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arts · Monday 13 July 2026 · Various 
Gallery Exhibitions at GIAF 2026
At Multiple gallery venues · Various locations, Galway City, Co. Galway
At Multiple gallery venues · Various locations, Galway City, Co. Galway
Every July, the Galway International Arts Festival spreads well beyond its main stages and big-name performances. The visual arts programme - running across more than half a dozen independent galleries and artist-run spaces - is one of the quieter but more rewarding threads to follow. Entry to most of these exhibitions is free, so you can spend an afternoon moving between studios, gallery rooms, and outdoor sculptures without spending anything beyond your travel to the city. It suits anyone who wants to engage with Irish contemporary art on their own terms, at their own pace.
GIAF 2026 runs from 13 to 26 July, and the gallery strand reaches across the city and beyond. At Galway Arts Centre, John Rainey presents Deviations - cast porcelain, metal and marble sculptures that rework the language of classical statuary into something stranger and more open. Luke Reidy shows new work at Outset Gallery, and Tadhg Ó Cuirrín exhibits at 126 Artist-Run Gallery, one of Galway’s most important venues for experimental and conceptual practice. Kenny Gallery on Middle Street hosts Ómós, a celebration of the late Gertrude Degenhardt’s graphic work. Engage Art Studios and Artspace Studios (marking its 40th anniversary) are also part of the programme, as is Siobán Piercy’s new work at Thoor Ballylee in Gort - the restored tower that was home to W.B. Yeats, about 30km south of the city. The work across all venues connects through a common thread: artists responding to place, personal history, and the physical world around them rather than art-world abstraction.
Galway city is well served by rail and bus from Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Trains run from Heuston Station to Galway (around 2 hours 15 minutes); Bus Éireann and GoBus also operate regular services along the M6. If you are driving, the M6/N6 connects Dublin to Galway in about two and a half hours. City centre galleries are walkable from the train station and the main bus stops. Parking in the city centre can be tight during the festival - the Eyre Square and Headford Road areas have multi-storey car parks, and the Docks are worth checking. For Thoor Ballylee in Gort you will need your own transport; it is a straightforward drive south on the N18/N17.
The festival fills the whole city - there is usually something happening on Shop Street or the Spanish Arch even when you are not looking for it. The gallery strand alone is a full day if you include Gort, or a comfortable few hours if you stay in the city centre. There is more to see in Galway and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Multiple gallery venues in Galway? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Galway area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.