Galway City Museum

Description

The former Galway City Museum, situated in Comerford House, adjacent to the Spanish Arch, was first established in 1971 and had been home to the artist Clare Sheridan. The repository began with a residual collection of medieval stones, which Sheridan had acquired from the city. The original museum closed in 2004 and was replaced by a new purpose-built museum close to Comerford House.

The new Galway City Museum was officially opened in April 2007. The building was designed by the Office of Public Works and is a Galway City Council initiative to advance the cultural and heritage life of Galway City.

Galway City Museum is a collecting institution – this means that it collects objects and material that relate to Galway, the city and it’s people, past and present. The collection currently comprises over 1,000 objects, most of which have been kindly donated by the people of Galway over the past 40 years. Part of the collection is on display and you will see it as you navigate through the museum. Those objects not on display form our reserve collection, and are kept in our stores.

Ranked the 11th most popular free tourist attraction in Ireland.

Current Exhibitions

Galway City Museum has three floors of galleries currently housing seven long-term exhibitions and two temporary exhibitions. These exhibitions explore themes of archaeology, history and sea science with a particular focus on Galway.  Admission to all is free.

• Prehistoric Galway: Routes To The Past

• Medieval Galway: Galway Within The Walls

• Pádraic Ó Conaire: Man & Statue

• Galway GAA : The-Three-In-A-Row, 1964-66

• Galway & The Great War

• Revolution in Galway, 1913-23

• The Galway Hooker

• Sea Science – The Wild Atlantic