Voices Across Time: County Galway Through Recorded Memory

This unique Heritage Week event will present the findings of the recently completed County Galway Oral Heritage Audit and the Strategic Plan for County Galway's Oral Heritage 2026–2036, delivered by Mac Conmara Heritage in partnership with the Heritage Office of Galway County Council. The audit represents the first county-wide survey of oral history, folklore and community recordings relating to Galway.

Drawing on recordings identified through the audit; the event will take audiences on a chronological journey through more than a century of recorded memory. Beginning with some of the earliest voice recordings made in Galway and continuing through the decades to the present day, it will explore how evolving recording technologies have enabled generations of Galway people to preserve stories, traditions, language, music, folklore and lived experience.

Attendees will hear voices recorded in different eras and contexts, from folklore collectors and local historians to community projects and family archives. The presentation will also trace the evolution of recording formats, from wax cylinders and reel-to-reel tapes to cassettes and digital archives, demonstrating how each generation has contributed to preserving Galway's heritage through sound.