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.
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.
A programme of public talks, workshops and screenings will accompany the exhibition.
Learn more about the extensive work of the Tuam Oral History Project.
