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Coordinates: 53°14′39″N 9°18′21″W / 53.24418°N 9.3059°W / 53.24418; -9.3059
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{{Short description|Village in Connemara, Ireland}}
{{Short description|Village in Connemara, Ireland}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Irish English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Spiddal
| name = Spiddal
Line 13: Line 12:
| pushpin_label_position = none
| pushpin_label_position = none
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland
| coordinates = {{coord|53.244184|-9.30586|dim:5000_region:IE-G|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|53.24418|-9.3059|dim:5000_region:IE-G|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Ireland
| subdivision_name = Ireland
Line 21: Line 20:
| subdivision_name2 = [[County Galway]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[County Galway]]
| unit_pref = Metric
| unit_pref = Metric
| population_footnotes = <ref name=cso2016>{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=A42EF9AD-955D-4851-A976-B01A8DBE1747 | title = Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements An Spidéal | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 22 February 2019}}</ref>
| population_footnotes = <ref name=cso2022>{{cite web | url = https://visual.cso.ie/?body=entity/ima/cop/2022&boundary=C04160V04929&guid=806e627d-f59d-4fa5-9e5f-7ddbd29da5ec | title = Census Mapping - Towns: An Spidéal - 2022 - Population Snapshot| publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)|Central Statistics Office]] | work = Census 2022 | access-date = 3 April 2024 }}</ref>
| population_as_of = 2016
| population_as_of = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
| population = 237
| population = 254
⚫
| blank_name = [[Irish grid reference system|Irish grid reference]]
| population_blank1_title =
| population_blank1 =
⚫
| blank_name = [[Irish grid reference system|Irish Grid Reference]]
| blank_info = {{iem4ibx|M130225}}
| blank_info = {{iem4ibx|M130225}}
| footnotes = In statute law, the village's official name is ''An Spidéal'', or in the English language, Spiddal.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1975/si/133/made/ga/print | website = irishstatutebook.ie | title = I.R. Uimh. 133/1975 - An tOrdú Logainmneacha (Foirmeacha Gaeilge) (Uimh. 1) (Postbhailte) 1975. | language = ga | date = 1975 }}</ref>
| footnotes = In statute law, the village's official name is {{lang|ga|An Spidéal}}, or in the English language, Spiddle.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2004/si/872/made/ga/print | website = irishstatutebook.ie | title = I.R. Uimh. 872/2004 -An tOrdú Logainmneacha (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) 2004 | language = Irish | date = 2004 }}</ref>
}}
}}
[[File:Spiddal Pier.jpg|thumb|The Pier, Spiddal]]
[[File:Spiddal Pier.jpg|thumb|The Pier, Spiddal]]


'''Spiddal''' ({{lang-ga|an Spidéal}} {{IPA-ga|ənˠ ˈsˠpʲɪdʲeːlˠ|}},<ref name="logainm">{{cite web|url= http://www.logainm.ie/18722.aspx|title= An Spidéal / Spiddle &#124; logainm.ie|publisher=logainm.ie|access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref> meaning 'the hospital') is a village on the shore of [[Galway Bay]] in [[County Galway]], Ireland. It is {{convert|18|km}} west of [[Galway]] city, on the [[R336 road (Ireland)|R336 road]]. It is on the eastern side of the county's [[Gaeltacht]] (Irish-speaking area) and of the [[Connemara]] region. According to the 2016 census, 35.3% of the population speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system. It is a centre for tourism with a beach, harbour, and shore fishing. The village is part of the [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]] of [[Moycullen (civil parish)|Moycullen]].
'''Spiddal''', also known as '''Spiddle''' ([[Irish language|Irish]] and official name: {{lang|ga|An Spidéal}}, {{IPA-ga|ənˠ ˈsˠpʲɪdʲeːlˠ|pron}}, meaning 'the hospital'),<ref name="logainm">{{cite web|url= http://www.logainm.ie/18722.aspx|title= An Spidéal / Spiddle | website = logainm.ie|publisher= Placenames Database of Ireland |access-date=25 October 2018}}</ref> is a village on the shore of [[Galway Bay]] in [[County Galway]], Ireland. It is {{convert|18|km}} west of [[Galway]] city, on the [[R336 road (Ireland)|R336 road]].<ref name="devPlan">{{cite web |url = https://consult.galway.ie/en/consultation/adopted-galway-county-development-plan-2022-2028/chapter/121-spid%C3%A9al-small-growth-village| work = Galway County Development Plan 2022-2028 | publisher = Galway County Council | title = Volume 2 - Small Growth Villages - 12.1 An Spidéal Small Growth Village | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref> It is on the eastern side of the county's [[Gaeltacht]] (Irish-speaking area) and of the [[Connemara]] region. According to the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]], approximately 75% of the population are Irish-speaking and, of these, approximately 40% speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.<ref name=cso2022/> It is a centre for tourism with a beach, harbour, and shore fishing. The village is part of the [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]] of [[Moycullen (civil parish)|Moycullen]].


