OPENING FRIDAY, MAY 9TH at 6PM AT THE KENNY GALLERY & RUNNING THROUGHOUT MAY

Step into history and visit this exhibition of over 40 photographs of Old Galway from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Following a highly successful Old Galway exhibition in 2023, Tom Kenny returns with a new collection of over 40 blown-up photographs of Old Galway, all of the city’s streets and from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The selected images—candid, unposed depictions of Galway City’s streets, markets, shops, workers, and everyday life—were sourced from Tom’s own collection, institutional archives, and personal contributions from Galwegians. They offer an intimate and unfiltered look at a city and its people, making them invaluable historical documents. Eyre Square, JFK’s visit, shop fronts, and the old barracks and railway station are some of the images featured.

Tom says, “The photographs transcend mere nostalgia, serving as vital records of Galway’s social fabric. They are key artefacts not just of our past but for Galway’s future generations.”

After 50 years of Tom Kenny’s Old Galway column in the Galway Advertiser, the exhibition revisits the photographs that have been central to his exploration of Galway’s rich social history. It also honours the memory of Tom’s late collaborator, Ronnie O’Gorman, whose contributions—through his journalism and The Old Galway Diary podcast, as well as his steadfast support of Tom’s work—have left an indelible mark on the local history of their beloved city.

Don’t miss Tom Kenny’s Old Galway – The Streets of Galway, running at The Kenny Gallery, Galway, from May 9th to June 3rd, Monday to Saturday, 9:00-17:00. Admission is free, and all are welcome!

Main image – ‘The Potato Market, the Small Crane, c.1900’ from Tom Kenny’s Old Galway exhibition