Wedding traditions of Galway
A west of Ireland city where weddings come with Irish music, sea air and the Claddagh ring.
The Claddagh ring takes its name from a fishing village by Galway Bay, and many Galway couples still choose it as a ring of love and loyalty. The city is also close to the Aran Islands and Connemara, which are popular for small and destination weddings.
A wedding here
Couples marry in churches, hotels in the surrounding countryside or castles near the bay. A trad session, with fiddle, bodhran and uilleann pipes, often follows the meal, and guests are drawn into the dance.
The Claddagh legend
A well-known story tells of a Galway man captured and made a goldsmith abroad, who made the first ring to take home to his love. Historians treat the origin as a tale, but the ring is firmly part of Irish weddings and engagements.
Wedding customs of Galway
Claddagh ringThe most famous ring in Ireland.
HandfastingHand-binding ceremony.
MatchmakingLisdoonvarna, close to Galway, is known for the festival.Also part of it, and being written: Irish traditional music (Played at the reception.).
A wedding trail idea for Galway
- Claddagh Basin The place the ring is named for.
- Galway Cathedral A large Catholic church used for weddings.
- Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival A September festival of dance and introductions in County Clare.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Handfasting: Sander van der Wel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Matchmaking: Pavel Fedotov, Public domain, source
- Claddagh ring: Royalcladdagh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source