==Name==
==Name==
The name of the village in [[Irish language|Irish]], ''An Spidéal'', derives from the word ''ospidéal'', in turn derived from the English word 'hospital'.<ref name="enty">{{cite web|url = https://www.anspideal.ie/information-in-english/ | publisher = anspideal.ie | title = An Spidéal (Spiddal): Information in English | accessdate = 20 July 2021 }}</ref> A number of hospital facilities were based in the area, including a famine hospital which was located in Spiddal during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] of the mid-1840s.<ref name="enty"/> While 'Spiddal' is the common English variant of the name, 'Spiddle' is sometimes used.<ref name="logainm"/><ref name="enty"/>
The name of the village in [[Irish language|Irish]], ''An Spidéal'', derives from the word ''ospidéal'', which in turn derived from the Insular French, or [[Anglo-Norman language | Anglo-Normand]], word 'ospitel'.<ref name="enty">{{cite web|url = https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ospid%C3%A9al| publisher = Wiktionary | title = oispidéal | accessdate = 31 March 2024 }}</ref>

The name originates from a medieval leper hospital situated in An Spidéal Thiar. A number of other hospital facilities were based in the area over the years, including a famine hospital during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] of the mid-1840s. While 'Spiddle' is recorded in the [[Placenames Database of Ireland]] as the English variant of the name, 'Spiddal' is used locally.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.logainm.ie/en/18722 | publisher = Placenames Database of Ireland | website = logainm.ie | title = An Spidéal | accessdate = 31 March 2024 | quote = town [..] An Spidéal [..] Spiddle (English) [..] Other names: Spiddal local name (English) }}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Spiddal like much of the west of Ireland suffered greatly during the Great Famine, with many people being evicted and many people starving. Appeals were made by the parish priest John O'Grady and by A.W. Blake, as a result the board of works employed some local men in the improvements to the harbour in Spiddal.<ref>[https://www.oughterardheritage.org/content/topics/murt-molloy-killannin-and-oughterard-local-history/the-famine-barony-of-moycullen-co-galway-1845-1850-2 Spiddal] www.oughterardheritage.org</ref>
Spiddal like much of the west of Ireland suffered greatly during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], with many people being evicted and many people starving. Appeals were made by the parish priest John O'Grady and by A.W. Blake, as a result the board of works employed some local men in the improvements to the harbour in Spiddal.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.oughterardheritage.org/content/topics/murt-molloy-killannin-and-oughterard-local-history/the-famine-barony-of-moycullen-co-galway-1845-1850-2 | title = Spiddal | website = www.oughterardheritage.org}}</ref>

⚫
From 1848, the evangelical Protestant [[Irish Church Missions]] were active, establishing the Connemara Orphan's Nursery (Spiddal Orphanage or ''Nead Le Farrige'') in the early 1850s,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://clifdenheritage.org/the-protestant-missions-in-connemara-miriam-moffitt/ | title = The Protestant Missions in Connemara, Miriam Moffitt | website = www.connemaraheritage.org | date = 28 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.advertiser.ie/Galway/article/4528/an-unseemly-brawl-over-god-and-scripture | title = An unseemly brawl of god and scripture | work = Galway Advertiser | date = 13 November 2008}}</ref> the home could accommodate up to 90 boys and girls, and became affiliated to the Protestant-run Smyly Homes (and was even referred to as The Bird's Nest, the name of the Dublin home).<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/SpiddalSmyly/ | title = Spiddal Orphan Home | website = childrenshomes.org.uk}}</ref> Following its closure as an orphanage, it became a secondary school for girls run by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy.


