‘It’s like a coffee community’ — Why Galway city’s cafés are thriving despite growing competition
A stroll through Galway city centre reveals a coffee shop on almost every corner, but industry leaders and café owners insist there is still room for growth as the sector continues to thrive.
With cafés relocating closer to the city centre, opening second locations, expanding into coffee huts and launching entirely new ventures, questions naturally arise about whether the market can sustain such growth and whether there is a need for these retail spaces in Galway city.
Galway Chamber, which supports local businesses across the region, sees no concern on the horizon for the expansion of these third space coffee shops.
Galway Chamber CEO Karen Ronan told the Irish Independent that the boom in coffee shops this year has been indicative of an ongoing trend of coffee culture, and it’s each café’s brand identity that separates one from the other.
“Post Covid there was a real recognition that people were going out for a coffee or getting a takeaway coffee and having a meeting while they were walking. More and more organisations are trying to meet outside and incorporate something that isn’t an office environment.
“I think that the cafe coffee shop culture in Galway really ties into that nicely.”
“They recognise that collectively you can achieve so much more, and being part of an overarching destination story will attract customers in itself. Talking up the diversity and the volume of the coffee culture that we have to offer is nearly a story in itself.”
“I am a regular visitor to the coffee shop; I genuinely cannot say I’ve been in two that are the very same.”
Little Lane Coffee Company’s second location at Bonham Quay sits in a glass-fronted corner between modern office buildings and the new Queen Street student accommodation. It’s located just 350m away from the first Little Lane on Abbeygate Street.
Owned by Graham and Jen O Riordan, Little Lane welcomed the opening of the Bonham Quay location in March 2026.
“Galway’s coffee scene is forever growing,” Graham told the Irish Independent, mentioning the quality of their coffee as well as heir friendly atmosphere as key elements of their success.
“Our coffee is what we offer, and that’s what we’re known for, and that’s what we have a reputation for.”
He added: “I recently put Little Lane into a search engine to see what comes up on it. One of the things that came back is that we are a very accepting and alternative space.”
“I don’t think we ever set out to be that. We just want to be inclusive of anybody and everybody, regardless of what denomination you are, what sexuality you are, whatever. You are welcome and that was it.”
Standing on Abbeygate Street, a customer can be at the counter of one of four specialty coffee shops within seconds, including Little Lane. However, Graham said there is a “lovely camaraderie” between coffee shops.
Graham said: “Our honest opinion is, you’ll always get a little bit nervous about something opening next to you, there will always be some nervousness around it. However, it brings more business to the street, and the street then becomes a niche for specialty coffee.”
He added: “There is a lovely camaraderie about it because we’re all kind of doing the same thing. We’re all looking at each other to see what we’re doing but we all have our own unique footprint in terms of what we do.”
It would be often Graham calls into these other shops after early morning runs and errands because “the reality is they’re not really competitors,” he said.
“It’s like a coffee community,” he added.
“The week that we opened [the Bonham Quay location], pretty much every other specialty shop came to see and show support. Not just the other businesses, but their staff too.”
But one of the toughest battles remaining for coffee shops, and businesses throughout Galway, is the cost of doing business, Ms Ronan said. Ninety-three per cent of Galway Chamber members are SMEs that face “layers upon layers” of costs, she said.
Aside from that, the coffee world continues to thrive “as a consequence of people living here, working here, and visiting here, and studying here,” Ms Ronan said.
She added: “I always believe that a business that controls their costs, looks at sustainable business measures, is working in the environs of their business, joining their chamber, being part of a network, working collectively even with their competitors to show the culture - are the ones that thrive and survive.”