What's On

What’s on in Connaught

Discover what’s on in Connaught for visual arts with our expertly curated events calendar: from cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions in Galway’s renowned galleries to immersive open-studio tours in Sligo and vibrant community art festivals across Mayo, Roscommon, and Leitrim. Our guide to Connaught visual arts events highlights must-see gallery openings, artist-led workshops, outdoor art installations, and exclusive pop-up showcases featuring both emerging talents and established creatives. Stay up to date with weekly updates on art fairs, limited-time masterclasses, and behind-the-scenes tours to fuel your artistic inspiration. Plan your next creative adventure with our all-in-one Connaught art events guide—your gateway to the best visual arts experiences in Ireland’s West.

Galway / Rest of Connaught

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Artist Talks | Strange lands still bear common ground - Seán O’Riordan at ATU Galway (Wellpark Road)

Artist Talks | Strange lands still bear common ground - Seán O’Riordan at ATU Galway (Wellpark Road)

04/11/2025
2:00 am - 3:30 am
ATU
Wellpark Road, Galway

TULCA is pleased to present the Artist Talks Series as part of the 2025 programme, Strange lands still bear common ground, curated by Beulah Ezeugo. 

The series invites audiences to engage directly with artists and the curator, offering insights into their practices and the ideas shaping this year’s festival. All talks take place at ATU Wellpark Road, Galway. Admission is free and open to the public.

Artist Seán O’Riordan will discuss their recent work presented in Strange lands still bear common ground, reflecting on their process, research, and the ideas underpinning their installation for TULCA 2025.

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Connected | Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham in Salthill

Connected | Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham in Salthill

08/11/2025 - 09/11/2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Salthill
61 Dalysfort road,, Salthill, Galway, H91E0XN

Two Galway-based artists, Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham, invite audiences to experience Connected, an intimate exhibition celebrating shared journeys, friendship, and creative expression.
The title Connected reflects not only the artists’ personal and professional bond but also their shared sensitivity to the natural and observed world. Presented in the unique setting of a home gallery, the exhibition allows visitors to experience the artworks in a domestic environment — offering an authentic and accessible encounter with contemporary art as it might appear in one’s own home.

Read more →
Event | Creative Coffee with Michael Gallen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

Event | Creative Coffee with Michael Gallen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

08/11/2025
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Linenhall Arts Centre
Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

reative Coffee is a monthly event for artists interested in connecting with others, in a relaxed and welcoming space. Artists of all disciplines and interests are invited to attend.

In November, the special guest is Michael Gallen. Michael is an Irish composer, writer, director and performer, and is Artistic Director of music-theatre company Straymaker. In 2025 he was awarded the Fedora Prize, the world’s largest award for new opera, for The Curing Line.

Local creatives are invited to gather and get inspired!

Read more →
Vermeer: the Greatest Exhibition | Exhibition on Screen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

Vermeer: the Greatest Exhibition | Exhibition on Screen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

08/11/2025
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Linenhall Arts Centre
Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Castlebar, Ireland, F23 AN24

VERMEER: THE GREATEST EXHIBITION is directed by David Bickerstaff (PISSARRO: FATHER OF IMPRESSIONISM, SUNFLOWERS ) and provides art lovers with a chance to see Vermeer’s masterpieces – including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Geographer, The Milkmaid and the newly restored Girl Reading a Letter at the Open Window – in a way that no one else can.

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To Be Human | Marek Petrovic at Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways

To Be Human | Marek Petrovic at Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways

08/11/2025
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways
Kiltybranks, Ballaghaderreen, F45 YE27, Roscommon

I’m excited to invite you to an exhibition of my paintings, taking place on November 8 at the stunning Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways.
As part of the event, there will also be a screening of short films, including the poetic short Learn to Breathe, which I created in collaboration with Jessamine O’Connor and Tears Down the Wall. This film has been screened at several film festivals and even won first prize at the Drumshanbo Written Word Poetry Film Competition 2025.
This exhibition marks the culmination of one of the most intense and transformative periods of my life.

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Closing
Artist Talks | Strange lands still bear common ground - Seán O’Riordan at ATU Galway (Wellpark Road)

Artist Talks | Strange lands still bear common ground - Seán O’Riordan at ATU Galway (Wellpark Road)

04/11/2025
2:00 am - 3:30 am
ATU
Wellpark Road, Galway

TULCA is pleased to present the Artist Talks Series as part of the 2025 programme, Strange lands still bear common ground, curated by Beulah Ezeugo. 

The series invites audiences to engage directly with artists and the curator, offering insights into their practices and the ideas shaping this year’s festival. All talks take place at ATU Wellpark Road, Galway. Admission is free and open to the public.

Artist Seán O’Riordan will discuss their recent work presented in Strange lands still bear common ground, reflecting on their process, research, and the ideas underpinning their installation for TULCA 2025.

Read more →
To Be Human | Marek Petrovic at Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways

To Be Human | Marek Petrovic at Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways

08/11/2025
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways
Kiltybranks, Ballaghaderreen, F45 YE27, Roscommon

I’m excited to invite you to an exhibition of my paintings, taking place on November 8 at the stunning Willowbrook Glamping & Hideaways.
As part of the event, there will also be a screening of short films, including the poetic short Learn to Breathe, which I created in collaboration with Jessamine O’Connor and Tears Down the Wall. This film has been screened at several film festivals and even won first prize at the Drumshanbo Written Word Poetry Film Competition 2025.
This exhibition marks the culmination of one of the most intense and transformative periods of my life.

