Surrounded by Stone
Galway's stone monuments from 1100 BC to AD 1750, from the Aran Islands' forts and early monastic sites to the carved medieval city. Objects include late Bronze Age rings found at Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór.
Galway City Museum
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About
A free, three-floor museum on Galway's waterfront, right beside the Spanish Arch, telling the city's story through medieval treasures, 1916 films, the Claddagh and the sea.
Things to Do
Keepers of the Gael
Gaelic society between 1200 and 1600 AD, explored through the learned families of historians, lawyers, physicians, poets and musicians. Artefacts and interactives cover customs, lordships, landscape and the sea-lords of the west.
Revolution in Galway, 1913-23
Galway's role in the events that shaped modern Ireland, from the Home Rule crisis to the 1916 Rising in the west. Films, photographs and documents are supplemented by the exhibition films available online.
Museum highlights
Track down the star objects across the levels: the statue of Irish-language writer Pádraic Ó Conaire, the ornate Great Mace of 1710, a rare hexagonal Penfold post box, a 4th-century reliquary and the oldest known Claddagh Ring.
The Claddagh
Paintings, sketches and photographs of the old Claddagh fishing village and the Spanish Arch fishmarket between the 1820s and 1930s, plus a short film on the village before its 1930s demolition.
Earth Action
On the top floor, this exhibition turns climate anxiety into action through science, artworks by Róisín Coyle and an immersive audio-visual installation, covering rising sea levels, tree planting and the circular economy.
Families and the Sensory Space
Free downloadable activity sheets, a Tiny Treasure Hunt, colouring pages and a Sensory Space in the Monument exhibition keep younger visitors busy. Lifts, ramps and wide doors take pushchairs easily.
Corrib Walking Trail
Take the self-guided Corrib: Myth, Legend & Folklore route, a 6 km walk of roughly 1 hour 35 minutes along the river and bay, linking real sites to the stories in the museum's online exhibition.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am–5pm; Sundays (Easter to mid-September) 12pm–5pm. Galleries close at 4:45pm. Closed Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day, St Patrick's Day and Good Friday.
- Admission: Free entry; suggested donation €5
- Parking: No parking at the museum. Paid parking is available in the Jury's Inn carpark across from the museum and on Merchant's Road, with accessible spaces at both. There is a passenger drop-off area at Spanish Parade.
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