Accessibility

Please note, quieter times will vary. If you have any queries or concerns please get in touch: museum@galwaycity.ie .

See our Sensory Space in the Monument exhibition.

The Museum can sometimes be crowded and noisy.

The quietest times to visit the Museum are when the galleries first open between 10.00 and 11.00 and again in the afternoon after 16.00. Please remember that the Museum closes at 5pm.

The middle of the day is usually the busiest time of the day in the Museum.

Our busiest days are at weekends, during school holidays, bank holidays, Christmas and the New Year.

Our permanent galleries can get particularly busy during the first and final weekends of a special exhibition. Check our WHAT’S ON page when planning your visit.

The quietest time of the year tends to be November and early December.

For more information go to PLAN YOUR VISIT.

Borrow a wheelchair

Manual wheelchairs are available to pre-book free of charge for your visit. These can be collected at the museum reception only and must be returned to the museum reception at the end of your visit.

If you’d like to reserve a wheelchair, please:
Email: museum@galwaycity.ie
Phone: +353 (0)91 532460

Unfortunately, the museum is unable to provide staff assistance around the museum for wheelchair users.
Wheelchairs may not be taken outside of the museum site.

Mobility Scooters

Mobility scooters are welcome and permitted inside the Museum.

If you have a Class 3 vehicle you will be asked to set the speed limiter to 4mph (6.44 km/hour).

Please remember to reduce your speed accordingly in congested areas or to adjust to others who may not be able to move out of your way quickly.

Assistance and alarms

If you need assistance during your visit, staff members will be able to help you:

• There are volunteers occupying various posts throughout the galleries.
• You can also ask for assistance at the main entrance where the reception is located.

Large print labels for visually impaired

Galway City Museum is cognisant of the fact that low-light levels in museum galleries, which are necessary to protect light-sensitive objects, can make it difficult for the visually impaired and for older visitors to read labels about the objects on display. It’s a fine balance. While light is important for examining and enjoying museum objects, it can also be damaging to objects; and it must be remembered that the damage can never be undone.

So, starting with the Keepers of the Gael exhibition, its darkest gallery, Galway City Museum has developed new booklets containing large-font, high-contrast labels, based on guidelines and advice from the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI):

• Font: Calibri (black on white)
• Titles: 36 point
• Main Text: 22 point
• Spacing: 1.5
• Alignment: Left-justified

Copies are now available from reception and at the entrances to the Keepers of the Gael exhibition. They will soon be available for other exhibitions too.

As background, Museums strive for light levels in the region of 50 lux (c. 5 footcandles), which is usually recommended for reasons of conservation as the appropriate light level for sensitive materials. These levels must be achieved in order to borrow collections from national institutions, such as the National Museum of Ireland or the Royal Irish Academy. Galway City Museum achieves these light levels by removing natural light, controlling artificial light and continued monitoring.

The human visual system takes time to adapt between changes in light level, such as between full daylight outside the museum and comparatively low-level lighting within the museum’s galleries. While initial adaption can take up to 30 seconds, full adaption can take up to 30 minutes. It is generally recommended that comfortable adaptation be managed by allowing for adaptation through progressively lower level spaces. At Galway City Museum, visitors move from the bright outdoor courtyard, to the well-lit reception area and Monument exhibition (which does not contain light-sensitive objects) before proceeding to the darker gallery spaces, Keepers of the Gael and Revolution in Galway, 1913-23.  

Galway City Museum continuously seeks to improve its facilities and amenities by welcoming suggestions on how to improve its services: (091) 5323460  / museum@galwaycity.ie

Info from The Manual of Museum Exhibitions (2001), edited by Barry Lord and Gail Dexter Lord.

Lift to galleries

There is a lift on the ground floor that provides access to the first and second floor galleries.

Accessible toilet

We have one accessible toilet on site which is located on the ground floor close to the museum reception.

Seating

There is seating throughout the building in the galleries and on both of the landing areas on first and second floor. Should you or your party require additional seating please ask at reception.

Guide, assistance and companion animals

Guide, assistance and companion animals are welcome at the museum and must be kept with owners at all times.

Alarms

It is unlikely that an alarm will sound during your visit. If one does, please don’t worry – just follow any instructions you are given by members of staff and make your way to the nearest exit.