THE STONE tools used by the first builders in Galway thousands of years ago will go on display shortly.
Rare polished axeheads used by prehistoric Galwegians more than 6,000 years ago will form the centre of the display, which is being loaned to the city’s museum by the National Museum of Ireland. Most of the items were found over the past few decades when the city’s streets were dug up for roadworks.
A series of bronze and stone arrowheads dating from 1,300 BC and used for fishing and hunting will also be put on display in the coming weeks.
One of the earliest objects on display will be a magnificent Mesolithic stone spearhead, which may have been used to catch fish, and dates back to approximately 6,000 BC.
While not the oldest artefacts to be seen, some musket and cannon balls used during the Cromwellian conquest are likely to draw much attention.
They were discovered at the site of the Bollingbrook Fort near Seán Mulvoy Road in the city, during various archaeological digs in recent years and have been returned to the city museum for short-term display.
Breandán Ó hEaghra, deputy director of Galway Museum, said: “Galway in prehistoric and medieval times will be on display in the museum in the coming weeks.”