Heritage Week 2026: A Celebration in Pictures

Galway Civic Trust – A Celebration of Heritage 2026

Heritage Week 2026 was a wonderful opportunity for Galway Civic Trust to celebrate the many different forms of heritage that make our city and region so special.

From historic buildings and archaeological sites to waterways, military history, scientific collections, music, poetry, storytelling and the memories of local people, our programme explored heritage in all its richness and variety. With this year’s wider theme of “Heritage at Risk”, we were also reminded of the importance of protecting these things for future generations.

Over the course of Heritage Week, Galway Civic Trust hosted and participated in a diverse programme of events and visits. We explored the history of computing and communications at the Computer and Communications Museum; welcomed visitors to a medieval event at the Hall of the Red Earl; and discovered the fascinating Zoology and Geology collections at University of Galway.

We also had the opportunity to visit Renmore Barracks and learn more about an important part of Galway’s military heritage. On the waterways, Ian Brophy led the Peadar O’Dowd Memorial Waterways Tour, exploring the history of Galway’s waterways while remembering the contribution of the late Peadar O’Dowd to the appreciation and preservation of Galway’s heritage.

Heritage Week was also about Galway’s living heritage. The Hall of the Red Earl became a venue for poetry with Skylight47, while our programme of talks at the Mick Lally Theatre brought together speakers exploring subjects ranging from Galway’s religious orders and the Great Famine to the history of the Hall of the Red Earl, folklore, storytelling and the preservation of personal archives.

And, of course, there was music. Our evening concert at the Mick Lally Theatre brought performers and audiences together in a lively celebration of Galway’s musical traditions and contemporary cultural life.

We would like to thank all of the speakers, guides, performers, volunteers, partner organisations and, most importantly, everyone who came along and took part. Their enthusiasm and support helped make Heritage Week 2026 a memorable celebration of Galway’s past, present and future.

The photographs and videos below provide a glimpse of some of the people, places, performances and moments that made the week special.

Heritage is not simply something we inherit. It is something we experience, share, protect and pass on.

We hope you enjoy looking back at Galway Civic Trust – A Celebration of Heritage 2026.