The Crawford Art Gallery is now hosting free Thursday evening tours. Photo: Brian Morrison

Tours-days are great at Crawford Art Gallery

Affordable after work weekday activities can be hard to find these days but the Crawford Art Gallery’s new Thursday evening tours might be just the ticket.

Bridging the gap between the daytime and night time economy in the city, the new tours start at 6.30pm every Thursday and are totally free of charge.

Expert tour guides invite locals and tourists to delve into the National Collection and numerous exhibitions.

The tour experience will vary from week to week, offering fascinating insights, information and the stories behind the artworks and the artists who created them.

Marketing and Communications Manager at Crawford Art Gallery, Dyane Hanrahan, says the new tours will offer an alternative to people heading out after work or on their way home, or even as a kind of pre-dinner or theatre event: “We know it will appeal to a broad range of visitors and we are hoping it might even be a nice ice breaker for a date! It wouldn’t be the first time that Crawford featured in visitors’ romantic lives,” says Dyane.

The tour was made possible through funding from the department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

Dyane adds: “The gallery wants to play its part in stimulating the city’s night time economy. The tours are given by very experienced guides who are really passionate about introducing the artworks to new visitors or to repeat visitors who want to see the new temporary exhibitions, and to top it all, the ‘Tours on Thursday’ will be different every week!”

Spaces on the tours will be available on a first-come, first-served basis with no pre-booking necessary. The Gallery is open until 8pm every Thursday. The new Thursday offering will complement the existing Sunday and Bank Holiday tours happening at 2pm since May.