Why go

St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church is Galway’s oldest building still in everyday use and the medieval heart of the city. The church says the current building was completed in 1320, on a site that was already a place of worship, and describes it as Ireland’s largest medieval parish church. It stands just off Shop Street, with the weekend Galway Market trading around its walls. Inside, a self-guided tour and a new exhibition tell the story of Galway from its beginnings as a Gaelic fort to the city of today, making it a good first stop for understanding the old town.

What to see

  • The medieval church. Walk the aisles of a building that has served Galway for more than 700 years, with carvings, memorials and medieval features to spot along the way.
  • The Story of Galway exhibition. A new display inside the church charts Galway’s history from Gaelic fort to modern city.
  • The collegiate story. In 1484 the Archbishop of Tuam made the church collegiate, confirmed by Pope Innocent VIII in 1485, which allowed it to form a college of singing priests. Today’s St Nicholas’ Schola Cantorum revives the original college of singers established in 1486.
  • The bell tower. On the Bell Ringing Experience, a church historian introduces the beginnings of Galway before you climb the winding stairs to the belfry and ring the bells for the city to hear.
  • The medieval graveyard. Reached by steps, so wear comfortable shoes.

The church was Roman Catholic for roughly its first 300 years and has been Church of Ireland since the 1690s, after the Williamite War.

Plan your visit

The church publishes its opening hours week by week. The current hours are 10am to 5.30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11am to 5.30pm on Wednesday and 1pm to 5.30pm on Sunday, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Allow about 45 minutes, or an hour if you join a tour.

There are three ways to visit. The Self-Guided Story of Galway Tour lets you follow marked stations with a paper guide or listen to church historians on your phone. The Guided Medieval Tour lasts about 45 minutes, with a maximum of 25 people. The Bell Ringing Experience takes up to 15 people to the top of the tower. Children aged 6 to 10 can add the Knight’s Trail, a separately ticketed audio adventure. Visitors pay an entry fee, which the church says is vital to keeping its doors open; children under 10 go free on the self-guided option. The church recommends booking only from May to August; at other times, pay on arrival.

There is no visitor parking. Photography is welcome, but tripods, selfie sticks and extra lighting are not, and you are asked not to narrate videos. The nave, aisles and south transept are accessible through the ramped South Door; the belfry, chancel and graveyard involve steps, and the toilet is up two stone steps.

At Christmas

The church is a popular concert venue in winter. On 21 and 22 December 2026, the Claddagh Chamber Choir returns with A Claddagh Christmas, a series of 40-minute carol and choral concerts across both days. Tickets are sold online.