling when the mackerel shoals are in.
The craft village and café
At the edge of the village, An Ceardlann (Ceardlann Spiddal Craft Village) is a cluster of ten working studios where you can watch basket weavers, potters, glass artists and jewellers at their benches and buy directly from them. The Builín Blasta café here is the reason a lot of people stop at all: artisan breads, barista coffee and an award-winning smoked onion mayo that has a small cult following.
Culture and music
An Spidéal turns up in Irish media more than a village this size has any right to. The long-running TG4 soap Ros na Rún is filmed on a purpose-built set here – a pub, shop and school you can spot on a walk – and The Waterboys recorded part of Fisherman’s Blues in the village. For something quieter, Shannagarraun Wood just outside town is a Special Area of Conservation, with fern-rich trails through old oak and hazel. The Boluisce River runs down through the townland from Boluisce Lake into the bay.
Food and drink
Builín Blasta covers hot lunches and pastries. Bláth Fiáin, in the village centre, does generous plates of gnocchi, quesadillas and seasonal dishes. For seafood with a view, Padraicín’s overlooks Furbo Beach just east of the village, with pan-fried sea trout, organic smoked salmon and whatever the boats bring in.
Where to stay
Options run from small hotels to Irish-speaking campsites. An Crúiscín Lán sits in the centre with a snug bar and a beer garden. Ardmor Country House is a four-star B&B with Irish-speaking hosts and quick access to the Aran Islands ferry. Sea Mist has en-suite rooms and private parking, and Páirc Saoire an Spidéil offers rustic, Irish-speaking camping on the banks of the Boluisce River.
Practical information
An Spidéal is about 20 minutes by car from Galway city on the R336, or by Bus Éireann route 424. There’s free parking at both beaches and at the craft village, and public toilets in the village. Rossaveal, the main ferry port for the Aran Islands, lies further west along the coast – book ferry tickets ahead in peak season. Most shops, pubs and the craft village stay open year-round, though beach facilities and some cafés keep summer hours only. Bring a windbreaker: the bay breeze picks up fast, especially after sunset.