The local [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] church, ''Cill Éinde'' (church of Enda), was built in 1904.<ref name="devPlan"/><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30327010/cill-einde-spiddle-west-an-spideal-spiddle-co-galway | publisher = National Inventory of Architectural Heritage | website = buildingsofireland.ie | title = Cill Éinde, Spiddle West, An Spidéal [Spiddle], Galway | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref> The ruin of an older chapel, dating to 1776, is nearby.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30327012/spiddle-west-an-spideal-spiddle-co-galway | publisher = National Inventory of Architectural Heritage | website = buildingsofireland.ie | title = Spiddle West, An Spidéal [Spiddle], Galway | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref>
⚫
From 1848 the evangelical Protestant [[Irish Church Missions]] were active, establishing the ''Connemara Orphan's Nursery'' (Spiddal Orphanage/Nead Le Farrige) in the early 1850s,<ref>[http://clifdenheritage.org/the-protestant-missions-in-connemara-miriam-moffitt/ The Protestant Missions in Connemara, Miriam Moffitt] www.connemaraheritage.org, January 28, 2012.</ref><ref>[https://www.advertiser.ie/Galway/article/4528/an-unseemly-brawl-over-god-and-scripture An unseemly brawl of god and scripture] Galway Advertiser, November 13, 2008.</ref> the home could accommodate up to 90 boys and girls, and became affiliated to the Protestant-run Smyly Homes (and was even referred to as The Bird's Nest, the name of the Dublin home).<ref>[http://www.childrenshomes.org.uk/SpiddalSmyly/ Spiddal Orphan Home] www.childrenshomes.org.uk</ref> Following its closure as an orphanage, it became a Secondary School for Girls run by the catholic Sisters of Mercy.


==Facilities==
==Facilities==
[[File:An Spidéal 131104-1.jpg|thumb|The old harbour]]
[[File:An Spidéal 131104-1.jpg|thumb|Old harbour]]
There are a number of pubs, shops and other services in the area.<ref name="devPlan"/> Spiddal's [[Garda Síochána|Garda]] station is on Mountain Road.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://vha.ie/project/spiddal-garda-station/ | website = vha.ie | publisher = Vincent Hannon Architects | title = Spiddal Garda Station | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/planning-permission-sought-for-new-garda-station-in-spiddal/ | work = Galway Daily | title = Planning permission sought for new Garda station in Spiddal | date = 28 May 2021 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref> On the eastern side of the village is ''An Cheardlann'' ('the workshop' in [[Irish language|Irish]]), a craft village.
There are a number of shops and services in the area. On the eastern side of the village is An Cheardlann, a craft village. There is a primary school and a secondary school in the village.


There is a primary school (''Scoil Náisiúnta Éinne'') and a secondary school (''Coláiste Chroí Mhuire'') in the village.<ref name="devPlan"/>
Live [[Music of Ireland|traditional Irish music]] is regularly performed in the village's [[Public houses in Ireland|pubs]], some of which double as restaurants.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}


The village is served by [[Bus Éireann]] route 424 from Galway City. The Boluisce river flows south from Boluisce Lake and enters Galway Bay at Spiddal.<ref>[http://www.logainm.ie/116481.aspx Owenboliskey River] Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2011-11-20.</ref>
The area is served by [[Bus Éireann]] route 424 from Galway City.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.transportforireland.ie/news/bus-eireann-announces-improved-services-and-timetables-on-route-424-galway-to-leitir-meallain-via-an-cheathru-rua/ | website = transportforireland.ie | title = Bus Éireann announces improved services and timetables on Route 424, Galway to Leitir Mealláin via An Cheathrú Rua | date = 7 December 2023 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref> The Boluisce river flows south from Boluisce Lake and enters Galway Bay at Spiddal.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.logainm.ie/116481.aspx | title = Owenboliskey River | publisher = Placenames Database of Ireland | website = logainm.ie | accessdate = 20 November 2011 }}</ref>


==Culture and sport==
==Culture and sport==
Each summer, groups of Irish teenagers visit Spiddal for three-week [[Irish language]] courses. American students visit for the autumn semester each year to study Irish-language literature and culture.
Each summer, groups of Irish teenagers visit Spiddal for three-week Irish language courses. ''Coláiste Chonnacht'' and ''Coláiste Lurgan'' are two local Irish language summer schools. American students visit for the autumn semester each year to study Irish-language literature and culture.{{fact|date=April 2024}}


