Thursday evenings at Galway Arts Centre

Galway Arts Centre is excited to announce its particiaption in “Thursday Lates,” a six-month pilot programme developed in partnership with Galway City Council to extend our opening hours to provide greater access to arts and culture in Galway City outside of traditional working hours.

Starting 3rd of April, the Centre will remain open every Thursday evening from 5pm to 9pm, for a six-month period.

Whether revisiting a favourite exhibit or experiencing something new, we invite everyone to explore “Thursday Lates” and discover the city’s rich cultural offerings.

In addition to our existing programme, a series of free events will  run as part of “Thursday Lates”.

Please check our website for more details or contact our reception desk for more information.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on your Thursday Lates experience!
Please take a moment to fill out our feedback survey

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: 

Thursday 24 April | Join us at 7pm for a student focused tour and workshop in response to our current solo exhibition by Alice Rekab, led by independent curator Kate McSharry.

This guided group discussion and informal workshop focuses on gaining confidence in talking about contemporary art. Participants will engage in activities encouraging expanded thinking and making connections, through the lens of our current exhibition as well as incorporating their own practice.

This event is currently aimed at art students and recent art graduates.

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Thursday 17th April | Join us at 6:00pm for a tour of our current solo exhibition by Alice Rekab with the Director of Sirius Arts Centre, Miguel Amado.

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Thursday 10th April | Join us from 7 – 8.30pm for bog/talamh/am, a clay workshop responding to our current solo exhibition by Alice Rekab, led by Kate McSharry. Participants are invited to create their own small sculpture incorporating the figure as encountered in nature, mythology and architecture, while acknowledging the materiality of clay and the earth-body connection.

Participants may want to bring an apron or overalls. All other materials will be provided. No previous experience of working with clay is required.

Spaces are limited, please book online in advance.

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Thursday 3rd April | Join us at 6:30pm for a family friendly tour of our current solo exhibition by Alice Rekab, led by Róisín Doherty.

Recommended for ages 7+

“Thursday Lates” is funded by Galway City Council and the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sports as part of the Galway City Night-Time Economy Action Plan.

Miguel Amado is a curator and a critic, currently Director of Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, County Cork.

His practice focuses on the relationship between art and the commons through the lenses of underrepresented and underprivileged identities and narratives, and involves producing new work through collaboration with artists and communities.

His past posts include organisations such as Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and Tate St Ives, England; Abrons Arts Center and Rhizome at the New Museum, New York. His past exhibitions as a freelancer include the Portuguese Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale and Frieze Projects, Frieze London.

His education includes an MA in Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art, London.

Photo: Jason Hynes

Kate McSharry is a Visual Artist and Curator based in Galway, also currently working across arts administration, production, and non-formal education. Her practice explores dynamics of pleasure and communality while considering surveillance, cognitive anthropology, architecture and time, art and care, and relearning through writing. Kate’s practice has been supported through funding from Galway Culture Company, Galway Arts Centre, Culture Ireland, Galway City Council Arts Office and the Arts Council of Ireland since graduating with a First-Class Honours and the Academic Achievement Award in Contemporary Art from ATU Galway in 2021. She is currently a Co-Director at 126 Artist-Run Gallery & Studios, Administrator at Artspace Studios, and Education Officer at TULCA Festival of Visual Arts.

Róisín Doherty is a visual artist based in Galway, originally from Cruit Island in Northwest Donegal. She recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Creative Practice from ATU Galway. She has widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, being the only Irish Artist selected during COP26 to showcase her work in Transmission Gallery, Glasgow. She is a recipient of the Youth Arts Explorer grant from the National Youth Council of Ireland in 2023, working with young people to combine local environmental knowledge with art therapy. She was granted funding by the Heritage Council in March 2025 to undergo a project on tangible and intangible Island Heritage.

Róisín has a multidisciplinary approach to her practice combining drawing, painting, sound and photography along with found objects in her installations. Beach combing, sound recording and walking are essential to her work. She is interested in the connection and disconnection between people and nature. Through her work she delves into the loss of natural life that coincides with the end of traditional Island living. She immerses herself into the machair habitat on the Island, home to many species that are merely hanging on by thread. Roisin’s intricate and detailed work reflects the deep connection our ancestors once had with the environment.

This initiative developed in partnership with Galway City Council Night-Time Economy Advisor directly aligns with the Program for Government’s objective to promote later opening hours at cultural venues, offering flexible access for visitors and supporting the expansion of related services. It also responds to feedback from consultations for the Galway City Night-Time Economy Action Plan 2024–2025, which highlighted extended opening hours as a key priority for the community.

Thursday Lates is funded by Galway City Council and the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sports as part of the Galway City Night-Time Economy Action Plan.