Editing Spiddal (section)

== Name ==
The name of the village in [[Irish language|Irish]], {{lang|ga|An Spidéal}}, derives from the word {{lang|ga|ospidéal}}, which in turn derived from the Insular French, or [[Anglo-Norman language | Anglo-Normand]], word {{lang|fr|ospitel}}.<ref name="enty">{{cite web|url = https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ospid%C3%A9al| publisher = Wiktionary | title = oispidéal | accessdate = 31 March 2024 }}</ref>

The name originates from a mediaeval leper hospital situated in {{lang|ga|An Spidéal Thiar}} (West Spiddal). A number of other hospital facilities were based in the area over the years, including a famine hospital during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]] of the mid-1840s. While "Spiddle" is recorded in the [[Placenames Database of Ireland]] as the English variant of the name, "Spiddal" is used locally.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.logainm.ie/en/18722 | publisher = Placenames Database of Ireland | website = logainm.ie | title = An Spidéal | accessdate = 31 March 2024 | quote = town [..] An Spidéal [..] Spiddle (English) [..] Other names: Spiddal local name (English) }}</ref>