Live [[Music of Ireland|traditional Irish music]] is regularly performed in the village's [[Public houses in Ireland|pubs]].{{fact|date=April 2024}} The music group [[The Waterboys]] recorded part of their ''[[Fisherman's Blues]]'' album in Spiddal.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.hotpress.com/music/day-1988-waterboys-release-fishermans-blues-22791967 | work = [[Hot Press]] | title = On this day in 1988: The Waterboys release Fisherman's Blues | date = 17 October 2019 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref> They also recorded a song called ''Spring Comes to Spiddal'' on their album ''[[Room to Roam]]''. The television series ''[[Ros na Rún]]'' is filmed there, and broadcast on [[TG4]].<ref>{{cite web|url = https://xn--anspidal-g1a.ie/an-spideal/an-spideal-stair-agus-pobal/ | website = anspidéal.ie | title = An Spidéal: Stair agus Pobal | language = ga | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20230605210720/https://xn--anspidal-g1a.ie/an-spideal/an-spideal-stair-agus-pobal/ | archivedate = 5 June 2023 | url-status = live }}</ref>
Coláiste Chonnacht and Coláiste Lurgan are two local [[Irish language]] schools.

The music group [[The Waterboys]] recorded part of their ''[[Fisherman's Blues]]'' album in Spiddal. They also recorded a song called ''Spring Comes to Spiddal'' on their album ''[[Room to Roam]]''. The television series ''[[Ros na Rún]]'' is filmed there, and broadcast on [[TG4]].


The local [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] club is ''Cumann Lúthchleas Gael An Spidéal'', with [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] being the most popular sports. There is also a sailing club in the village.
The local [[Gaelic Athletic Association]] club is ''Cumann Lúthchleas Gael An Spidéal'', with [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] being the most popular sports. There is also a sailing club in the village.


==Notable residents==
==Notable people==
{{See also|Category:People from Spiddal}}
* [[Mary Bergin]], musician
* [[Mary Bergin]], musician
* [[Ronan Browne]], musician
* [[Ronan Browne]], musician
* [[Thom McGinty]], actor and stillness artist
* [[Thom McGinty]], actor and stillness artist
* [[Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin]], journalist, author, sports official and the sixth [[Presidents of the International Olympic Committee|president of the International Olympic Committee]]
* [[Michael Morris, 3rd Baron Killanin]], journalist and the sixth [[Presidents of the International Olympic Committee|president of the International Olympic Committee]], had family connections to the area.<ref>{{cite magazine |url = https://www.historyireland.com/lord-killaninthe-renaissance-man-of-the-olympic-movement/ | magazine = History Ireland | title = Lord Killanin:the Renaissance man of the Olympic movement | issue = 4 | date = July 2012 | volume = 20 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref>
* [[Máirtín Ó Cadhain]], a post-[[Irish Civil War|Civil War]] [[Irish republicanism|Irish republican]], writer of [[modern literature in Irish]], and author of the [[comic literature|comic]] and [[modernist literature|modernist]] work ''[[Cré na Cille]]''.
* [[Máirtín Ó Cadhain]], writer of [[modern literature in Irish]], and author of the [[comic literature|comic]] and [[modernist literature|modernist]] work ''[[Cré na Cille]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.dib.ie/biography/o-cadhain-mairtin-a6285| publisher = Royal Irish Academy | work = Dictionary of Irish Biography | title = Ó Cadhain, Máirtín | date = October 2009 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 | doi = 10.3318/dib.006285.v1 }}</ref>
* [[Dónall Ó Héalai]], actor
* [[Dónall Ó Héalai]], actor{{fact|date=April 2024}}
* [[Seán Ó Neachtain (politician)|Seán Ó Neachtain]], former [[Member of the European Parliament]] and [[Fianna Fáil]] politician
* [[Seán Ó Neachtain (politician)|Seán Ó Neachtain]], former [[Member of the European Parliament]] and [[Fianna Fáil]] politician{{fact|date=April 2024}}
* [[Eimear Ní Chonaola]] Nuacht TG4 anchor
* [[Eimear Ní Chonaola]], journalist and broadcast news presenter{{fact|date=April 2024}}
* [[Gráinne Seoige]], television presenter<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-40994168.html | title = Culture That Made Me: Gráinne Seoige on dance music and Minority Report | work = Irish Examiner | date = 31 October 2022 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref>
* [[Gráinne Seoige]], television presenter
* [[Síle Seoige]], television presenter<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/people/arid-40829255.html | title = Síle Seoige: I love the fact that I am nearly 43 | work = Irish Examiner | date = 2 April 2022 | accessdate = 3 April 2024 }}</ref>
* [[Síle Seoige]], television presenter
* [[Mairtin Thornton|Máirtín Thornton]] (died 1984), Irish heavyweight boxer in the 1940s
* [[Mairtin Thornton|Máirtín Thornton]] (died 1984), Irish heavyweight boxer in the 1940s<ref>{{cite web|url = http://irishboxers.ie/martin_thornton_snr.html | website = irishboxers.ie | title = Boxer Profile - Martin Thornton (Snr) | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110731231448/http://irishboxers.ie/martin_thornton_snr.html | archivedate = 31 July 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Máire Ní Thuathail]] (1959-2019), television producer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death of TV producer and Tourmakeady native |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/28621-death-of-tv-producer-and-tourmakeady-native |work=www.mayonews.ie}}</ref>
* [[Máire Ní Thuathail]] (1957–2016), television producer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death of TV producer and Tourmakeady native |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/28621-death-of-tv-producer-and-tourmakeady-native |work=mayonews.ie | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160928161440/https://www.mayonews.ie/news/28621-death-of-tv-producer-and-tourmakeady-native | archivedate = 28 September 2016 | date = 27 September 2016 }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

