Exhibition focuses on underwater wonders
Arts Week with Judy Murphy
A new exhibition of underwater photography offering people an extraordinary insight into the rich marine life beneath the surface of Galway Bay opened at Galway City Museum on Tuesday evening. Presented by the museum in association with the Rinville-based Marine Institute, An Tír Faoi Thoinn – The Land Beneath the Waves features the beautiful work from the late Dr John Costelloe.
A pioneering marine scientist, enthusiastic diver and gifted underwater photographer, John’s work helped shape marine research and consultancy in Ireland and beyond. He graduated from University College Galway with an honours BSc degree in Zoology, after which he did a PhD, focusing on animals living on the seabed. He then held a post-doctoral position at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Georgia, USA, from 1983 to 1986 before returning to Ireland, where he teamed up with fellow scientists, Dr Brendan O’Connor and Dr Brendan Keegan to establish the marine environmental consultancy company, Aquafact.
John died in 2016 and his extraordinary photographic legacy offers extraordinary, often unseen views of the delicate and diverse ecosystems of Galway Bay.
The exhibition was officially launched by Mayor Mike Cubbard, with John’s wife, Catherine Maher, among the guests, as was Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly.
They heard how the exhibition celebrated Galway’s connection with the sea, something that has shaped the city’s identity from antiquity to modern times.
“This exhibition shines a light on a part of our ocean story that is usually hidden from view,” the Mayor stated, praising An Tír Faoi Thoinn for revealing the beauty and richness of life beneath the bay and demonstrating “that Galway Bay is not just a backdrop to our city, but a living world that deserves our curiosity and care”.
John Costelloe’s striking photographs “offer a powerful reminder that our natural heritage is one of our greatest strengths”, the Mayor said. “I am delighted that this exhibition allows people to connect more deeply with the ocean on our doorstep.”
Acting Director of Galway City Museum, Adam Stoneman spoke of “John Costelloe’s lifelong devotion to Ireland’s underwater world”.
That devotion and John’s photographic talent has “created an extraordinary visual legacy that continues to inspire new generations to explore, understand and protect the marine environment”.
This exhibition invites visitors to look beneath the waves and discover a story that is uniquely Galway’s, he added.
Pictured: President Catherine Connolly at the launch of An Tír Faoi Thoinn, with, from left; Acting Director of Galway City Museum, Adam Stoneman; Sinéad Coyne of the Marine Institute; Catherine Maher, wife of the late John Costelloe; Marine Institute CEO, Rick Officer, and Associate Director of Aquafact Eddie McCormack. PHOTO: BOYD CHALLENGER.