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.
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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