Galway library service and university collaborate on free tax support for vulnerable groups

The programme, called ‘Enabling Tax Literacy and Empowerment: Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities’, is the first public tax education partnership of its kind in Ireland.

It is being run jointly by Galway Public Libraries and the University of Galway’s award-winning Tax Clinic.

Designed to help people navigate the State’s increasingly digital tax system, the service offers one-to-one consultations with trained tax advisers and supervised student volunteers.

It will be available at selected library branches, with the option of online support. Recruitment is being handled through Family Resource Centres, FLAC, INTREO and the library network itself.

Director of Services at Galway County Council Eileen Ruane said that it marked ‘a significant step forward in inclusive financial literacy’.

“Embedding tax education in trusted community spaces helps tackle financial abuse and economic exclusion while strengthening libraries’ role as hubs for lifelong learning,” she said.

County Librarian Elizabeth Keane described the programme as a way of helping people ‘regain control over their financial lives in a safe, supportive environment’.

"This project is about more than taxes, it’s about empowerment. By bringing professional tax guidance into our libraries, we are helping lone parents and survivors of domestic violence reclaim control over their finances, build confidence, and take ownership of their futures,” she said.

And Prof Emer Mulligan, Director of the University of Galway Tax Clinic, said the collaboration ‘extends the clinic’s reach into the community with real-world impact while giving students valuable experiential learning opportunities as future tax professionals’.

Pictured: County Librarian Elizabeth Keane and Prof Emer Mulligan, Director, University of Galway Tax Clinic, at the launch of a free tax support initiative for vulnerable groups in Galway.