The Team at the Galway City Museum would like to thank all our visitors for their support during 2021. We look forward to seeing you over the Christmas break. Please note our Christmas and New Year opening times below and read about our latest exhibition developments and ongoing outreach projects. Have a safe, healthy and happy Christmas. Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir.
Christmas & New Years Opening Times
Thursday 23 December OPEN 10.00A.M.-4.45P.M.
Friday 24 December to Wednesday 29 December CLOSED
Thursday 30 December OPEN 10.00A.M.-12.45P.M.
Friday 31 December OPEN 10.00A.M.-12.45P.M.
Normal opening times resume Tuesday 4 January 2022.
Exhibitions
We have a brand new exhibition, Old Galway in Colour created in collaboration with Prof. John Breslin and Dr. Sarah-Anne Buckley of NUI Galway. The exhibition is a spin-off of their sell out books Old Ireland in Colour and features old black and white photos of Galway dating from the 1890s to the 1950s that were colourised using the latest in A.I. technology.
Old Galway in Colour L: Photo taken by Elinor Wiltshire of two Mincéir boys from the Sheridan and O’Brien families, Loughrea, 1954. R.: A Bianconi mail car makes its way from William Street towards Shop Street. Photos courtesy of the National Library of Ireland and colourised by John Breslin.
Other current exhibitions include MONUMENT (developed in partnership with Galway 2020); Keepers of the Gael | Caomhnóirí na nGael; Revolution in Galway, 1913-23 and The Galway Hooker. The team recently upgraded The Wild Atlantic – Sea Science exhibition developed in collaboration with the Marine Institute, and added a new Claddagh Fishing Village model created by Crowley Model makers and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and Galway City Council. The model is currently on display in the Claddagh exhibition A Triumph of Unconscious Beauty – Images of the Claddagh which overlooks the modern day Claddagh from the top floor gallery.
MONUMENT exhibition Keepers of the Gael exhibition
Community Projects
Ongoing Community Projects include Treaty 100 / Conradh 100 which marks the centenary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Galway City Museum are engaging five local groups, Moycullen Heritage; Westside Resource Centre; Annaghdown Heritage Society; Galway City, Comhairle na nÓg and NUI Galway Mincéirs Whiden Society to explore ten influential figures, with connections to Galway, who supported or opposed the Treaty, and the reasons for their historic decision. The figures will include Galway’s seven Sinn Féin TDs (Pádraic Ó Máille, Liam Mellows, Brian Cusack, Frank Fahy, Joseph Whelehan, George Nicolls, and Patrick Hogan), Ada English (NUI), Alice Cashel (Galway Co. Co.) and Thomas Gilmartin (Archbishop of Tuam), five of whom supported the Treaty and five of whom opposed it. The project output will form the basis of an add-on element to the Museum’s Revolution in Galway, 1913-23 exhibition and an online exhibition. It forms part of Galway City Council’s Decade of Centenaries Programme 2021, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
Keepsakes Project Treaty 100 Project
Among the other Community Projects engaged in during 2021 were Keepsakes and Misleór. Through the Keepsakes project, supported by the Communities Integration Fund 2020, Galway City Museum reached out to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees based in Galway in order to explore their stories through the keepsakes they hold dear. The range of objects chosen by participants forms an online exhibition and publication which can be viewed on the museum website HERE.
The MISLEÓR Festival of nomadic cultures presented by the Galway Traveller Movement took place at Galway City Museum on Saturday 23 October. A broad range of objects reflecting traveller culture were placed on display and can be seen in the museum foyer.
Galway City Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday on four daily timeslots; 10am, 11:30am, 2:00pm and 3:30pm. Admission is FREE but visitors need to book their tickets HERE. Tickets must be presented either in printed format or on mobile phones at the main entrance to the museum. Social distancing and health and safety protocols are in place to ensure everyone can enjoy the exhibitions in a safe and comfortable environment.
For further information contact museum@galwaycity.ie or phone +353 (0)91 532 460.
