Poor Clares Monastic Expereince Day, September 2026

The Poor Clare community in Galway offers Monastic Experience Days for women who are interested in exploring the contemplative life within a monastic community.

Date:    Saturday 19th September from 10am - 5pm

This is an opportunity to discover more about the daily rhythm of prayer, work, and community life lived by the Poor Clares.  You may pray the Divine Office with the sisters, spend time in silent prayer, Adoration and reflection, and learn about the Poor Clare Order.  There is also some informal conversation with the sisters, and time for questions and guidance in discernment.

For more information see www.poorclares.ie/monastic-experience-days 

Cherished Daughters Half-Day Retreat

The Poor Clare Monastery in Galway City are hosting a Cherished Daughters Half-Day Retreat for women 18-40.

This gathering celebrates the God-given uniqueness of each woman in a spirit of faith, friendship, and sharing, providing a warm and welcoming space to connect and grow, and features featuring Louise Mc Guinness, co-director of Star of the Sea Retreat Centre in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo.

Date:  Sunday, Septmber 6  •  2 PM - 6 PM

Book on the CherishedDaughter's Eventbrite page.

Adoration for Priestley vocations - August 2026

 A series of adoration sessions to pray for priestly vocations have been organised in the diocese in August / September 2026.

These will use a monstrance (ie host-display cabinet) that was blessed by Pope Leo in November 2025 for use in Ireland to aid prayer for diocesian priesthood.

Dates and times:

• Monday 24 August - Ennistymon church, 7-8pm
• Tues 25th - Clonfert church, 7:30 - 8:30pm
• Wed 26th - Loughrea cathedral 11:30am - 12:30pm
• Thurs 27th - Renmore church 10am - 9pm
• Fri 28th - Gort church 10am - 6pm
• Sat 29th - Spiddal church 10-11am
• Sun 30th - Spiddal church 5-6pm
• Mon 31st - Galway cathedral 8-9pm
• Tues 1 Sept - Claregalway church, 10-11am

Workshops for church choirs

Ignite Gospel Choir are hosting a series of informal workshop retreat evenings for parish choirs in the  Galway diocese.

Each evening will include new music, refreshed traditional hymns, some moments for reflection and tea/ coffee with home baked goods.

They will be held at Croi Nua in Taylors Hill, from 7:30 - 9:30pm, on selected evenings between October 2026 and May 2027.

 

Parish choirs which would like attend should email  Ignitegospelchoirgalway@gmail.com

Men's Camino in the Boyne Valley - 2026

The Irish Dominican's have organised a guided 25km one-day pilgrimage camino (walk) in the Boyne Valley.

It is a day of Pilgrimage, Prayer, Brotherhood and Renewal, open to all men age 18+

Date:  Saturday 12 September 2026.

Registration is at 7:30am at St Peter’s Church, Drogheda.   The day will include:

• Morning Prayer at St Peter's 
• Mid-morning prayer at Old Mellifont Abbey
• Lunch in Tullyallen Hall.
• Eucharistic Adoration in Tullyallen Church, with priests available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation 
• Holy Mass at approx 5:15pm in the Drogheda Augustinian Church, folllowed by praying the Consecration to St Joseph
• Evening meal in the Marcy Hotel, followed by a keynote talk from Fr Mark Quinn, founder of the Men of St Joseph Fraternity in the Archdiocese of Tuam, on “Spiritual Authority”, encouraging men to embrace their vocation as leaders in faith within their families, workplaces and communities.

Registration and more information, including practical details re accommodation, transport etc, is available on the Dominican's website.

Blessing of the Bay / Blessing of the Boats

The Blessing of Galway Bay is an annual tradition honouring the traditions associated with the fishing community based in the Claddagh, and their relationship with the God and the sea. 

Date:  Sunday 16 August 2026

3-7 pm:  Community Summer BBQ at the Claddagh Snooker Hall and Claddagh Hall, featuring music, food, and Irish dancing.

7pm:  Blessing of the Bay ceremony begins. Traditional boats (including Galway Hookers) will leave Claddagh Quay to sail out to Mutton Island for the blessing.

Burren Outdoor Retreat, 2026

This Outdoor Retreat is a journey through the beautiful Burren with its spectacular limestone landscape, rare flora and ancient sacred sites.   It is an opportunity to take time to renew your mind, body and spirit in the peace and beauty of creation.

This is a Residential retreat, with a option for day-attendance for participants who live nearby.

Dates:   Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September, 2026

Location:  The Burren, Co Clare - with accommodation at Red Gates, Killeen, Corofin

Information:  phone Mary – 087 970 1130

Bookings, phone Des – 085 161 4951

New church opening in Gort

A new organsiation called Trinity Church Gort has announced that they plan to start meeting in September 2026.

They have  a website and Facebook page, and are collecting contact details of interested people.  But so far there is no information about their affiliations, or meeting time or venue.

