Recent Highlights at the Hall of the Red Earl

Over the past months, the Hall of the Red Earl has been buzzing with creativity, storytelling, and community — hosting a series of remarkable events that celebrated art in all its forms.

In April 2025, visitors were invited to step inside The Telephone Exchange, a unique digital literary installation created exclusively for the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. Within custom-designed listening booths, guests dialled into worlds of imagination — from Alchemy to City of Dreams, Regret, Revenge, and beyond — and heard new works by some of Ireland’s most exciting contemporary writers. The project, devised and produced by Orla Higgins, blended technology and storytelling in an intimate and immersive way, turning the Hall into a space where words came alive at the touch of a button.

Earlier in the year, the Irish Patchwork Society (Western Branch) presented Quilt Exhibition: “Ireland”, a vibrant showcase of textile artistry celebrating Irish identity, landscape, and creativity. Each quilt told its own story — woven with colour, craft, and connection — and together they formed a moving tribute to Ireland through the eyes (and hands) of its makers.

Adding to the tapestry of artistic encounters, the Urban Sketchers brought their sketchpads and pencils to Druid Lane and the Hall itself, capturing the life and character of the space in real time. Their visit offered a new perspective on the historic site — one where architecture, atmosphere, and artistic curiosity met on the page.

From sound to stitch to sketch, these events highlight the Hall of the Red Earl as a living hub of Galway’s cultural life — a place where stories, in all their forms, continue to be shared, shaped, and celebrated.