New exhibition celebrating John McGahern opens at university of Galway

A new exhibition marking 20 years since the death of John McGahern has opened at University of Galway. The exhibition explores the literary legacy of one of Ireland’s most celebrated writers through the manuscripts and materials that are collected within the McGahern archive at the University Library. John McGahern: Writer and Archive traces the themes, writing process and publication of McGahern’s novels, short stories, plays, essays and memoir.

The McGahern archive includes more than 80 boxes of materials including early handwritten drafts, an unpublished novel, notebooks, letters and photographs which reflect and document his life in writing. Professor Frank Shovlin from the University of Liverpool officially opened the exhibition following a public interview with critic and University of Galway academic Professor Adrian Frazier. In October 2026 Faber and Faber will publish Shovlin’s authorised biography of the writer John McGahern: A Writing Life which draws extensively from the McGahern archive.

The exhibition allows visitors to take a seat alongside the writer at work and follow his words as they take shape upon the page. It includes previously unseen literary drafts, letters and photographs that offer a perspective and insight into the mind and writing of John McGahern. The exhibition is open to the public until 15 January 2027 in the foyer of the Hardiman Building at University of Galway.

Monica Crump, University of Galway Librarian, shared: “The John McGahern Archive is one of the University’s most significant literary collections, preserving the creative legacy of a writer whose work continues to resonate with readers around the world. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to encounter the manuscripts, notebooks, letters and photographs that illuminate McGahern’s extraordinary craft, while highlighting the vital role of archives in preserving Ireland’s cultural memory for future generations. We are delighted to share these remarkable collections with the public as we mark twenty years since his passing.”