⚫
{{Commons category|Spiddal}}
⚫
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
⚫
{{Commons category|Spiddal}}
⚫
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://anspideal.ie/ Website of ''Comhlacht Forbartha an Spidéil'']
* [https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/S/Spiddle-Moycullen-Galway.php "Spiddle"] in ''[[A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland]]'' (1837) Samuel Lewis


{{Gaeltacht}}
{{Gaeltacht}}
Line 87: Line 90:
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Towns and villages in County Galway]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in Connemara]]
[[Category:Gaeltacht places in County Galway]]
[[Category:Gaeltacht places in County Galway]]
[[Category:Beaches of County Galway]]
[[Category:Beaches of County Galway]]

Latest revision as of 19:30, 30 July 2024

Spiddal
An Spidéal
Spiddle
Village
Main Street (R336 road)
Main Street (R336 road)
Spiddal is located in Ireland
Spiddal
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°14′39″N 9°18′21″W / 53.24418°N 9.3059°W / 53.24418; -9.3059
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Galway
Population
 (2022)[1]
254
Irish grid referenceM130225
In statute law, the village's official name is An Spidéal, or in the English language, Spiddle.[2]
The Pier, Spiddal

Spiddal, also known as Spiddle (Irish and official name: An Spidéal, pronounced [ənˠ ˈsˠpʲɪdʲeːlˠ], meaning 'the hospital'),[3] is a village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is 18 kilometres (11 mi) west of Galway city, on the R336 road.[4] It is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) and of the Connemara region. According to the 2022 census, approximately 75% of the population are Irish-speaking and, of these, approximately 40% speak Irish on a daily basis outside the education system.[1] It is a centre for tourism with a beach, harbour, and shore fishing. The village is part of the civil parish of Moycullen.

Name

[edit]

The name of the village in Irish, An Spidéal, derives from the word ospidéal, which in turn derived from the Insular French, or Anglo-Normand, word 'ospitel'.[5]

The name originates from a medieval leper hospital situated in An Spidéal Thiar. A number of other hospital facilities were based in the area over the years, including a famine hospital during the Great Famine of the mid-1840s. While 'Spiddle' is recorded in the Placenames Database of Ireland as the English variant of the name, 'Spiddal' is used locally.[6]

History

[edit]

Spiddal like much of the west of Ireland suffered greatly during the Great Famine, with many people being evicted and many people starving. Appeals were made by the parish priest John O'Grady and by A.W. Blake, as a result the board of works employed some local men in the improvements to the harbour in Spiddal.[7]

From 1848, the evangelical Protestant Irish Church Missions were active, establishing the Connemara Orphan's Nursery (Spiddal Orphanage or Nead Le Farrige) in the early 1850s,[8][9] the home could accommodate up to 90 boys and girls, and became affiliated to the Protestant-run Smyly Homes (and was even referred to as The Bird's Nest, the name of the Dublin home).[10] Following its closure as an orphanage, it became a secondary school for girls run by the Catholic Sisters of Mercy.

