The new exhibition, Surrounded by Stone, Galway: 1100 BC – AD 1750 was last week officially launched at Galway City Museum. The opening was performed by Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland. Other speakers at the event included the Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr. Eddie Hoare, Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Leonard Cleary and the Director of the Galway City Museum, Eithne Verling.
The new exhibition features the story of the iconic stone monuments that mark Galway as a place of rich artistic and architectural vision and tradition, from 1100 BC to AD 1750.
Two new temporary exhibitions also launched on the day include Biodiversity at Merlin Park Woods, an outdoor display of photos by Galway photographer Colin Stanley and Aran Island Life: the Ritchie-Pickow Collection, an indoor display of old photographs initially acquired at the University of Galway in 1996 under the guidance of Dáibhí Ó Cróinín, Emeritus Professor of History at the time, and now displayed in the Museum foyer. Reference was also made to the relatively new SUPERHUMAN exhibition by CÚRAM exploring the exciting world of medtech innovation on the top floor gallery at Galway City Museum.
Crowds gathered at the Museum for the launch event at 1pm and were greeted with a music recital from Ukranian friends of the Museum, ‘Women for Integration and Wellbeing’. A new Ukranian photographic exhibition also opened this week in the adjoining Tourist Office at Galway City Museum, curated by Oksana Voronina with the support of Galway Volunteer Centre.
Collaborators on the Surrounded by Stone exhibition include Jim Higgins, Galway City Heritage Officer; Christy Cuniffe, Antiquarian; Claire Cotter, Archaeologist; Maeve Sikora and the conservation team at the National Museum of Ireland; Paul Walsh, Archaeologist, Michael & Clodagh Lynch, Ciaran Hoare and the James Hardiman Library, Martin Barrett, University of Galway and Lynn Mcdonnell, National Monuments Service. Exhibition partners were Alphaset, Mirador, Conservation Letterfrack and RealSim.
Museum Director, Eithne Verling thanked all involved in the exhibition including the Dominican Nuns for their generosity over the years and for the valuable donations they made to the Museum collection including a seventeenth-century wooden statue of Our Lady with the infant Jesus, known as ‘Our Lady of Galway’ and the ornate silver on display in the exhibition.
Eithne Verling also thanked Museum Volunteers for the time and support they give so generously to Galway City Museum and noting their presence onsite as ‘crucial to the smooth running of the museum service’.
Visitors can enjoy the many other established exhibitions still running at Galway City Museum which include Keepers of the Gael | Caomhnóirí na nGael; Revolution in Galway, 1913-23; The Galway Hooker; The Claddagh: A Triumph of Unconscious Beauty and The Wild Atlantic - Sea Science.
Museum opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am – 5pm and Sunday, 12pm – 5pm (April to September ). Galleries close at 4.45pm. To get the latest news on upcoming events and activities, visit www.galwaycitymuseum.ie and subscribe to the monthly newsletter or follow Galway City Museum on social media. Admission is FREE! Funded by Galway City Council.