Read more →
Vermeer: the Greatest Exhibition | Exhibition on Screen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

Vermeer: the Greatest Exhibition | Exhibition on Screen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

08/11/2025
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Linenhall Arts Centre
Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Castlebar, Ireland, F23 AN24

VERMEER: THE GREATEST EXHIBITION is directed by David Bickerstaff (PISSARRO: FATHER OF IMPRESSIONISM, SUNFLOWERS ) and provides art lovers with a chance to see Vermeer’s masterpieces – including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Geographer, The Milkmaid and the newly restored Girl Reading a Letter at the Open Window – in a way that no one else can.

Read more →
Event | Creative Coffee with Michael Gallen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

Event | Creative Coffee with Michael Gallen at the Linenhall Arts Centre

08/11/2025
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Linenhall Arts Centre
Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

reative Coffee is a monthly event for artists interested in connecting with others, in a relaxed and welcoming space. Artists of all disciplines and interests are invited to attend.

In November, the special guest is Michael Gallen. Michael is an Irish composer, writer, director and performer, and is Artistic Director of music-theatre company Straymaker. In 2025 he was awarded the Fedora Prize, the world’s largest award for new opera, for The Curing Line.

Local creatives are invited to gather and get inspired!

Read more →
Connected | Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham in Salthill

Connected | Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham in Salthill

08/11/2025 - 09/11/2025
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Salthill
61 Dalysfort road,, Salthill, Galway, H91E0XN

Two Galway-based artists, Siobhán Moore and Elaine Cunningham, invite audiences to experience Connected, an intimate exhibition celebrating shared journeys, friendship, and creative expression.
The title Connected reflects not only the artists’ personal and professional bond but also their shared sensitivity to the natural and observed world. Presented in the unique setting of a home gallery, the exhibition allows visitors to experience the artworks in a domestic environment — offering an authentic and accessible encounter with contemporary art as it might appear in one’s own home.

Read more →
On-going
Inheritance | Group Exhibition at The Model

Inheritance | Group Exhibition at The Model

11/10/2025 - 31/12/2025
The Model
The Mall, Sligo, Co. Sligo, F91 TP20

Curated by Emer McGarry.

The exhibition spans installation, film, drawing, and sculpture, with works by Marcus Coates, Miriam de Búrca, Susan Hiller, Anna Maria Maiolino, Kathy Prendergast, Cornelia Parker, and the collaborative research project Selvagem – Cycle of Studies. Each proposes different strategies for navigating what we inherit and what we pass on.

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Guided Tour | Inheritance - Group Exhibition at The Model

Guided Tour | Inheritance - Group Exhibition at The Model

23/10/2025 - 18/12/2025
11:30 am
The Model
The Mall, Sligo, Co. Sligo, F91 TP20

Join us for a relaxed coffee morning tour of Inheritance. An exhibition that explores the legacies shaping our present and asks how we might create better futures for humanity.

Led by a member of our team, this easy going tour is perfect for all art enthusiasts. After the tour, enjoy further conversation over a complimentary tea or coffee. We’d be delighted to welcome you to this informal and friendly tour experience.

Every second Thursday, 11.30am
€6 pp

Tour Dates

Thu. 23 & 30 October
Thu. 13 & 27 November
Thu. 4 & 18 December

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Is Was | Dean Kelly at The Kenny Gallery

Is Was | Dean Kelly at The Kenny Gallery

24/10/2025 - 18/11/2025
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Kenny Gallery
Liosbán Retail Park, Tuam Road, Galway, Galway, H91 N5P8

An exhibition of new paintings and photographs by Galway based artist Dean Kelly – OFFICIAL OPENING 24TH OCTOBER.

Join Dean Kelly and guest speaker Phill Jupitus at The Kenny Gallery on Friday, October 24th to celebrate the opening of Is Was. In his first solo show at The Kenny Gallery since 2019, Dean Kelly draws on the evolving fabric of Galway, engaging with the city’s streetscape and social memory through painting and photography.

Dean Kelly, Is Was opens at The Kenny Gallery, Galway on Friday, 24th October from 6pm. Admission is free, all are welcome!

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Elemental | Clive Bright at the Hamilton Gallery

Elemental | Clive Bright at the Hamilton Gallery

30/10/2025 - 22/11/2025
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hamilton Gallery
4 Castle Street, Sligo, Sligo, F91P863, Connacht

In ‘Elemental’ Clive Bright explores the language of paint using a geometric backdrop as a recurring motif.

Bright’s paintings have a universal narrative. Through absence, and the use of inanimate objects, Bright creates a sense of human presence, which in turn personifies the objects. His deep understanding and appreciation of his subject evokes powerful sentiments communicating more than just a visually pleasing experience.
Bright works principally with oil paint but drawing & line play a constant and major role in his work. He avoids slipping into a process or procedure of creating a drawing or painting: “I constantly try to change

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