The Irish have played a major role in the British army from the late 1700s up to Independence and even beyond, fighting in the Napoleonic Wars, the Afghan War, the Crimean War, the South African Wars, World War I, and World War II.
The Connaught Rangers were stationed in Renmore and drew many of the men from their ranks from Galway and the west of Ireland, while Galwegians served in many land and naval regiments in many of the major conflicts of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Now a new exhibition will reveal the stories of these Galwaymen who fought and died in the wars. Galway And The Wars Of Empire will be officially launched in the Galway City Museum today at 6pm. It will be officially launched by Dr Gerry Moran of the NUI, Galway History Department.
The exhibition is a retrospective view of Galway’s involvement in imperial wars from 1796 to 1922. It will focus primarily on the socio-economic effects of war on the population of Galway city and county.
The exhibition features primary sources such as oral testimonies, letters, and artefacts, along with folk, literary, and original art from the era. The exhibition has been curated by Damien Quinn who said he has been amazed and delighted by the numbers of people who have come forward to share their stories, many for the first time.
As well as featuring the stories of Galwegians who fought in the wars it will also contain stories from many Galwegians whose relatives (from across Ireland ) were in the various British army regiments who saw action.
It also features objects on loan from the National Museum of Ireland, Trinity College, Renmore Barracks, National Museum of Australia, the Imperial War Museum, from individuals, and other sources.
To coincide with this new exhibition, the museum, in conjunction with the History Department of NUIG, will present a public lecture by Prof Peter Putnis, from the University of Canberra, Australia on Tuesday December 1 at 6pm. The lecture will be about the Australian army (a quarter of whom were Irish ) and it’s first participation in the war in Sudan in 1885.
The lecture is free of charge and seats can be reserved by booking 091 - 536460. The exhibition, Galway and the Wars of Empire, will run for the next year on the second floor of Galway City Museum. The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and admission is free.
