As someone who has lived in Galway City, Ireland for over 5 years and loves to draw, I thought it would be nice to make a list of the places I like to go to draw. I am hoping it will be useful for visiting artists or local artists looking for some new spots to be inspired by.
I like to draw that which lives, people, animals, plants and trees and drawing from life is good practise. Of course drawing people, plants and trees can be found all over so I am dedicating this post to good spots for drawing animals.
1. The zoology corridor, NUIG Galway.
Located on the university campus and free to visit, this is a great place to draw a variety of animals from "life". I use the word life loosely because all the animals here are dead and subjected to taxidermia. This is great for those less accustomed with life drawing as the animals clearly never move a muscle but you can still observe them from different angles, something you do not get with drawing from a single photo. There's a great variety of animals to choose from and I can spend hours there. The only disadvantage is that they are only open 9.30AM-5PM Mon-Fri so if you are otherwise occupied during office hours, you don't get much opportunity to go there.
2. Galway Atlantaquaria, National Aquarium of Ireland.
Overlooking the popular Galway Promenade in Salthill, the aquarium is a fantastic place to draw fish from life. The aquariums inside are filled with local sealife like fish, rays and sharks as well as some less local beings, including piranha fish. There are a good few chairs and benches to sit down with a sketchbook and the landscaping in the aquariums makes for a lovely complete picture to draw. It is not free but take a look at the website for the admission fees and membership deal.
3. The Burren Birds of Prey Centre.
Not in Galway but about an 50 minute drive away in the neighbouring county Clare, this is a wonderful place to visit with the purpose of drawing the animals. They are a zoo/sanctuary specifically for birds of prey, such as owls, hawks, falcons and eagles. These animals don't waste engery on needless moving around so while not sitting as still as my deceased friends at the university, you still get plenty of opportunity to capture a pose.
Another place worthy of note is the Natural History Museum in Dublin, this place is like the zoology corridor but bigger. It's a little eerie but I love it there.
Ireland also has a variety of zoos that are worth looking up but I have no experience drawing in them. I hope this short list is useful for people who love to portray animals that find themselves in the West of Ireland at any point.
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