This collection consists primarily of files of correspondence, held in distinct series relating to different members of the family. There are letters to the 5th Viscount and Viscountess Galway, the 6th Viscount and Viscountess, the 7th Viscount and Viscountess and the 8th Viscount and Viscountess. There are also a number of letters to the 3rd Baron Annaly and his wife, the parents of the 8th Viscountess.
A large number of the letters are from other family members and letters from the above are to be found amongst the correspondence and papers of others. Many of the letters concern family and social events but a large number also relate to contemporary events and political matters.
In addition to the correspondence, a considerable number of items are grouped into miscellaneous sections. These sections include further correspondence which is arranged by subject rather than correspondent, together with other personal papers. In subject matter these range from documents concerning estate matters, coal mining, elections and hunting to more ephemeral items such as invitations, visiting cards and prescriptions.
The vast amount of correspondence and the personal papers and ephemera clearly demonstrate the lives, activities and interests of the members of the Galway family and their circle during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Papers relating to the 5th Viscount, 6th Viscount and Viscountess and the 7th Viscount Galway are present in other accruals (see GB 159 Ga C). Papers of the 8th Viscount Galway, Governor General of New Zealand are present in the main collection (GB 159 Ga 9201-13257).