Among the wildflowers and birds of Barna Woods grow some of the oldest oak trees in the west of Ireland, a few minutes’ walk from the sea. That woodland, and the early-medieval holy well in its shade, are the reason to come – more so than the village itself, which is now half a suburb of Galway. Barna (officially Bearna, ‘gap’) is an Irish-speaking village on the R336, about seven kilometres west of the city, with a population of 2,336 at the 2022 census. It was once called Freeport, because boats berthed here to dodge the mooring taxes at Galway port.
If you have an afternoon, walk the woods to St Enda’s Well and back, then cross to Silverstrand for the view over the bay. The two together are a good half-day, and both are free.
Barna Woods and St Enda’s Well
The main path through Barna Woods follows a stream and is easy going, fine for families and pushchairs, with the native oak, ash, hazel and birch closing overhead. The oaks are the thing here: venerable trees the area’s ancestors revered, still standing. Storm Éowyn, which struck the west in late January 2025, brought a number of them down, and the wood is still recovering.
In the shade of the oaks sits Tobar Éanna – St Enda’s Well – a monument dating to the 5th or 6th century and dedicated to the saint better known for founding the monastery on the Aran Islands. It is still used for prayer and quiet, not a museum piece.
Silverstrand and the water
Silverstrand is the local Blue Flag beach, set against a backdrop of low coastal drumlins with a wide view over Galway Bay. It is lifeguarded in summer. One honest caveat: much of the sand goes under at high tide and it is really only a swimming beach on the ebb, so check the tide before you commit to a beach day here. Behind the strand, the Rusheen Bay Windsurfing Centre hires out gear and runs courses in windsurfing, paddleboarding and kayaking from April to October.
Closer to the village, either side of the stone Barna pier, are two smaller bathing beaches – quieter, good for a quick dip, shore fishing or watching the boats. The pier itself was built in the 1820s to a design by the engineer Alexander Nimmo, the man responsible for much of Connemara’s early coast road and harbours.
The village and its food
For a place this size, Barna eats well above its weight. The village has built a genuine reputation for seafood – O’Grady’s on the Pier looks straight out over the bay, the Twelve Hotel anchors the dining scene, and there’s a string of cafés and good takeaways. If you only want chips by the water, Hooked has the parking and the view.
History sits quietly around the edges. Barna House, a Georgian house of 1778 built by the Lynch family on the site of an earlier O’Halloran castle, still stands (now divided into apartments). The shoreline around Silverstrand has its own footnotes: a one-day skirmish here during the Spanish Armada period, and a long later history of smuggling along this stretch of coast.
Golf and getting there
Barna Golf Club, an 18-hole moorland course about two miles north of the village, plays with Galway Bay and the Aran Islands in view. For getting here, the simplest route is the R336 by car; Bus Éireann’s route 424 runs from Galway city out through Barna, Furbo and Spiddal several times a day. In summer, get to Silverstrand before midday if you want a parking space, and time the woods-and-beach loop around low water.