Spiddal

Spiddal (Irish: An Spidéal, meaning "the hospital", Irish pronunciation: [ənˠ ˈsˠpʲɪdʲeːlˠ])[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. Spiddal 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 parish of Moycullen.

Spiddal
Village
An Spidéal
Main Street (R336)
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53.244184°N 9.30586°W / 53.244184; -9.30586
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Galway
Population
 (2016)[1]
237
Irish Grid ReferenceM130225
In statute law, the village's official name is An Spidéal, or in the English language, Spiddal.[2]
The Pier, Spiddal

History

Famine

Spiddal like much of the west of Ireland suffered greatly during the potato famine, with many people being evicted and many people starving. Appeals were made by the parish priest Rev. 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.[4]

From 1848 the evangelical Protestant Irish Church Missions were active, establishing the Connemara Orphan's Nursery (Spiddal Orphanage/Nead Le Farrige) in the early 1850's,[5] [6] 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).[7] Following its closure as an orphanage, it became a Secondary School for Girls run by the catholic, Sisters of Mercy.

Facilities
The old harbour

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.

Live traditional Irish music is regularly performed in the village's pubs, some of which double as restaurants.

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.[8]

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.

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.

Notable residents

See also

References
  1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements An Spidéal". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  2. http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/act/32/enacted/en/print.html Official Languages Act 2003
  3. "An Spidéal / Spiddle | logainm.ie". logainm.ie. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  4. Spiddal www.oughterardheritage.org
  5. The Protestant Missions in Connemara, Miriam Moffitt www.connemaraheritage.org, January 28, 2012.
  6. An unseemly brawl of god and scripture Galway Advertiser, November 13, 2008.
  7. Spiddal Orphan Home www.childrenshomes.org.uk
  8. Owenboliskey River Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2011-11-20.
  9. "Death of TV producer and Tourmakeady native". www.mayonews.ie.
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