Statues, monuments and memorials are used as important reminders of the past in Ireland. They keep alive the history, culture, heritage and stories of important events, people and places, both good and bad, of our past. In Galway, there are many of these reminders of our past to be found scattered throughout the county. 

Often it’s the case that we can walk past these without ever knowing what they mean or stand for, but it’s important the we continue to keep telling the stories of the past. After all when you think about it, these public statues, monuments and memorials don’t appear out of nowhere. They emerge from collective human efforts, which are often expensive and time-consuming projects, all done in order to remind ourselves of our history – therefore there must be an important or fascinating story to tell!

Below you will find a whole host of intriguing statues, monuments and memorials which can be found throughout Galway and Connemara. Learn about the history & stories behind these statues, monuments and memorials as you pass – you might even discover ones that were even just erected for fun!