Greetings from Under the Arch
the Western World to Eye Cinema on Thursday evening. Jenny Keane's tour lands at the Black Box on Tuesday. Monroe's has the Stevie Nicks tribute Saturday and the Daft Punk Experience Sunday. Headfest runs across the week in Headford.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK
NT Live: The Playboy of the Western World
Thursday 28 May · 19:00 · Eye Cinema
Caitríona McLaughlin's National Theatre production, filmed live from the Lyttelton Theatre and in cinemas from 28 May. Nicola Coughlan plays Pegeen Flaherty, Éanna Hardwicke is Christy Mahon, Siobhán McSweeney is the Widow Quin. The critical response has been remarkable: Coughlan's performance has been singled out as one of the benchmark Pegeens in a generation. Synge's play has not had a production this widely discussed in years. Seeing it at Eye Cinema this Thursday is the closest Galway gets to a Lyttelton seat.
Noises Off
Wednesday 27 May to Saturday 30 May · 19:30 · Town Hall Theatre
Backstage farce from Michael Frayn: the play stages a theatre company rehearsing a sex comedy, which is already chaos before Act 2 shifts the audience behind the scenes and reveals that the cast is also a love triangle in the middle of collapse. KATS presents this production directed by Stephen Macken through to Saturday. Town Hall is the right size for Noises Off: close enough that every slamming door lands.
Standback: The Stevie Nicks Experience
Saturday 30 May · 19:00 · Monroe's Live
A tribute to the Stevie Nicks catalogue at Monroe's. Monroe's tends to run its tribute evenings well, and if Fleetwood Mac is a meaningful part of your record collection, Saturday is well-timed.
Jazz Open Mic
Monday 1 June · 20:00 · The Dew Drop Inn
An open mic for jazz players at the Dew Drop Inn on the Bank Holiday Monday. Worth knowing about if you'd rather finish the weekend playing than watching.
Daft Punk Experience
Sunday 31 May · 21:00 · Monroe's Live
A one-night tribute party for the Bank Holiday Sunday, with special guests and doors at 9pm. The Daft Punk catalogue at volume is its own argument.
Línte na Farraige
Thursday 28 May onwards · Galway City Museum
An exhibition exploring the connections between the sea and Galway's culture at Galway City Museum. Free to visit, and worth an hour before or after whatever else is happening this Thursday.
Headfest 2026
Wednesday 27 May onwards · Headford and surrounding venues
A six-day community festival running across Headford and nearby locations with music, sport, culture, food, and family events. Headford is about 25 minutes from Galway city. The full programme is at headfest.ie and worth checking if you want something for the Bank Holiday weekend that does not involve queuing.
Jenny Keane: The Orgasm Tour
Tuesday 26 May · Black Box Theatre
An Irish sex educator and comedian whose touring show tackles pleasure with the kind of directness that tends to be either refreshing or alarming, depending on your starting point. The Black Box is a good room for this: small enough that there's nowhere to hide, which seems entirely intentional.
Galway Potters Market
Saturday 30 May · 10:00 · Eyre Square
Over 30 potters, plus hands-on clay activities on Eyre Square. Free to attend. A good Saturday morning option for anyone who wants something interesting happening outside before the Monroe's nights kick in.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Galway check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
Thanks for reading Under the Arch!
If you enjoy the newsletter or you find it useful here are some ways you can help us:
💌 Forward it to a friend, neighbour, or your local WhatsApp group
📝 If you were sent this and want in on the action, sign up here.
💛 Consider supporting the newsletter with a monthly subscription (coming soon)
See you next week 👋
P.S. Not feeling it anymore? No hard feelings. You can unsubscribe from the email footer below