Galway Poetry Trail

The Galway Poetry Trail is a series of 27 different bronze and limestone plaques dotted around Galway city, each featuring a piece of writing about the place in which they are situated.

The plaques can be found in locations such as the Salthill Prom, the Claddagh, the River Walk, Quay Street and Waterside & feature the writing of Seámus Heaney, W. B. Yeats, Moya Cannon, Pádraic Ó Conaire, Walter Macken, Gerald Dawe and Rita Anne Higgins amongst others. Three of the texts on the trail are as Gaeilge – in the Irish language.

You can enjoy the poems while walking around the city, as you come across them, or by taking a self-guided tour of the trail. You can view the list of plaques and the trail in the brochure, which can be viewed below or you can pick up copies in Kennys Bookshop or the Galway Tourist Office.

The Galway Poetry Trail is organised jointly by Kennys Bookshop and Galway City Council, and in conjunction with Cúirt International Festival of Literature and has been added to annually since the first plaque was installed in 2005.

List of the 27 plaques on The Galway Poetry Trail:

1. Patricia Burke Brogan, ‘Make Visible the Tree’ - Forster Street, Eyre Square
2. Rita Ann Higgins, ‘Men with Tired Hair’ - Richardson’s Pub, Eyre Square
3. Gerald Dawe, ‘The Tribune’ - Connacht Tribune, Market Street
4. Eílís Dillon, 'Death at Crane's Court' - Newtownsmith
5. George Moore, ‘Hail & Farewell’ - Waterside, Woodquay
6. Roger McGough, ‘Uncle Phillip’ - Millennium Park, University Road
7. Terry McDonagh, ‘UCG by Degrees’ - NUI Galway
8. Tom French, ‘The Crane Bar, Galway’ - The Crane Bar, Sea Road
9. Kevin Faller, ‘Hometown’ - River Walk, near O’Brien’s Bridge
10. Máire Holmes, ‘Margadh’ - Geraghty’s Shop, Churchyard Street
11. Gerard Hanberry, ‘The Kasbah’ - Tigh Neachtain, Quay Street
12. Mary Devenport O’Neill, ‘Galway’ - Jury’s Inn, Wolfe Tone Bridge
13. Gerard Reidy, 'Vortex' - The River Walk
14. Ken Bruen, ‘Priest’ - Long Walk
15. Moya Cannon, ‘Bright City’ - Claddagh Quay, just off Wolfe Tone Bridge
16. Walter Macken, ‘Rain on the Wind’ - Claddagh Quay, beside Nimmo’s Pier
17. Louis McNeice, ‘Galway’ - Nimmo’s Pier, The Claddagh
18. Pádraic Ó Conaire, ‘Deoraíocht’ - Grattan Road, Salthill
19. Paul Durcan, ‘The One-Armed Crucifixion’ - Doctor Colohan Road, Salthill
20. Arthur Colahan, ‘Galway Bay’ - Doctor Colohan Road, Salthill
21. Seamus Heaney, ‘Girls Bathing, Galway 1965’ - Salthill Prom, beside Ladies Beach
22. Máirtín O’Direáin, ‘Fear na Lasraí’ - Salthill Promenade, near Blackrock
23. Little John Nee, ‘Haiku’ - Blackrock, Salthill Promenade
24. James Joyce, ‘She Weeps over Rahoon’ - Rahoon Cemetry
25. W.B. Yeats, ‘At Galway Races’ - Ballybrit Racecourse
26. Nessa O'Mahony, 'The Claddagh Ring', - Thomas Dillon's Jewellers on Cross Street
27. Patricia Forde, 'All in Together' - Church Lane

View Galway Poetry Trail Brochure Map >>

Galway Poetry Trail MDON Galway Poetry Trail UCG By Degrees

'Galway' by Mary Devenport O'Neill 'UCG by Degrees' by Terry McDonagh
Situated on the wall of Jury's Inn, Galway Situated in the grounds of NUI Galway

Galway Poetry Trail Long Walk Galway Poetry Trail The Crane

'Long Walk' - an extract from Priest by Ken Bruen 'The Crane Bar' by Tom French
Situated on the wall on Long Walk at the Claddagh Situated on the wall of The Crane Bar in Galway's West End

