Galway City Council’s Museum Lates is part of Galway’s Night-Time Economy Programme. The initiative extends Museum opening hours on the last Thursday of every month from June to December 2026, with a free programme of immersive performances, talks, workshops and events taking place between 5pm and 9pm.

Funded through the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport’s After Hours at the Museum scheme, with support from Galway City Council, Museum Lates contributes to a thriving, diverse and accessible evening cultural offering in the heart of the city. The initiative also strengthens Galway’s tourism appeal by extending cultural activity into the evening, encouraging visitors to spend more time in the city centre and experience Galway’s heritage and creativity after dark.

Museum Lates offers a unique opportunity to explore the Museum’s collections and exhibitions outside regular opening hours while enjoying live music, engaging talks, creative workshops and community events in an exciting evening setting.

Screening of Donal Haughey’s short film, ‘The Grotto’, followed by a discussion chaired by Sarah-Anne Buckley | Education Room, 6 – 7pm

‘The Grotto’ – For the girls it was their escape from the stony, colourless yard to a place beyond the huge doors, opened by a nun, leading the girls as they filed out two by two, to this place that gave them peace, a sense of safety, where they could hear the birds sing and delight in the flower beds beside the grotto in those May evenings. For Pearl, the grotto was a place of peace, of light, of colourful flowers, that many of the girls never forgot. Pearl was three when she entered Lenaboy Industrial School, Galway, and left thirteen years later, in 1956. There were ninety girls there during Pearl’s time.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with historian Sarah-Ann Buckley, filmmaker Donal Haughey, Pearl Clarke and other participants. Donal Haughey has produced and/or directed over forty documentaries both for his own company, Hawkeye Films and as a freelancer. To date Donal has made fifteen documentaries featuring Galway City and county. A celebration of Donal’s Galway documentaries, “Galway on Film” were screened in The Town Hall, in March 2024.

Donal also mentors for Ardan’s Short Documentary Bursary, allowing him to work with a new generation of Galway documentary makers.

Music from Rattling Ark | Ground floor galleries 7 – 8.30pm
Rattling Ark is a new experimental folk project established by renowned experimental cellist Kevin Murphy along with Thomas Haugh, Lizzie Murtagh and Consuelo Breschi. Leaning in to the experimental trad/folk world the band is on the cusp of releasing their first album, combining sounds reminiscent of Pentangle, Haxan Cloak, and The Gloaming. Kevin Murphy plays the cello and sings, Thomas Haugh plays Zithers, Percussion and Electronics, Lizzi Murtough plays Cello, Shrutti Box, Keyboard and sings, while Consuelo Breschi plays fiddle and bodhrán.

Kevin is a founding member of critically acclaimed Irish experimental bands Slow Moving Clouds and Seti The First, and Blind Stitch. As a performer he has collaborated with a multitude of Irish and International musicians such as The National, Bon Iver, Jenny Lewis, Lisa Hannigan, Gavin Friday, Rick Danko Seamus Fogarty and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. He has also collaborated with Irish traditional and folk musicians such as John Spillane, Cathy Jordan, Phil Callery Iarla O Lionáird, Úna Monaghan and Ger Wolfe in live settings and on recordings. He also has participated in the People collective spearheaded by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Bryce and Aaron Dessner (The National). This has resulted in collaborations with the above artists and others in festivals across Europe in recent years including the Funkhaus in Berlin 2018 and Sounds from a Safe Harbour Cork in 2017 and 2019. In 2021 he was invited by Music Network to collaborate with Iarla O Lionáird and Úna Monaghan to compose music and perform an Irish/UK tour.

New Exhibitions
Museum Lates is an opportunity to visit new exhibitions Faces of Galway, 1988-89; Survivor Stories: Tuam and Ireland’s Institutional Past and the new Silver Chalice display in Surrounded by Stone.
No booking required.