An Spidéal
| An Spidéal | |
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| Village | |
An Caladh Mór, An Spidéal
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| Coordinates: 53°14′39″N 9°18′21″W / 53.244184°N 9.30586°WCoordinates: 53°14′39″N 9°18′21″W / 53.244184°N 9.30586°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Galway |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Village | 1,450 |
| • Urban | 250 |
| • Rural | 1,200 |
| Irish Grid Reference | M130225 |
| The only official name of this Gaeltacht village is An Spidéal. The anglicized spellings Spiddal has no official status. | |
An Spidéal (Irish: An Spidéal, meaning "the hospital", Irish pronunciation: [ənˠ ˈsˠpʲɪdʲeːlˠ]) is a Gaeltacht village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, Ireland. It is 18 km west of Galway city, on the R336 road. An Spidéal is on the eastern side of the county's Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) and of the Connemara region. It is a tourist centre with a scenic beach, harbour, and shore fishing.
There are a broad range of shops and services. On the eastern side of the village is An Ceardlann, a craft village. Cloon Keen Atelier candles are made in an industrial estate 1 km east of the village. There is a primary school and a secondary school in the village.
On most weekend nights, and sometimes during the week in the summer, there is live traditional Irish music in the pubs, most of which double as restaurants. On the first Wednesday of every month there is an Alternative Session at 9pm in An Droighneán Donn, one of the pubs.
The village is served by Bus Éireann route 424 from Galway City.
The local river, Abhainn Bhoth Loiscthe, flows south from Loch Bhoth Loiscthe and enters Galway Bay at An Spidéal.
Each summer, groups of Irish teenagers visit An Spidéal for three-week Irish language courses. American students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Collegeville Township, Minnesota visit for the autumn semester each year to study Irish-language literature and culture.
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