Na Cailleacha at Custom House Studios

What to Expect

Na Cailleacha take over the galleries at Custom House Studios on Westport Quay from late October. The group describes itself as a collective of six visual artists, one jazz musician and a curator and writer who came together to explore being female, older and hopefully wiser. That framing is the whole project: the work is made by artists who are past the age at which the art world usually stops paying attention, and it treats that position as a subject rather than a problem.

The name comes from the Cailleach, one of the oldest and most powerful mythic figures associated with Ireland and part of the Great Goddess trinity. The collective’s previous projects give a sense of the range: The School of Hibernia, launched at Trinity College Dublin in March 2024, plus In Reference to Paula Rego, Dawn to Dusk, and The Doll Project: Child’s Play. Because a jazz musician is part of the group, their shows have historically involved more than objects on walls. Custom House lists the run as 28 October to 29 November 2026, after which the gallery’s Winter Show group exhibition opens on 29 November. Full details on participating artists are carried on the collective’s own site.

Good to Know

• Runs Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 29 November 2026
• Custom House Studios + Gallery, The Quay, Westport
• Gallery hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, weekends and bank holidays 1pm to 4.30pm
• Admission is not listed online - phone 098 28735 or email info@customhousestudios.ie
• Na Cailleacha is a collective of six visual artists, a jazz musician and a curator and writer
• More on the collective at nacailleacha.weebly.com
• The gallery’s Winter Show group exhibition opens on 29 November 2026

Getting There

Custom House Studios is on The Quay in Westport, about 2km west of the Octagon on the R335 towards Louisburgh. It is walkable or cyclable from the town centre along the Quay road, and the Great Western Greenway passes nearby. Drivers arrive on the N5 from Castlebar and Dublin or the N59 from Newport and Clifden. Irish Rail runs Dublin Heuston to Westport services via Manulla Junction. Bus Eireann and Local Link serve Westport and a local bus runs to the Quay. Public parking is available on the Quay, and late autumn is a quieter time to find a space.