Thrift stores in Galway
Thrift stores reward the patient. In Galway, Connacht that patience currently stretches across 18 mapped shops — Every one of the 18 is a charity shop, which tells you something about Galway: the second-hand scene here runs on donations, and the money stays local.
This guide covers every thrift store we could verify in and around Galway (within about 30 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include Vincent's and Ability West, plus Galway Simon Community Furniture & Fashion Shop — each with its own personality, which is half the fun. If a shop's missing from Galway's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet — the scene is bigger than any single dataset.
The Galway thrift lineup
18 mapped within about 30 km:
Vincent's
Charity shop
Vincent's — a charity shop.
Ability West
Charity shop
Ability West is a charity shop. Ability West also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Phone: +353 91 540 900
Galway Simon Community Furniture & Fashion Shop
Charity shopRun by Galway Simon Community
Run by Galway Simon Community, Galway Simon Community Furniture & Fashion Shop is a charity shop, found on Sean Mulvoy Road in Galway. Also worth knowing about Galway Simon Community Furniture & Fashion Shop: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 10:30-17:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Sean Mulvoy Road, Galway, H91 EAY0
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:30-17:00
Phone: +353 91 701 659
Madra
Charity shop
Madra — a charity shop on 4 Westside Enterprise Park. Also worth knowing about Madra: it has a website with more detail.
4 Westside Enterprise Park
NCBI
Charity shopRun by NCBI Retail
Run by NCBI Retail, NCBI is a charity shop. Also worth knowing about NCBI: it has a website with more detail.
NCBI Charity Shop
Charity shopRun by NCBI Retail
NCBI Charity Shop is a charity shop run by NCBI Retail on Old Church Street, Athenry. NCBI Charity Shop also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
Old Church Street, Athenry
COPE Galway
Charity shop
COPE Galway — a charity shop, found on Saint Augustine Street in Galway.
Saint Augustine Street, Galway
Enable Ireland
Charity shopRun by Enable Ireland
Enable Ireland is a charity shop run by Enable Ireland on 3 Cross Street Lower, Galway. Enable Ireland also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
3 Cross Street Lower, Galway
Phone: +35385 8075931
AgeAction
Charity shopRun by AgeAction
AgeAction is a charity shop run by AgeAction on Saint Francis Street, Galway.
Saint Francis Street, Galway
Enable Ireland Homewares
Charity shopRun by Enable Ireland
Run by Enable Ireland, Enable Ireland Homewares is a charity shop, found on Eglinton Street in Galway.
Eglinton Street, Galway
Oxfam
Charity shop
Oxfam is a charity shop on 9 Abbeygate Street Lower, Galway. Oxfam also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 09:30-18:00; Su 12:00-16:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
9 Abbeygate Street Lower, Galway, H91 W1XA
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:30-18:00; Su 12:00-16:00
Phone: +353 91 561 491
Vincent's
Charity shop
Vincent's is a charity shop on Merchants Road, Galway.
Merchants Road, Galway
NCBI Charity Shop
Charity shop
NCBI Charity Shop is a charity shop on Eglinton Street. NCBI Charity Shop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 10:00-18:30.
Eglinton Street
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-18:30
Galway SPCA
Charity shop
Galway SPCA is a charity shop. Galway SPCA also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo,Su,PH off; Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00.
Hours: Mo,Su,PH off; Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00
COPE Galway
Charity shopRun by COPE Galway
COPE Galway is a charity shop run by COPE Galway on Newtownsmith, Galway.
Newtownsmith, Galway
Irish Cancer Society
Charity shop
Irish Cancer Society is a charity shop on Merchants Road, Galway. Irish Cancer Society also notes on the map: it has a website with more detail.
Merchants Road, Galway
Vincent's
Charity shop
Vincent's — a charity shop.
Vincents Curiosity Shop
Charity shop
Vincents Curiosity Shop — a charity shop, found on Old Seamus Quirke Road in Galway. Also worth knowing about Vincents Curiosity Shop: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
Old Seamus Quirke Road, Galway
Phone: +353 91 863 895
What the map tells us about thrifting in Galway
4 of the 18 shops list their opening hours, which is unusually helpful for Galway — thrift stores are notorious for surprise closures. Still, call ahead if you're making a special trip to Galway; volunteer-run shops sometimes close early on quiet days.
6 shops have websites listed, worth a look before you go — some post new arrivals or sale days online.
Thrift shops cluster a little: 2 of them sit on Eglinton Street, so you can string those into one walk and hit the rest by car.
The Galway thrift circuit
Plot these 18 on a map and the day plans itself: Vincent's, Ability West, Galway Simon Community Furniture & Fashion Shop on Sean Mulvoy Road, Madra on 4 Westside Enterprise Park, NCBI, NCBI Charity Shop on Old Church Street, COPE Galway on Saint Augustine Street, and Enable Ireland on 3 Cross Street Lower. That's the full Galway circuit in one sensible order. 10 more are listed below.
Thrifting tips for Galway
Regulars learn these fast; visitors to Galway can skip the learning curve:
- Don't ignore the kids' section at Vincent's. Kids outgrow everything in months, so the children's racks are full of barely-worn quality. Even without kids, the small furniture is great for small spaces.
- Go early in the week at Ability West. Donations land on weekends, so Monday and Tuesday shelves are the freshly stocked ones. By Saturday the good stuff is gone.
- Check for matching sets. Single plates and glasses are easy; full sets are the prize. Scan the whole shelf — mates hide behind other stock.
- Bring a tape measure. The perfect sideboard is useless if it won't fit through your door. Tape measure in the bag, every trip.
Good to know
We searched about 30 km around Galway — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to for a thrifting run. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new shop in Galway can take a while to appear. The 18 above are only as current as the community map. A shop that's shut, or a new one nobody's added yet, gets fixed with a single OpenStreetMap edit.
Prices at Galway's thrift stores are set by each shop and change constantly, so we don't list them. As a rough rule, charity shops are the cheapest, independents sit in the middle, and anything labelled vintage costs more everywhere — Galway included.
Thrift store listings for Galway: 18 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.