Welcome to Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway!

NUI Galway is one of the leading international centres for the study of Irish theatre and offers students and researchers exciting opportunities to learn from excellent lecturers and leading theatre practitioners. We offer a range of courses in the area of drama and theatre at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We have particular expertise in Irish theatre, theatre archives, playwrighting, and much more.

NUI Galway's Drama courses are run by the Discipline of English, which is part of the School of Humanities

NUI Galway also has one of the world's most important collections of Irish theatre archives, including the digital Abbey Theatre archive, the papers of such major Irish companies as Druid Theatre, Galway Arts Festival and the Lyric Theatre, the papers of leading writers such as Thomas Kilroy, and many others.

One of the key features of drama at NUI Galway is our work with Irish theatre practitioners, especially with Druid Theatre, which was described in 2012 as ’one of the world’s great theater companies’ by The New York Times. 

As Ireland’s cultural capital, Galway’s reputation as an international centre for innovative drama, theatre and performance is well known. NUI Galway, in turn, has provided a breeding ground for the development of artistic talent in successive generations of students.

The city has seen the establishment of several flourishing theatre companies whose founder members were students of the University. Among the  most illustrious of our graduates are the three Druid Theatre Company founding members, Tony-Award-winning Director, Garry Hynes and the actors Marie Mullen and the late Mike Lally.  Recent graduates have gone on to achieve success with many leading  theatres in Ireland and in London, joining such schemes as the Abbey  Theatre’s New Playwrights’ Programme and the Rough Magic SEEDS  project. In the last three years alone, NUI Galway graduates have won such awards as the PJ O’Connor Prize (RTÉ), the JMK Trust award for finding Britain’s finest theatre directors, and more.

The west of Ireland is also firmly associated with traditional Irish culture and performance, and our students will have unique opportunities to develop their knowledge of this important aspect of Irish life. Students on our programmes regularly see productions by Ireland's leading theatre companies at the local Town Hall Theatreand in field trips to Dublin, Sligo, and elsewhere. 

The University has forged a number of dynamic partnerships with key arts organisations including Druid Theatre Company, the Galway Arts Festival,  Taibhdhearc na Gaillimhe (the national Irish language theatre) and many more.

Our students benefit from the University’s unique combination of groundbreaking academic expertise, professional practice, and access to some  of Ireland’s leading artists. There really is no better place to study drama, theatre and performance than in Galway!

We welcome enquiries from prospective students, visiting researchers and others.