About this Project

Poems Around Galway is an educational project to bring poetry written about Galway city to anyone. We've selected some of the most iconic poems about this city for readers to read, listen, and enjoy. This is a way for locals to find their favourite poems or learn about writing they haven't seen before. It's a great resource for educators! This site is also for visitors to the city to get to know this poetic city and check out local bookshops.

Galway is the 4th largest city on the island of Ireland and has a unique landscape. The city is built on a weir, which helps mitigate the large volume of rain that falls annually. The canal created by the weir is actually quite romantic (in nice weather). Galway is also a medieval port city built along Galway Bay and protected from the Atlantic ocean. This city's location, geography, and weather greatly influences people born in the city, those who've moved here and visitors.

I moved to Galway city right before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. My husband is from Galway, but I'm from the states myself. My aim for this project was to combine two things: my love for poetry and my experience getting to know my new hometown. I have a background in writing and teaching literature. Now I have some experience with creating a website, so this all came together in Poems Around Galway. This project is my way of sharing what I've learned with the world. The inspiration for this project also comes from the Galway Poetry Trail, which you can learn more about here.

Yes, I'd like to expand this project in the future. I tried to include recently published works and classic peoms. Also, I focused on gender parity for the poets featured. That being said, I realise that Galway is a diverse city. Moving forward with this project, I'd like to feature more poets of colour, emigrants/immigrants to Ireland, LGBTQ writers, travellers, and people from other marginalised groups.