University of Galway and Galway City Museum collaboration - ‘Survivor Stories: Tuam and Ireland's Institutional Past’ exhibition attracts almost 64,000 visitors

University of Galway has formed a new strategic partnership with Galway City Museum to collaborate on high-impact educational and cultural initiatives.

At the official partnership signing, Professor David Burn, University of Galway President and Leonard Cleary, Galway City Council Chief Executive met with survivors from the Tuam Mother and Baby institution to read visitor comments, reflections and feedback gathered from the exhibition, Survivor Stories: Tuam and Ireland's Institutional Past.

The powerful exhibition is a University of Galway and Galway City Museum collaboration which ran from July 1 to September 26, 2026. It was co-created with University of Galway's survivor-led Tuam Oral History Project and is the first dedicated museum installation to focus on Mother and Baby institutions and their impact on Irish society. Almost 64,000 people visited the exhibition.

President Burn and Mr Cleary also met with a US tour group who travelled to Galway to hear directly about their experience after viewing the exhibition. A total of 29 US tour groups visited Survivor Stories, and plans are now underway for the exhibition to tour in 2027.

The exhibition also saw survivors of other institutions travelling to Galway with family to experience the exhibition and use it as an opportunity to process their own personal histories. Feedback received from the exhibition comments box has spoken of how powerful the exhibition is, eliciting emotional responses from sadness to rage at the actions of the State and religious institutions over the treatment of women and children during the period.

Professor David Burn, President of University of Galway, said: “We are delighted to establish this new five-year strategic partnership with Galway City Museum. University of Galway shares strong cultural, educational and research links with Galway City Museum and it is wonderful to formally develop this important collaborative partnership.

“The Mother and Baby institution exhibition and SUPERHUMAN MedTech exhibit at Galway City Museum are wonderful examples of how we can reach and engage with a much wider public audience through this co-creative partnership that impacts lives in a meaningful way, while also enriching our students’ educational experience and our research activities.”

Over a five-year period 2026-2030, University of Galway and Galway City Museum will work together on initiatives in the following areas: Exhibition development; Digital humanities projects; Public programming; Heritage collections and projects; Research and Student learning; and Community engagement.

Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive of Galway City Council, said: “The Museum and University have collaborated on many positive initiatives over the years, and the signing of this document builds on this work, while representing an important new milestone in the partnership, in which we commit to a greater level of strategic coordination and resource-sharing.

“The ongoing extension and redevelopment of the museum, supported by a major €12.3 million investment from Fáilte Ireland, presents an extraordinary opportunity to raise the ambitions of our partnership with the University, sharing expertise and resources to co-create world-class exhibitions, projects and public programmes for the benefit of visitors, students and the wider community.”

The new partnership will provide a framework to strengthen ties between the two parties to collaborate on projects of shared strategic importance.

Projects include:

• SUPERHUMAN Exhibition Development - Develop a mobile exhibition of the current Medical Technology exhibit at Galway City Museum, developed with Rinn Medical Devices at University of Galway, showcasing the development of Galway and Ireland as a Medtech hub.
• ‘Mapping Galway’s Institutional Past’ – the development of a major exhibition on the wider history of institutionalisation in Galway.
• Pádraic Ó Conaire Centenary Programme - Develop plans for a public engagement programme in 2028 to celebrate the work of Irish language writer Pádraic Ó Conaire.
• Collections and Digital Access - Identify opportunities for collaboration on archives and digitisation that support digital humanities initiatives using technology to explore, interpret, and share cultural heritage.
• Research and Public Engagement Programme - Collaborative panel discussions and community engagement events, such as museum collections and programmes.

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