Recording Galway

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight contributors, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  In this episode Mary Cunningham discusses Brother Paul O'Connor and the Orphans' Breakfast Institute which he establis...

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight speakers, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley's account of the conditions in St Joseph's Industrial School, Salthill and the abuse experienced by...

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight speakers, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  In this episode Dr Conall Ó Fatharta gives an account of the neglect experienced by the children in St Anne’s Industrial School, Len...

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight speakers, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments .  In this episode Dr Clarke gives an account of the system that prevailed in the Galway workhouse established in 1842.   Sorcha is a...

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight speakers, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  Dr Lorraine Grimes tells us that the original Galway Magdalen Asylum, founded in 1824, was located in Lombard street. She outlines h...

Recorded on Culture Night 2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight speakers, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  Dr Geraldine Curtin describes conditions for children in Galway gaol in the nineteenth century, giving details on some of those comm...

Recorded on Culture Night  2026 in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight contributors, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  Dr John Cunningham speaks about The Mendicity Institute - an institution established in 1824 for the purpose of stamping out be...

Recorded on Culture Night  2026, in challenging weather conditions, the historical tour of Galway, featuring eight contributors, focused on various institutions that operated in the city with the emphasis on the lived experience of people confined in these establishments.  Brendan, the Galway City Museum Education and Outreach Officer, discusses some Ó Conaire stories which demonstrate the Galway...

Send us Fan Mail This documentary was broadcast on Galway Bay FM on March 29, 2024 The title  is taken from a headline in the Irish Press announcing the opening of a hat factory in Galway in 1938. Established by Jewish refugees Les Modes Modernes employed approximately 250 throughout the 40s and 50s. It continued to operate on a smaller scale until 1972. Employees from the 40s describe the working...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Brendan McGowan is one of eight talks delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Brendan speaks about the life and work of Ó Conaire, the sculptor, the commissioning and unveiling of the statue, and its impact in Galway. Brendan McGowan...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Brendan O'Mahony is one of eight delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Brendan talks about the founder of Irish republicanism Theobald Wolfe Tone, his connection with Galway, and the circumstances surrounding the naming of the...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Gary McMahon is one of eight delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Gary McMahon talks about the memorialisation of JFK in Eyre Square, in particular the bust by local sculptor Albert O'Toole marking the US president's visi...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Mary Cunningham is one of eight talks delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  The subject here is the Domincan priest Fr. Tom Burke who was famed for his remarkable oratory skills. His ability earned him the title 'Prince of Prea...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Mary Harris is one of eight talks delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Mary's subject is Liam Mellows whose statue is located in Eyre Square. She speaks about his activity during the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by John Cunningham is one of eight delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  John talks about some of those remembered in Eyre Square, with a focus on the monument to Lord Dunkellin by the noted sculptor, John Henry Foley. Unveiled in 1873...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Sarah-Anne Buckley is one of eight delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Sarah-Anne's topic is the memorial to the Magdalen Women - The Final Journey Statue - at the site of the former Magdalen Laundry on Forster Street. The me...

Send us Fan Mail This short talk by Jonathan Hannon is one of eight delivered on a walk through Galway on Culture Night, 19 September 2025. The focus was on the individuals remembered in statues and public spaces around the city centre.  Jonathan talks about the bronze statue of Oscar Wilde and Eduard Vilde, gifted to Galway in 2004 by Estonia to mark its accession to the European Union.  Dr Jonat...

Send us Fan Mail Anne Miller born and raised in Galway city. She remembers seeing Galway Hooker boats at Cruinniú na mBád in Kinvara.  She responded to an advertisement in the Advertiser for the introduction course. Her standout moments include the Cong to Galway race and the joyful experience of sailing alongside dolphins 

Send us Fan Mail This is a recording of a walking tour through the streets of Galway where eight speakers give an account, at appropriate locations, of incidents or issues related to the arts which were the cause of some controversy in the past.  SELECT CHAPTERS  above to access individual contributions. The tour was co-ordinated  by Dr John Cunningham and Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley of the University o...

Send us Fan Mail This documentary was broadcast on Galway Bay FM on September 17, 2021 and was part of the online programme for Culture Night that year. It has interviews with Maude O'Donohoe and Jane Hogan who have fond memories of swimming at Salthill, Galway in the sixties. They reveal the rules that were in place at the behest of the local bishops in relation to where people could swim. B...

Send us Fan Mail This is a recording of a walking tour through the streets of Galway focusing on aspects of the history of theatre in the city. It was recorded live on 19 October 2023. There are nine speakers introduced by  John Cunningham, each of whom share interesting stories on their specific topics at significant sites.  Click on chapters above to access individual contributions.   The tour w...

Send us Fan Mail This provides an overview of the activities of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club and gives an account of the restoration of  Loveen   a  hooker boat built in 1925 https://www.galwayhookersailingclub.ie/. The club focusses on restoring and sailing boats used traditionally by communities off the coast of counties Galway and Clare in the west of Ireland. Club members speak about the his...

Send us Fan Mail This tells the story of my efforts to home 5 kittens born in my back garden and my involvement in a humane approach to controlling the feral cat population in my area . During this journey I came in contact with Galway Cat Rescue- a non-profit organisation devoted to cat welfare. Thanks to volunteer Jeanette the 5 kittens were neutered/ spayed along with the mother cat and a numbe...

Send us Fan Mail Martin, a geologist based in the university, is from Toulouse. His family background in sailing has helped him get to grips with sailing Hooker boats. 

Send us Fan Mail Maria, a primary school teacher,  is from Cork. She came to Galway  while on a career break from teaching. The plan for the career break was to go travelling but Covid 19 put a stop to that. The alternative was to learn to sail and she certainly has done that.