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Typically Irish, Typically Galway
Galway Crafts
Craft Shops
Irish Music
Local Markets
Food
Galway Crafts
In any souvenir shop in Galway, you will find Aran sweaters, jewellery such as the Claddagh ring and Connemara Marble. But Galway Craft is more than that. Galway is home to many talented craftspeople making ceramics, baskets, traditional music instruments (such as the bodhrán, a drum made of goat skin), crystal, candles, textile, sculptures made of wood, stone or glass, and even carved-bone jewels, the latter which is unique in Ireland. If you want to bring home Galway Craft souvenirs, have a look at the list of craft shops below or follow the link to the Galway Craft Trail (Select 'Community Datasets' and 'Galway Craft Trail'.
If you want to learn more about Galway Craft, you might visit the Connemara Marble Visitor Centre www.connemarabegins.com, the Celtic Crystal Visitor Centre www.celticcrystalireland.com, the Sheep and Wool Centre www.sheepandwoolcentre.com or Roundstone Music www.bodhran.com. During your holiday, you can even undertake a basketry class on Inisheer in Rushwork www.aranbasketmaker.blogspot.com or a bone carving class at the Bone Carving Studio and Gallery www.bonecarving.ie in Galway City.
For events relating to craft, check our calendar of events.
Craft Shops
Galway County
You will find many craft shops across Galway County, and more particularly in Connemara and on the Aran Islands, including: (the list is not exhaustive)
| Ballinasloe Cahalan Jewellers Cashel Bay Glynsk House Clifden Alan Gaillard Stoneware Pottery Inishmaan, Aran Islands Inis Meáin Knitting Company Store Cleas Teo (Áras Éanna Arts Centre) Inishmore, Aran Islands Kilmurvey Craft Village Kinvara MurphyStore |
Letterfrack Avoca Craft Shop Moycullen Connemara Celtic Crystal Oughterard Connemara Candles (Billamore) Recess Joyces Craft Shop Roundstone Roundstone Music and Craft Shop Spiddal Ceardlann - Spiddal Craft Village Standún Upper Camus An Tinteán Craft Shop |
Galway City
There are several souvenir shops in the Galway City Centre. Below are some other addresses where you can find Galway made craft: (the list is not exhaustive)
|
Judy Greene Pottery Cloon Keen Atelier Sam Beardon Jeweller Emily-Jean Designs The Bone Carving Studio and Gallery |
Royal Tara Gift Centre Galway Irish Crystal Corrib Candles Galway Market |
If you are a retailer in Galway selling local products please let us know and we can include you on this list, contact us at community@galwaycoco.ie.
Irish Music
If you want to listen to Irish music in a friendly atmosphere, go to pubs. Many of them have live music (‘sessions’) in the evening. Or you might hang around in Galway City Centre where some musicians play music in the streets (they are called ‘buskers’). Galway also hosts several traditional music festivals such as the Clifden Traditional Music Festival, Galway Sessions, Trad on the Prom, Tuam Traditional Music Festival, etc. For further information, follow this link to Festivals or check the Calendar of Events.
Local Markets
There are a variety of fairs and local markets which take place throughout County Galway which are worth visiting to find local produce and craftwork. See below for a list of such markets general operate from April to September or in some cases all year round.
Athenry on Fridays
Ballinasloe on Fridays
Claregalway on Saturdays
Clarinbridge on the last Sunday of every month
Galway City on Saturdays and Sundays by St Nicholas’ Church www.galwaymarket.com
Headford on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month
Kinvara on Fridays
Loughrea on Thursdays
Mountbellew on Wednesdays
Moycullen on Fridays
Oranmore on Thursdays
Portumna on Fridays
Roundstone (May October Sundays)
Tuam on Thurdays
Food
Don’t leave Galway without having tasted some nice food - Connemara Lamb, black pudding, fresh or smoked fish, soda bread, cheese or chutneys. To find out where you can buy products from Galway, follow this link to the ‘Guide to local food producers’ or have a look at the list of local markets below. If you are interested in knowing how fish is smoked, visit the Connemara Smokehouse www.smokehouse.ie.
Guide to local food producers
(pdf, 2,782 kbs, Last Updated: Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:17:00 BST)
