The brittle starAmphiura filiformisis a dominant infaunal species in a silty‐sand community in Galway Bay (west coast of Ireland). The species has been studied since the 1970s at the “Margaretta Station” in Galway Bay, where high‐density populations have been revealed. In previous works at Margaretta Station, recruitment was found to be almost absent, with adults accounting for more than 90% of the populations. The present study shows the occurrence of an annual recruitment in the autumn period, and of a disturbance related recruitment, occurring after a powerful storm. The detection of an annual recruitment might be due to the efficacy of the actual sampling method. Rare events such as heavy storms affect the recruitment pattern, increasing the number of juveniles settling, thanks to a displacement of juveniles which had already settled elsewhere, but then arrived at Margaretta Station by means of a characteristic water circulation system.