Galway Civic Trust / Dúchas na Gaillimhe is inviting the public to explore, discover and celebrate Galway’s rich heritage during the 2026 National Heritage Week 2026, from this Saturday, August 15 to August 23.
With this year’s theme focusing on ‘Heritage at risk’ Galway Civic Trust has put together a diverse programme of events exploring the city’s buildings, archaeology, waterways, stories, traditions, natural heritage and community memory.
A particular highlight will be on Saturday, August 22, when the Trust presents a celebration of local heritage, comprising a full day of talks, film, storytelling, living history, exhibitions and music at the Mick Lally Theatre, Hall of the Red Earl and Peadar O’Dowd Gallery on Druid Lane.
The programme reflects the breadth of Galway’s heritage and the work of the Trust in protecting and promoting it. It also celebrates the legacy of the late Peadar O’Dowd (1941–2024 ), a founding member of Galway Civic Trust and a passionate historian, educator and advocate for Galway’s heritage.
The Saturday programme at the Mick Lally Theatre offers a particularly strong afternoon of history, archaeology, folklore and community heritage.
Following an opening session with Galway Civic Trust’s Declan O’Shea, the morning programme includes talks on the Religious Orders of Galway, the Great Famine in Galway, and the history of the Hall of the Red Earl, followed by a screening of the documentary Ag Trasnú An Atlantaigh Dhuibh / Crossing the Black Atlantic, telling the extraordinary story of Tom Molineaux.
The afternoon continues with historian William Henry, who will present The Famine: Galway’s Darkest Days, followed by award-winning storyteller Máirín Mhic Lochlainn, who will explore Scéalta Fiannaíochta, Folklore and Storytelling Traditions.
At 4pm, Kieran Hoare will examine the importance of preserving family and community archives in Preserving Personal Archives: Photographs, Recordings and Family History. The afternoon concludes with archaeologist John Olney of the National Monuments Service, who will discuss Balancing Progress with Protection: Planning & the Preservation of Galway’s Archaeological Heritage.
The programme provides an opportunity to consider what is at risk, what survives, and how individuals and communities can help safeguard Galway’s heritage for future generations.
Medieval Galway comes to life
Across the laneway at the Hall of the Red Earl, visitors can step directly into Galway’s medieval past during the Red Earl’s Hall Galway Medieval Show.
Running from 11am to 4pm on Saturday August 22, the event will feature living-history displays, demonstrations, talks and costumed interpreters, offering visitors the opportunity to encounter aspects of medieval life through storytelling and interaction.
For Galway Civic Trust, living history is an important way of making the city’s archaeological and architectural heritage accessible to a wider audience – particularly families and younger visitors.
The newly named Peadar O’Dowd Gallery, adjoining the Hall of the Red Earl, will also form part of the day’s programme, continuing the Trust’s commitment to exhibitions which explore Galway’s history, people and community memory.
Free city tours
One of the strongest features of Galway Civic Trust’s Heritage Week programme is its range of free guided tours, giving residents and visitors the chance to discover parts of Galway that can easily go unnoticed.
Among the highlights is a special visit to the Zoology and Geology Museums at University of Galway, where visitors can see more than 500 zoological specimens, the remarkable Blaschka glass models, live animals and collections of minerals and fossils. Places are limited and advance booking is required.
On Tuesday, August 18, historian Ian Brophy will lead a free tour of the Franciscan Abbey Church Graveyard. The secluded graveyard contains 72 memorials, many dating from the 18th century and some considerably earlier, providing a fascinating insight into Galway’s religious and social history.
Wednesday, August 19, at 2.00pm sees Ian Brophy leading The Peadar O’Dowd Memorial Waterways Tour, exploring Galway’s waterways and their connection to the life and work of the late Peadar O’Dowd.
The Trust will also offer its popular free guided walks of Medieval Galway, exploring the streets, buildings, walls and stories of Galway’s medieval city. These walks begin at the Hall of the Red Earl on Druid Lane, the Trust’s headquarters and one of Galway’s most important surviving medieval archaeological sites.
Other specialist tours during the week include visits to the Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland, the Space Exploration exhibition, St Patrick’s Garrison Church and Renmore Military Museum, and a guided nature walk exploring Galway’s natural heritage.
Poetry, stories and community memory
Heritage Week will also demonstrate that heritage is about much more than old buildings and archaeological sites.
The Trust will host a Skylight47 Poetry Reading & Open Mic, bringing contemporary poetry and community voices into the historic setting of the Hall of the Red Earl. The event provides a fitting reminder that heritage is something continually created, shared and reinterpreted by each generation.
The programme also embraces folklore, storytelling, music, personal archives and memories – recognising that the heritage of Galway lives not only in its monuments and streets, but also in the stories, songs, photographs, traditions and experiences passed between generations.
Living heritage
The Heritage Week programme concludes with an evening of music on Saturday August 22, featuring The Kelly Family, The Vibe Tones, Mick Brown, Dogz Bol Ukes and Cór na dTreabh, bringing the day to a close in a spirit of celebration and community.