The local Catholic church, Cill Éinde (church of Enda), was built in 1904.[4][11] The ruin of an older chapel, dating to 1776, is nearby.[12]

Facilities

[edit]
Old harbour

There are a number of pubs, shops and other services in the area.[4] Spiddal's Garda station is on Mountain Road.[13][14] On the eastern side of the village is An Cheardlann ('the workshop' in Irish), a craft village.

There is a primary school (Scoil Náisiúnta Éinne) and a secondary school (Coláiste Chroí Mhuire) in the village.[4]

The area is served by Bus Éireann route 424 from Galway City.[15] The Boluisce river flows south from Boluisce Lake and enters Galway Bay at Spiddal.[16]

Culture and sport

[edit]

Each summer, groups of Irish teenagers visit Spiddal for three-week Irish language courses. Coláiste Chonnacht and Coláiste Lurgan are two local Irish language summer schools. American students visit for the autumn semester each year to study Irish-language literature and culture.[citation needed]

Live traditional Irish music is regularly performed in the village's pubs.[citation needed] The music group The Waterboys recorded part of their Fisherman's Blues album in Spiddal.[17] They also recorded a song called Spring Comes to Spiddal on their album Room to Roam. The television series Ros na Rún is filmed there, and broadcast on TG4.[18]

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club is Cumann Lúthchleas Gael An Spidéal, with Gaelic football and hurling being the most popular sports. There is also a sailing club in the village.

Notable people

[edit]
See also: Category:People from Spiddal

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Census Mapping - Towns: An Spidéal - 2022 - Population Snapshot". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ "I.R. Uimh. 872/2004 -An tOrdú Logainmneacha (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) 2004". irishstatutebook.ie (in Irish). 2004.
  3. ^ "An Spidéal / Spiddle". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Volume 2 - Small Growth Villages - 12.1 An Spidéal Small Growth Village". Galway County Development Plan 2022-2028. Galway County Council. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  5. ^ "oispidéal". Wiktionary. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ^ "An Spidéal". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 31 March 2024. town [..] An Spidéal [..] Spiddle (English) [..] Other names: Spiddal local name (English)
  7. ^ "Spiddal". www.oughterardheritage.org.
  8. ^ "The Protestant Missions in Connemara, Miriam Moffitt". www.connemaraheritage.org. 28 January 2012.
  9. ^ "An unseemly brawl of god and scripture". Galway Advertiser. 13 November 2008.
  10. ^ "Spiddal Orphan Home". childrenshomes.org.uk.
  11. ^ "Cill Éinde, Spiddle West, An Spidéal [Spiddle], Galway". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Spiddle West, An Spidéal [Spiddle], Galway". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Spiddal Garda Station". vha.ie. Vincent Hannon Architects. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Planning permission sought for new Garda station in Spiddal". Galway Daily. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Bus Éireann announces improved services and timetables on Route 424, Galway to Leitir Mealláin via An Cheathrú Rua". transportforireland.ie. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Owenboliskey River". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  17. ^ "On this day in 1988: The Waterboys release Fisherman's Blues". Hot Press. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  18. ^ "An Spidéal: Stair agus Pobal". anspidéal.ie (in Irish). Archived from the original on 5 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Lord Killanin:the Renaissance man of the Olympic movement". History Ireland. Vol. 20, no. 4. July 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Ó Cadhain, Máirtín". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Royal Irish Academy. October 2009. doi:10.3318/dib.006285.v1. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Culture That Made Me: Gráinne Seoige on dance music and Minority Report". Irish Examiner. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Síle Seoige: I love the fact that I am nearly 43". Irish Examiner. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Boxer Profile - Martin Thornton (Snr)". irishboxers.ie. Archived from the original on 31 July 2011.
  24. ^ "Death of TV producer and Tourmakeady native". mayonews.ie. 27 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2016.
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