James Hardiman in his history of Galway mentions a spring well that was reputedly 1,000 years old. He described it as “A Chalybeate spring of the same class as the celebrated Scarborough Waters, outside the East Gate was in great repute here. A spa house has been erected over it by a Mr. Eyre (who sailed with Columbus when America was discovered) and is much frequented”. Hardiman attributed to the tonic qualities of the water the numerous instances of longevity which he observed in the district.

Mícheál was born in Spiddal. He left school when he was 14 and got a job in McCambridge's for 6d a week. Lady Killanin convinced him to go back to school and he became a monitor, went on to training college in Dublin and it was there he became a Nationalist. “I became a member of the IRB towards the end of 1910 when I was teaching in Dublin (from August 1910 to January 1913). Then I came to my native place, teaching in Spiddal for one year and then coming to Furbo”.

Walter Macken’s first published English language play ‘Mungo’s Mansion’ was about people in the tenements of Buttermilk Lane about to be re-housed away out in the country, in the wilds of Shantalla. This was causing great distress to the ‘townies’ who would have to move less than a mile as the crow flies.

There was a ferry service to the Aran Islands in the 1960’S, but the ship could only dock at Inis Mór. In 1969, Colie Hernon wrote a letter to the Irish Times complaining of the inadequate transport facilities to the islands which prompted Hayden Lawford to conduct an aerial survey of Inis Mór. Meanwhile, Ralph Langan whose business was fruit wholesaling in Galway and who had problems shipping fresh fruit to the islands, had also seen Colie’s letter.