Galway Poetry Trail Plaque Unveilings

2022 A plaque featuring 'All in Together' by Patricia Forde is unveiled by Ronnie O'Gorman on Church Lane
2022 A plaque featuring 'The Claddagh Ring' by Nessa O'Mahony is unveiled by Mary O'Malley on the wall of Thomas Dillon's Jewellers on Quay Street
2021 A limestone plaque featuring 'Vortex' by poet Gerard Reidy is unveiled by Mike McCormack
2020 An extract from Éilís Dillon's 'Death at Crane's Court' - Newtownsmith on the River Walk
2019 Singer Johnny Duhan unveiled an extract from 'Priests' by Ken Bruen, at the side of Ard Bia Nimmos restaurant on The Spanish Arch
2019 Galway City Mayor Neil McNeilis unveils a plaque of 'A Town Tormented by the Sea' at the side of Jury's Inn Hotel, Galway
2018 'The Crane Bar, Galway' - a poem by Tom French is unveiled on the wall of The Crane Bar in Galway's West End
2017 Tom Kilroy unveiled Paul Durcan's poem 'The One-Armed Crucifixion', illustrated with a John Behan RHA design.
2017 Little John Nee, Salthill Promenade - Haiku, launched by Sunny Jacobs & Peter Pringle.
2017 Terry McDonagh, NUI Galway - 'UCG by Degrees', unveiled by Tom Kenny.
2016 Arthur Colahan, Salthill Promenade - 'Galway Bay' and translation in three languages - unveiled by Mayor of Galway Councillor Frank Fahy.
2016 Máire Holmes - Geraghty's Menswear, Galway Market - 'Margadh', unveiled by Rev Gary Hastings.
2015 Pádraic Ó Conaire, Grattan Road – an extract from “Deoraíocht” - Unveiled by Páraic Breathnach.
2015 Gerry Hanberry, Tigh Neachtain – “The ‘Kasbah’ on Quay Street” – Unveiled by Tom Kenny, Kennys Bookshop… followed by readings & singing in Tigh Neachtain with contributions by Fran McPhail, the poet Gerry Hanberry, performer Seán Tyrrell and local historians Tom Kenny and Dicky Byrne.
2015 George Moore/WB Yeats – Salmon Weir Bridge – Extract from “Hail and Farewell” – Unveiled by poet Martin Dyar.
2014 Rita Ann Higgins, Richardson’s Pub, Eyre Square – “Men With Tired Hair” - Unveiled by Professor Adrian Frazier.
2013 Gerald Dawe, The Connacht Tribune – “The Tribune” – Unveiled by Mayor Terry Flaherty and Gerald Dawe.
2013 Kevin Faller, River Walk at O’Brien’s Bridge “Home Town” – Unveiled by the poet’s son John Faller.
2012 James Joyce, Rahoon Cemetery – “She Weeps Over Rahoon” – Unveiled by Mayor Hildegarde Naughton.
2010 Moya Cannon, Wolfe Tone Bridge – “Bright City” - Unveiled by poet Gerry Smyth, illustration by Pádraic Reaney.
2009 Roger McGough, Children’s Playground, University Road – “Uncle Philip” – Unveiled by Pádraic Breathnach.2013
2009 Patricia Burke Brogan - 'Make Visible the Tree', Fairgreen, Galway.
2008 Máirtin Ó Direáin, Promenade – “Fear Lasta Lampaí – Gaillimh 1928” – Unveiled by the poet’s daughter Niamh Ó Direáin.
2007 Louis MacNeice, Nimmo’s Pier – “Galway” – Unveiled by Tom Paulin, poet.
2007 Walter Macken, Nimmo’s Pier – Extract from “Rain on the Wind” – Unveiled by Fr. Walter Macken.
2006 Seamus Heaney, Salthill Promenade – “Girls Bathing, Galway 1965” – Unveiled by Seamus Heaney.
2005 W.B. Yeats, The Racecourse, Ballybrit – “The Galway Races” - Unveiled by John Coyle.