Pálás Sí by Róisín Murphy FRIAI

Workshop / Talk >>>

The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, Galway. 

16:00 – 20:30h, Culture Night, Friday 18 September 

FREE entry - All are welcome, no booking required

‘After an egg was eaten, the shells were crushed or thrown in the fire as otherwise it was believed that they would become the home of the fairies.’

The action of the community by collecting and blowing eggs together and a reflection on an animal that is intertwined with human activity in forming settlements for millennia. In particular the relationship of the hen to the cottage when hens historically were kept indoors at night for protection and warmth: they were primarily minded by women and after the commodification of eggs through the “dirty egg “ campaign in the 19th century and the loss of access to market for women , the pin money tells a story of the impact of practices that separated women from land and animal husbandry. The proposal is built on theme of the authors research of the impact of the milk on cities and towns in Ireland , in this work the attention is drawn to the egg. The resultant pavilion is designed to be composted or reassembled in another site, drawings and photographs of the Aos Sí to remain.

Project credits

Special thanks Joe Hogan https://www.joehoganbaskets.com 

14 Flags of Belonging

Druid Ln, (off Quay Street)
21:00 - 23:30hr, Friday 18 September, 2026
All are welcome – no booking required. 

Meet the designers >>>

The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, (off Quay Street)

20:00-21:00 hr, Friday 18th September 2026

FREE entry – but prebooking is advised. 

We are thrilled to announce a brand new public art flag display on Druid lane in collaboration with Galway City Council and supported by the Arts Council. The artists vibrant designs entitled 14 Flags of Belonging will adorn the Galway skies from 17th to 27th September 2026.

The 14 commissioned designers have worked to create a series of symbolic flags which represent various identities and communities in the city. These flags are a nod to the 14 Tribes of Galway,  created in response to ‘Le Chéile – the Architectures of Belonging. our theme for 2026.

Each flag showcases intricate geometric patterns, celebrating the multicultural fabric of the city and speak to a place, a feeling, a tribe or community, a memory, and/or ideas and concepts around collective ideas of belonging, wellbeing, identity, imagination and purpose.

Their artwork spills out onto the streets of the Latin Quarter, bringing vivid colours and vibrancy along Galway’s Druid lane.

For the duration of rthe Architecture at the Edge Festival, these striking designs give us a glimpse of what's in store for the city's streets. The designs, responding to the "Belonging" theme, reflect the liveliness and excitement of the city of the tribes. It’s a privilege to work on this project and bring the colour and vibrancy of art out of into the streets of Galway.  

To learn more about the designers follow @ArchAtTheEdge for updates.

Project credits

’14 Flags of Belonging’, is part of the Culture Night Late programme, funded by the Arts Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport under the Night-Time Economy programme with support from Galway City Council Arts Office.

For more details on Culture Night Late in Galway City, you can check out the @Archattheedge Instagram pages.

A System for Ordinary Housing

SJK Architects in association with Gerry Cahill

Illustrated Talk / Keynote Lecture

The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, (off Quay Street)
17:00-18:30 hr, Thursday 24th September 2026
FREE entry – but prebooking is advised via Eventbrite.

“A System for Ordinary Housing” builds on Ireland’s social housing tradition— from the masterplan and house types of Marino in Dublin designed by Horace O’Rourke in the 1920’s; to the Bord na Móna villages designed by Frank Gibney in the 1950s.

Gerry Cahill’s and SJK Architects’ collaboration learns from and follows this experience of simple, high-quality social housing to form connected senses of place in 21st Century Ireland.

“Own-door houses placed close to the street, modest front garden spaces neatly enclosing bin and bike storage, vernacular gables and corner buildings all contribute towards a safe and truly welcoming living environment. Theses are places where the community is clearly thriving. The concept of proposing a system of principles and details for use across the country is particularly welcome - in housing - as an ambition for why design matters.” – Jury Citation, 2026 RIAI Silver Medal for Housing.

Project Credits;

Employer: National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) / Department of Housing / Cork County Council / Clare County Council / Waterford City and County Council / Galway City Council.

Client Design team information

Architect SJK Architects in association with Gerry Cahill

Dermot McCabe, Elaine Naughton, Edel Tobin, Gerry Cahill, Orla Murphy, Eoin Kavanagh, Blair Stanaway, Ruth Fox, Lisa Fox, Ollie O’Brien, Brian Corcoran.

