Collaboration between University of Galway and Galway City Museum develops the first installation of its kind in Ireland

A new exhibition, Survivor Stories: Tuam and Ireland's Institutional Past has opened at Galway City Museum, the first dedicated museum installation to focus on Mother and Baby institutions and their impact on Irish society. 

The exhibition provides an insight into Ireland's treatment of single mothers and their children, focusing on the Tuam Mother and Baby institution and the legacy issues still faced by survivors today.

Highlighting Catherine Corless's immense contribution to Irish history, the exhibition tells the stories of 18 survivors of the institution through audio and visual exhibits. An accompanying podcast series has also been created to allow for in-depth, personal engagement with survivors' stories. 

Historian Catherine Corless said: “What a wonderful and vital project this is, to gather the life stories of the Tuam Home Survivors, which otherwise would be forgotten in time. This Tuam Oral History Project, created in University of Galway, by a dedicated team, led by Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley, will now be exhibited in the Galway City Museum, who have graciously given space and time for all Survivors.”

The exhibition has been created with University of Galway's survivor-led Tuam Oral History Project, led by Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley and Dr John Cunningham, which has been gathering testimonies and other personal artefacts from institutional survivors, their families and those directly affected by this history since 2018.

Through oral histories, photographs, documents, and personal objects, visitors are invited to engage with first-hand experiences of institutional life and its lasting impact across generations. 

The exhibition is the first collaboration between Galway City Museum and the University of Galway since the agreement of a new memorandum of understanding to facilitate closer collaboration between the two organisations. 

President of University of Galway, Professor David Burn said: “It is fitting that Catherine Corless and survivors of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution will now have a place beside heroes of Galway in our city museum. We are delighted to partner with Galway City Museum on this project as it encapsulates our shared commitment to enrich our cultural heritage by truly engaging audiences to help us all learn lessons from our dark past.

“Belonging and Respect are two of our university’s core values where everyone should feel welcomed, supported, connected and valued as an integral part of our community. This dedicated exhibition acts as a powerful reminder of the historical absence of such values and why it is so important that the wider public gets to learn about these 18 survivor life stories.”

The exhibition at Galway City Museum will comprise of photographic portraits of survivors, testimonies, audio alongside archival documents, and objects, including a detailed scale model of the Tuam Mother and Baby institution created by Catherine Corless and a very poignant lock of hair from writer and survivor J.P. Rodgers. 

Acting Director of Galway City Museum, Adam Stoneman said: “We are pleased to share this important exhibition on the Tuam Mother and Baby institution, developed in close collaboration with a group of survivors through the Tuam Oral History Project. Their voices and experiences are vital to understanding this difficult history. Museums can be places of reflection and healing, as well as understanding, and this exhibition marks a first step in a longer-term commitment from Galway City Museum and University of Galway to develop greater public awareness and understanding of Ireland’s institutional histories.”

The exhibition will run at Galway City Museum from July to September 2026 in the museum foyer and aims to engage Irish and international visitors. 29 US tour groups will visit Galway over the period specifically to see the exhibition and learn about Ireland's past. 

A programme of public talks, workshops and screenings will accompany the exhibition. Further information is available at: GalwayCityMuseum.ie.

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