Galway City Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Galway City Museum

Established	2006
Location	Spanish Arch, Galway, Ireland
Type	Local Authority Museum
Visitors	161,558 (2011)

The Galway City Museum (which is Músaem Cathrach na Gaillimhe in Irish) is a cool place to visit in Galway City, County Galway, Ireland. It first opened its doors on July 29, 2006. You can find it right next to the famous Spanish Arch.

The historic Spanish Arch in Galway.

Discovering the Museum's Past

How the Museum Started

The Galway City Museum actually began way back in 1976. Its first home was a building called Comerford House. Before the museum, this house belonged to an artist named Clare Sheridan.

The museum started with a small collection of old medieval stones from the city. Over time, it grew to include items about everyday life, old industries, and military history.

Comerford House: The First Home

Comerford House is a very old building, built around 1800. The Comerford family gave it to the Galway City Council for community use. The artist Clare Sheridan lived there from 1948 to 1954. She was even a cousin of the famous Winston Churchill!

After being used as city offices, Comerford House became the first Galway City Museum in 1976. This original museum closed in 2004.

View of Comerford House and the Spanish Arch, next to the River Corrib.

A Brand New Building for the Museum

In April 2007, a new, specially built museum opened. It's located right behind the old Comerford House. The new building was a project by the Galway City Council to boost culture and heritage in Galway.

Architects Ciaran O’Connor and Ger Harvey designed the building. It sits along the River Corrib next to the Spanish Arch. This arch is a protected monument and was once part of Galway's old city walls. The museum's design created a public space between the museum and the arch. This area is sometimes used for city events.

A partial view of the Galway City Museum from the Spanish Arch.

The museum building has an 'L' shape and is three stories tall. This helps it fit in with the other buildings nearby. The project finished in 2006 and cost about €6.89 million. The architects even won an award for their design!

What Can You See? The Museum's Collections

The Galway City Museum collects, saves, and shows items about Galway City's history. This includes things about Archaeology, Art, Geology, Natural History, and how people lived and worked.

When the new building opened in 2007, it took in all the items from the old museum. Most of the collection comes from the Comerford House days. This includes almost 1,000 objects collected over about 30 years!

Permanent Collections: Always on Display

• DJ Murphy Collection:
  • This collection has over 300 farm tools and industrial items. Most are from Galway County.
  • It also includes some rare items from traditional Irish country life.

• Medieval Stone Collection:
  • You can see various stone carvings and pieces of old buildings.
  • These mostly date from the 1500s and 1600s in Galway City.
  • The collection includes old fireplaces, stone brackets, and family crests.
  • Many pieces are from buildings that no longer exist. They are linked to the important families known as the Tribes of Galway.

• Galway Militia Artefacts:
  • These are objects related to the Connaught Rangers.
  • They belonged to people from Galway who fought in wars.
  • This includes wars like the Crimea War, First World War, and Second World War.

• Claddagh Collection:
  • This collection tells the story of the Claddagh village.
  • It features the traditional Claddagh apron and shawl.
  • There's also a model showing how the Claddagh village looked in the early 1900s.

• Maritime Collection:
  • See a selection of fishing boats and navigation books.
  • There's also an Aldis lamp (used for signaling) and tools from John Reney.
  • John Reney was known as the last boat builder from the Claddagh area.

• 19th and 20th Century Galway:
  • This collection has items from old shops, public houses (pubs), and businesses in Galway.
  • You can see things from Persse's Whiskey Distillery and Young's Hibernian Mineral Water Works.
  • There are also items from old clay pipe factories.

• Derek Biddulph Photographic Collection:
  • This is a series of photographs by Galway artist Derek Biddulph.
  • They show the city of Galway from the 1950s onwards.

• Art Collection:
  • See a painting called Tiger Lillies and a carving of the Madonna and Child.
  • Both are by artist Clare Sheridan, who lived in the museum's first home.
  • There's also a painting by Cecil Maguire called "Bridie and Galway John outside Kenny."

In total, the museum has about 1,000 items in its permanent collection.

Special Collections: Items on Loan

Besides its own collection, the Galway City Museum also shows items borrowed from other places. This means they don't own these items, but they get to display them for a while.

• Civic Collection:
  • This includes the Civic Sword and the Mace.
  • The sword dates back to 1610. It was a symbol of authority for the mayor.
  • The mace was made in Dublin in 1710 and given to Galway in 1712.
  • The Daly Collection has 24 paintings and 4 sculptures. These are on loan from the Peter Francis Daly estate.
  • You can see works by famous artists like John Constable and Jack Butler Yeats.
  • There's also a rare copy of a 1651 map, printed in 1901.
  • A statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire (1882–1928) is here. It was carved by Albert Power and moved from Eyre Square.
  • The Royal Arms of George III, from the early 1800s, are also on display. They used to be in the old Town Court House.

• National Museum of Ireland:
  • Many items here are from the Galway City Excavations Project (1987–1998).
  • This loan includes old coins (like Spanish, Irish, and English ones).
  • You can also see pottery, old wine bottles, and artillery like cannonballs.

• Dominican Order of Nuns, Galway:
  • This collection has church silverware and textiles from the 1700s.
  • It includes chalices (cups), candlesticks, and a host box.
  • There's also a special box for relics of St. Ursula.
  • This box was made by Richard Joyce, who many believe designed the original Claddagh ring.

A modern version of the famous Claddagh Ring.

• Sisters of Mercy, Galway:
  • This loan includes a chalice and a patton from the 1600s.
  • There's also silver cutlery from the 1800s.
  • This cutlery was given to the Sisters of Mercy by a popular figure named Fr. Daly.

• Other Loans:
  • The museum also displays various objects borrowed from individual people.

In total, the museum has about 90 items on loan.

Exploring the Exhibitions

The museum offers both permanent and temporary exhibitions.

• Permanent Exhibitions:

* Routes to the Past: Learn about Pre-Historic Galway. * Galway Within the Walls: Explore Medieval Galway. * Pádraic Ó Conaire: Man and Statue: Discover the story of this famous writer. * Dance Hall Days: Experience the fun of old dance halls. * Cinema in Galway: See how movies came to Galway. * Galway and the Wars of Empire: Learn about Galway's role in past wars.

• Temporary Exhibitions:

* These change regularly. Past ones have included art by Jack B. Yeats and exhibitions about water heritage.

National Museum Status

In February 2010, the Galway City Museum received a special status. It became a "designated" museum under the National Cultural Institutions Act. This means it's recognized as an important museum in Ireland. This status also allows the museum to keep archaeological objects for the Irish State.