Project Management National Development Finance Agency

Quantity Surveyor Currie and Brown

Structural Engineer Hayes Higgins Partnership

M+E Engineer Matt O'Mahony & Associates

Landscape Radharc

Planning Consultant HRA Planning

Fire Consultant Jensen Hughes

Assigned Certifier AECOM

Public Private Partnership Contractor Design and Build team information

Contractor JJ Rhatigan + OHL 

Architect Rhatigan Architects and Avanti Architects

Client TORC Housing Partnership

Project Management Equitix and Kajima Partnerships

Structural Engineer Punch Consulting Engineers

M+E Engineer Varming

Landscape Flannery Landscaping

Heart of the Matter 

Exploring the physical and social conditions at Astley Castle and Appleby Blue with Stephen Witherford BA Dip Arch RIBA

Illustrated Talk / Lecture

O'Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance,
(University Of Galway)
19:00-20:30 hr, Friday 25th September 2026

FREE entry – but prebooking is advised via Eventbrite.

Through the repetition of chance, winning two Stirling Prizes, 12 years apart, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on the two winning projects and consider them together – the conditions that we encountered, the way we re-imagined these, and the physical and social outcomes that have evolved from this imagination.

It is not obvious how responding to the ruined remains of Astley Castle, at risk of being completely lost, might share any similarities with building the contemporary Appleby Blue almshouse, to provide the opportunity for older people to start again in life. How does making a short-term holiday rental house for 8, mostly financially well-off people, relate to making social housing for 65 people who are in some form of need, to reside for the rest of their lives? Not least, does building in Warwickshire’s rural countryside tell us something about how we might build in the heart of our cities? 

This talk pursues these questions with no preconceptions; exploring the deep and complex relationship between the physicality of buildings and the social experiences that unfold from these. It is never clear to us, until a building has been lived in for a period of time, what we have actually done. Only then does the reality begin to be revealed. 

In Partnership with : 

Arts in Action is back to University of Galway

Thanks to the Architectural Association of Ireland

Once Upon A Sound

Hosted by Dónal Dineen 

Talk Discussion 

The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, (off Quay Street)

20:00-20:30 hr, Friday, September 25th 2026
Tickets €15 ( Dancing till late included) 

Dancing till late  >>>

Ticket holders are invited to join us later as we continue into the night with dancing till late! 

Tickets €10 on the door. 

Doors from 10pm 

Dónal Dineen is an Irish DJ, radio presenter and film maker. A pioneering force for a generation of music fans, Donal is renowned for his deep passion for music as well as a curator of unique multi-disciplinary events.  Current projects include the music podcast Make Me An Island podcast and a documentary film Dance to Remember which will premiere at the Kerry International Film Festival in September.

Dónal will be hosting a special live edition of his Once Upon A Sound video series at AATE where he'll be exploring music as a source of inspiration for creative minds working in other media.

Taking our cue from the Desert Island Discs programme first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1942, guests will be invited to choose a selection of audio recordings that they would take with them if they were to be cast away on a desert island as a jump-off point for a discussion about the role sound plays in their practice.

Dónals Guests include: Artist Joy Gerrard and others TBC 

AATE Flag Display x Coastal Decision-Making 

— The built, natural and cultural significance of the Irish Coastline

Grattan Beach, Grattan Road, Salthill

Saturday 26th September

12 noon (duration 1.5hrs)

All are welcome, no booking required.

This is an outdoor event, appropriate shoes and clothing recommended

Flag installation on the beach, with a multi-speaker talk and presentation on the built and natural coastline, coastal decision-making and town planning, climate change, endangered species, and the biodiversity on the edge of our city. A variety of species and habitats will be explored.

Project Credits;

Amelia Walker, Flag Team AATE / Galway Atlantaquaria / C-MAP Coastal Monitoring and Adaptation Planning / School of Geography, University of Galway

Building Material – Issue No.25

A launch and preview event introducing Building Material Issue No. 25, currently in development and co-edited by Helen McFadden and Steve Larkin.

Talk Discussion 

The Mick Lally Theatre, Druid Ln, (off Quay Street)


15:00-16:30 hr, Saturday 26, September 2026


FREE entry – but prebooking is advised via Eventbrite.

This event marks the launch and preview of Building Material Journal, a special 25th issue co-edited by Helen McFadden and Steve Larkin, introducing its theme: “Architecture and Landscape: Parts-to-a-Whole.”

Currently in development, the issue will bring together emerging ideas, research and contributions exploring the relationships between architecture and landscape. The programme will offer a preview of the thinking and making behind the publication, alongside a panel discussion exploring how people working across architecture, landscape and related disciplines engage with individual parts, fragments and interventions, and how these contribute to larger spatial, material, cultural and environmental wholes.

The discussion will open the theme to a wider audience, creating a space for exchange between architects, researchers, educators, landscape practitioners, students and others interested in architecture and landscape. As this special 25th issue takes shape, the event offers an opportunity to engage with its developing ideas, glimpse the process behind its making, and contribute new perspectives to the conversation.

Supported by:  

All-Ireland Architectural Research Group
Architectural Association of Ireland
ICOMOS National Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscapes
Architecture At The Edge
Arts Council of Ireland (Project Award)