Easter Hours
Galway City Museum will open Sundays, 12pm – 5pm commencing Easter Sunday 5 April 2026.
Collections
Explore Collections
Explore the rich historical collections of Galway
Our museum preserves the living history of Galway. Each artifact tells a story of resilience and culture. Visitors can journey through time and connect with the city’s profound heritage.
People have always chosen to live beside rivers, lakes and the sea, as they provided sources of food and water, as well as the means to travel from one location to the next.
Little is known about Galway before the 12th century. Galway first appears in recorded history as the place where Toirdhealbhach Ó Conchobhair, king of Connacht erected a fortification at Bun Gaillimhe
As World War 1 (1914-1918) spread throughout mainland Europe from July 1914, Galway had an indirect involvement through the local Connaught Rangers depot at Renmore Barracks
Ireland has had a particularly turbulent history with its nearest neighbour, Britain. In 1913, Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, ruled from London.
Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and journalist whose production was primarily in the Irish language.
FAQs
Galway City Museum is a designated repository for objects of cultural heritage related to the history and heritage of Galway City and its people. This includes objects manufactured, used, owned or found by people in Galway City. Our Collections Policy is available on request.
In 2010 Galway City Museum received designated status under the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997, meaning that we are now legally entitled to retain archaeological objects for and on behalf of the State. All archaeological objects found with no known owner are State property and must be reported to either the National Museum of Ireland or to a designated museum. As a designated museum we are also available to provide advice on any queries related to archaeological heritage.
All museum work originates from the collections. This includes exhibitions, education/outreach programmes and publications. We have staff dedicated to the documentation of the collections, so that we can provide information about objects to other museum staff, researchers and the general public.
To donate an object you should contact the Collections Officer at the Museum. Staff may not always be available at short notice but we can take your details and the Collections Officer will contact you. Alternatively, you can drop the Collections Officer an email with an image of the object or complete the contact form below.
If you deposit an object with the Museum, you must complete an Entry Form as a receipt to ensure we have your details and gather some of the history of the object.
All potential donations are assessed by the Museum for suitability for inclusion into the Collections. It might be exactly what we are looking for if it fits in with our Collections Policy, is in good condition and has a full history. In this case it will be accepted into our permanent collections.
It might be that it would be useful for working with school groups. In this case it would form part of a ‘handling collection’.
Please bear in mind that the Museum may not be able to accept your offer for many reasons, such as the cost of maintaining and storing an object or if the Museum already has a similar object in the Collections. Please do not be offended if we cannot accept your offer.
Galway City Museum can never guarantee that any particular object will be put on display. Those objects not on display comprise our reserve collection and are kept in our stores. A museum is actually a bit like an iceberg, where you only ever see part of it. Objects in the reserve collection may however be used in future exhibitions.
Yes, we accept requests to view objects in storage. To do so, please contact the Collections Officer (email museum@galwaycity.ie) or complete the contact form below to set up an appointment. We do our best to facilitate all requests.
Galway City Museum
Collection Care
Collections Care is a vital part of the work that takes place behind-the-scenes at Galway City Museum. Proper care of the collection facilitates exhibitions, research and access to the artefacts. This work has been instrumental in Galway City Museum attaining full accreditation on the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI), an award which recognises the ultimate standard in museum practice.
Donation & Collection Enquiries
Contact Collections Officer
Please complete our contact form if you wish to donate an object to the Museum, to enquire about viewing objects in our collections or if you have information about any of our objects.