The Claddagh village, which lends its name to the famous ring, developed on the western shore of the mouth of the River Corrib, outside the walls of medieval Galway. This village of small, thatched houses occupied by Irish-speaking fishermen and their families, and headed by an elected mayor or king, played an important role in …

ILLUSTRATED TALK: The Claddagh – A Triumph of Unconscious Beauty Read More »

St Gobnait – who, legend has it, once lived on Inis Oírr (Inisheer) – is the patron saint of bees and beekeeping. Unlike most Christian saints, there is no hagiography written on St Gobnait, and so much of what we know comes from folklore. Learn about the miracles, places and objects associated with St Gobnait …

ILLUSTRATED TALK: St Gobnait and the Folklore of Bees Read More »

Join Brendan McGowan, Education Officer at Galway City Museum, as he shares and discusses some late nineteenth and early twentieth century photographs of Galway from the Lawrence Collection at the National Library of Ireland and from Chetham’s Library in Manchester.   As part of its outreach programme, Galway City Museum has curated a series of …

ILLUSTRATED TALK: Galway in Old Photos Read More »

One of the major pilgrimages of the medieval Christian world, the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St James) is a network of routeways that lead to the shrine of St James the Apostle in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia in northwest Spain. Join Dr Bernadette Cunningham, author of Medieval Irish Pilgrims to …

ILLUSTRATED TALK: Medieval Pilgrims from Galway to Santiago de Compostela Read More »