This past weekend, Open House Chicago, the annual architecture festival organised by the Chicago Architecture Center, welcomed visitors into over 200 of the city’s most iconic and hidden architectural treasures. For the first time, the event extended its reach internationally by spotlighting Galway City — a long-standing sister city of Chicago.
In partnership with Galway City Council and the Galway Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International, a special exhibit titled Old Galway was unveiled at the Irish American Heritage Center. The exhibition explores Galway’s evolving streetscapes and social life through a curated selection of photographs that juxtapose the past with the present.
The images—many of them candid and unposed—capture daily life in Galway’s markets, shops, and streets. They were sourced from the private collection of Galway historian Tom Kenny, institutional archives, and personal contributions from Galwegians who shared photographs from family albums and scrapbooks.
The exhibit also commemorates 50 years of Tom Kenny’s “Old Galway” column in the Galway Advertiser, which has long served as a window into the city’s rich social history. His decades-long dedication to preserving Galway’s heritage is reflected in the striking visuals that make up the collection.
"This exhibit is a unique cultural bridge between our two cities”, Keith Finnegan International Relations Officer with Galway City Council explained. "It’s a celebration of community, memory, and the everyday stories that shape our shared history."
Old Galway offers a rare opportunity for Chicagoans and Irish Americans alike to connect with Galway’s heritage and appreciate the historical threads that link the two cities.