"The Galway Shawl" is a traditional Irish folk song about a traveling musician who has a brief, intense encounter with a beautiful but unadorned young woman in Oranmore, Galway. The song's meaning centers on themes of beauty, natural simplicity, and enduring love, as symbolized by the modest Galway shawl itself. The musician is smitten with the girl's natural charm and skills, playing music for her and her family, but leaves the next day for Donegal, unable to forget her and leaving his heart wi