Every July, the Galway International Arts Festival takes over the city for two weeks. There are fantastic cultural events happening on every street, and all of Galway is buzzing. The excitement is infectious, and suddenly the list of things you want to see is as long as your arm!
Then you remember you don’t have any money.
Have no fear, my penniless friends! The 2019 Galway International Arts Festival has lots of free events. There are free events in every category (except theatre, but we won’t talk about that), and I’ve put together a handy list so you can see them all.
Visual Art
Event: In The Flesh
Artist: Sam Jinks
Venue: Festival Gallery, William St.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6 pm. Open until 8 pm Thursday – Sunday.
In The Flesh is an exhibition by Australian sculptor, Sam Jinks. The exhibition showcases hyper-realistic representations of the human body using materials such as silicone, fibreglass, and human hair.
Event: Gathered from the Earth
Artist: Joe Hogan
Venue: Kenny Gallery, Liosbán Retail Park.
Dates: 15 – 27 July, 9 am – 5 pm. Closed Sunday 21 July.
Joe Hogan is an Irish artist with an international reputation for creating beautiful willow baskets. Gathered from the Earth features some of his work that has been inspired by the landscape of Galway. His work features a variety of natural materials that he harvests himself.
Event: imPRESSions
Artist: Various artists
Venue: Cluain Mhuire Centre for the Creative Arts and Media, GMIT.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6 pm.
imPRESSions is an open-call exhibition of prints, the first and largest of its kind in Ireland. This year’s exhibition has been adjudicated by Ian Ritchie, an architect best known for designing The Spire in Dublin.
Event: Making Space
Artist: Chloe Brenan, Jane Cassidy, Louise Manifold, Treasa O’Brien.
Venue: Galway Arts Centre, Dominick St.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 10 am – 5.30 pm.
Making Space is part of the Royal Astronomical Society’s 2020 bicentennial celebrations, the only project of its kind in Ireland. The exhibition was created by four researchers from NUI Galway’s Centre of Astronomy.
Event: Placing Home: Hidden Stories
Artist: Sarah Hickson
Venue: O’ Donoghue Centre, NUI Galway.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6pm. Open until 8 pm Thursday – Sunday.
Placing Home: Hidden Stories is a photography exhibition that explores the relationship between people and places. Photographer Sarah Hickson was commissioned by the Arts Festival to work with current and previous residents of Galway’s direct provision centre.
Event: Reforming
Artist: Diana Copperwhite, Ciara Barker.
Venue: 126 Artist-Run Gallery, Woodquay.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6 pm.
Reforming is a duo exhibition, featuring painting by Diana Copperwhite and installation by Ciara Barker. The works focus on themes such as reality, abstraction, and sense of space.
Event: The Paralleled Mind
Artist: Annlin Chao
Venue: O’ Donoghue Centre, NUI Galway.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6 pm. Open until 8 pm Thursday – Sunday.
The Paralleled Mind is a multi-media exhibition by Taiwanese artist Annlin Chao. The works shown explore the idea of the authentic self, blurring the lines between real and surreal.
Event: 6SKIN
Artist: Alice Maher, Aideen Barry.
Venue: O’ Donoghue Centre, NUI Galway.
Dates: 15 – 28 July, 11 am – 6 pm. Open until 8 pm Thursday – Sunday.
6SKIN is a film exhibition that uses sound, images, animation, and dance to immerse and entertain.
Music
Event: Pianocean
Artist: Marieke Huysmans
Venue: The Docks
Dates: 20 – 27 July, 3 pm and 5 pm daily.
Pianocean is an international project by sailor and musician Marieke Huysmans. Marieke is sailing around the world, giving free performances in ports as she travels.
Talks
Event: The Next Generation and Climate Change
Speakers: Eamon Ryan, Galway students.
Venue: Aula Maxima, NUI Galway.
Date: 27 July, 10 am.
The Next Generation and Climate Change is a speaking event led by TD and Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan. Mr. Ryan will be speaking to Galway students who recently demonstrated for climate change action. This event is free, but you still need to book tickets to enter.
Outdoor events
Event: The Festival Garden
Venue: Eyre Square
Dates: 17 – 28 July, 11 am – 10 pm.
The Festival Garden will take over Eyre Square for the majority of the 2019 Galway International Arts Festival. Enjoy the happy atmosphere and grab some treats from local businesses.
Event: The People Build
Artist: Olivier Grossetê
Venue: Eyre Square
Dates: Construction: 19 July, 11 am – 4 pm. Demolition: 21 July, 4 pm.
The People Build is an interactive public exhibition that has been a part of the Galway International Arts Festival since 2017. Members of the public help to construct a gigantic cardboard structure, and then demolish it a few days later.
Event: Behind The Scenes
Artist: Les P’Tits Bras
Venue: Eyre Square
Dates: 19 – 21 July, 2 pm daily.
Behind The Scenes is an acrobatic show performed by French company Les P’Tits Bras. Fantastic physical feats are combined with a great score and art nouveau set to create a circus extravaganza.
One last free event you can enjoy is The Festival Club, a nightly party in the Galway Rowing Club. Every night from 10 pm to 2.30 am, you can mingle with performers, volunteers and audience members. It’s a great way to round off a day of culture.
Of course, there are lots of fantastic paid events at the 2019 Galway international Arts Festival. Whether you go to one event or twenty, I hope you have lots of fun at this year’s festival. I’ll have another list of free events next year, so make sure to check back next July!
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