The thirtieth anniversary showing of a seminal TV documentary, live music and explaining a unique flag display will all form part of this month’s evening entertainments at Galway City Museum on Thursday, September 24.
A full and free programme of immersive music performances, talks, workshops and other evening events will run at Galway City Museum on the last Thursday of each month until December 2026.
Galway City Museum last week announced its Museum Lates, an initiative funded through the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport’s ‘After Hours at the Museum’ scheme.
With support from Galway City Council, all events will all take place after 5pm.
Museum Lates is designed to support a thriving, diverse, and accessible evening-time cultural offering in the heart of the city. The programme also strengthens Galway’s tourism appeal by extending cultural activity into the evening, encouraging visitors to stay longer in the city centre and experience Galway’s heritage and creativity after dark.
Running the last Thursday of the month from 5pm to 9pm, Museum Lates invites the public to explore Galway City Museum’s exhibitions after hours, while enjoying immersive musical performances talks, workshops, performances, and community events.
On Thursday, September 24, visitors and the public can enjoy a triple bill with a screening, talk and music.
At 6pm there will be a screening and discussion of the landmark documentary Dear Daughter. First broadcast in 1996, it was the first televised documentary to expose the abuse of children in Ireland’s industrial schools and played a significant role in bringing survivors’ experiences into public consciousness.
Downstairs, in the ground-floor galleries, from 6pm visitors can meet the artists behind a new, public art flag display on Druid Lane for the 2026 Architecture at the Edge Festival. The artists’ vibrant designs entitled ‘14 Flags of Belonging’ will adorn the Galway skies or ten days from September 17.
Olan Monk will take the stage in the groundfloor galleries from 7.30pm for a special, immersive performance.
Monk is a musician, performer and writer from Cois Fharraige whose practice involves experimental and popular songwriting, performing as a solo act, and in collaboration with other musicians, including recordings and performances with Actress, Ashley Paul, Elvin Brandhi, James K, Maria Somerville, Michael Speers, Moin, Princ€ss and Shampain.
From October to December, Museum Lates sessions will feature an exciting array of performers experimenting and reimagining tradition, including musicians and artists Cathedral, Ceara Conway, and Risteárd Ó hAodha. These performances will transform the museum space, creating a unique sensory experience where music and heritage intersect in unexpected and memorable ways.
Alongside this programme of events, visitors can explore Galway City Museum’s rich and diverse exhibitions, spanning history, culture, and science, including Survivor Stories: Tuam and Ireland’s Institutional Past, Richard Joyce: Galway Silver, Surrounded by Stone, Keepers of the Gael, Revolution in Galway, The Claddagh, Galway Hooker, Earth Action, Sea Science, and Superhuman.
For more information on the Museum Lates programme of events and activities, see GalwayCityMuseum.ie and ThisIsGalway/GalwayByNight