Contact details

Email:   hello@trinitychurchgort.com   

Phone: + 353 (0)89 270 4660

Web:   https://trinitychurchgort.com/

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590867565301

Catholic Marriage Encounter weekend, October 2026 in Kildare

The Irish branch of the worldwide Marriage Encounter movement are running a residential weekend workshop for married couples who are "seeking to improve communication and reconnect".   

Date:         2 - 4 October 2026

Location:   Focolare Centre, Prosperous, County Kildare

Bookings  /  more information:   https://www.marriageencounter.ie/marriage-encounter-weekend

Legion of Mary Young Adult Catholic Conference, 2026

The Legion of Mary are running a 1-day programme of talks, workshops, celebration of the sacraments for young adults (ages 18-40).

Date:  Saturday, August 29, 2026:   9:30am to6pm

Venue:   Legion of Mary international headquarters, Morning Star Ave, Brunswick St North, Dublin 7

Bookings:  Eventbrite ($20)

Enquiries:    deusetpatria@gmail.com 

Titled Embrace the Grace, the day will include  the following:

Speakers

• Catherine McMahon - 'The Everyday Apostle: Bringing Christ into Daily Life with Our Lady'.
  Founder and leader of Beloved, a community for young adult women focused on friendship and faith. Linked to the spirituality of Opus Dei
  
  
• Fr Brian Doyle OP -  'Is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mediatrix of all Graces? Church Teaching Explained'. 
  Fr Brian is a Dominican friar and prior, theologian and previously a Civil Engineer.

Workshops 

• Mary-Aoife Ong - St Carlo Acutis
• Neil Mather - Bible Study: How to Evangelise your Friends
• Christine O'Hara -the Rosary, 
• Sean Blackwell - Photography.

Mass in the afternoon in St Mary of the Angels Capuchin Church, with an opportunity to avail of the sacrament of Confession 

Visits to

• The house of Servant of God Frank Duff and see memorabilia from his life. 
• The chapel of the Regina Coeli hostel for homeless women, running since the 1930's by volunteer Legionaries

A post-conference social at 'The Black Sheep' located on Capel Street - own cost.

Celebrate the feast of St Clare, 2026

The Poor Clare sisters in Galway invite people to join them to celebrate the feast of St Clare (11 August).

Dates

• Monday 10th of August @ 5.30pm - Evening Prayer and Transitus (*)
• Mass: Tuesday 11th of August @ 8am

Location:     Poor Clare Chapel, Nuns' Island - H91 CAV2.   
Entry is at the top of the road called "Nuns island", to the right of the NUIG Education building.  The chapel entrance is to the right of the main door.

(*)Transitus is general name for an evening service of "passage" or "crossing over" - many Franciscan orders have particular prayers for it on special days.

Day retreat at Kylemore - August 2026

Sister Genevieve Harrington, OSB, at the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception at Kylemore Abbey is a leading a Day Retreat honouring the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In addition to reflections and discussions, there will be an opportunity to join the Benedictine community for Midday Prayer and Mass.

Date:  August 15, 10:30 am - 3:30 pm

Lunch at your own discretion.  No charge; donations welcome.

Register by contacting: retreats@kylemoreabbey.ie or phone+353 (0)95 52098.

Choral singling skills workshops - preparing for Galway Messiah 2026

Galway Community Voices is a singing skill-building and training programme open to adults interested in joining community or other choirs.  It aims to:

• Enable adult singers of all ages and abilities to find their voices.
• Bring the joys of choral singing into underserved communities across Galway City.
• Nurture the skills of aspiring choir members so that they can take part in life-changing musical experiences, such as Handel’s Messiah.

This will help people who might like to join a church choir, or people who want to take their current church-choir to a higher level.  

The programme has three modules, run by members of Resurgam (Ireland's best project-based professional choir).  These are paid for by Galway City Council through its Creative Communities Fund, and will run between late August to early October 2026: 

1. Find Your Voice: Activities for which no previous musical experience is required
2. In Tune: The choral art of singing in an ensemble and musical team-building
3. Handle on Handel: Introduction to Handel’s Messiah.

The goal of these workshops is to enable communities in  Galway an opportunity to take part in Galway Messiah 2026 - which is on Sunday, 6 December 2026.  

Any person or group which interested in taking part can contact Linda O'Shea Farren,  CEO of Resurgam at info@resurgam.ie

More information is on their website:  https://www.resurgam.ie/galway-community-voices

Icon Writing Retreat at Knock - September 2026

A residential icon-writing workshop is being held at Knock Shrine

Dates:  31st August to 5th September 2026 

Leader:  Mihai Cucu, a Romanian artist and teacher, creator or the triptych icon of The Holy Family, commissioned for the World Meeting of Families 2018.

This will included the whole process of creating a hand-written icon as a contemplative journey of prayer, presence and attentive seeing.

Cost: €695 per person - this includes:

• Full icon writing tuition
• All materials provided
• Personal creation of your own icon to bring home
• 5 Nights single-room accommodation at the Retreat Village, inc. light breakfast

Contact for information:  John Farrelly -  retreatvillage@knockshrine.ie or phone +353 (086) 0108623