Concert hall tops plans for City of Culture bid

A major programme to provide buildings for culture and arts events is being launched as part of Galway’s bid for European Capital of Culture 2020.

The multi-million euro plan includes a new headquarters for the library service, a conference/concert hall which could seat up to 1,200 and a municipal art gallery, all buildings to be provided on a shared basis between the two local Galway authorities but located in or on the edge of Galway City.

Already, Dublin, Limerick, Louth, Waterford and Wexford have shown interest in applying. Initial bids must be in by October and Patricia Philbin, Senior Executive Officer with Galway City Council, has been appointed as Project Coordinator, starting immediately in that role.

The bid will be made jointly with Galway County Council and already representatives from both Galway councils have attended an information meeting where the time frame was outlined.

A shortlist will be drawn up after the initial bid is made and those cities will have a further nine months in which to develop and refine their applications.

The final plan should contribute to the long term cultural, economic and social development of the city.

It should have a European dimension and have a strong cultural connectivity with Europe. A high quality of cultural and artistic content is required and the city has to prove its capacity to deliver and should have evidence that there is a broad political support and adequate infrastructure in place. The designation is expected to be announced by September 2016.

Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, has announced his vision for that infrastructure and his decision to talk to other stake holders with a view to sharing the costs of some or all of the buildings required to bring the city up to standard of what’s expected from a capital of culture.

“One of the reasons we didn’t succeed last time we applied was lack of infrastructure.

“There is a huge need for a visual arts space in Galway, a municipal space capable of accommodating large exhibitions, as well as a multi-purpose space for both amplified and non-amplified performances and one that could also be used as a conference centre seating up to 1,200.

“Equally, there’s a need for a modern HQ for a city library, this is a shared service with Galway County Council with whom I have already had discussions. These buildings don’t require to be stand-alone ones. There could be a broad cultural campus in the site.

“Fisheries Field is one site that had been discussed a number of years ago with the college (NUIG) but that location had some deficiencies such as lack of parking and access and it fell through.

“All this needs substantial capital funding and we will be talking to other stake holders as well as looking into funding from Europe.”

He added that the Galway City Museum had to be expanded and would be brought outdoors, possibly linking it to Mutton Island through Bádóirí an Chladaigh; the Fisheries Tower would also be used and that a number of premises on Merchants Road owned by the City Council would be turned into studios for local and visiting artists to link with local schools.

Mr McGrath said the Council would need to spend about €500,000 on Comerford House, a premises at the Spanish Arch which is owned by the local authority, to refurbish it to make it part of the city’s cultural heritage properties.

“It is not going to be used for offices or for storage,” he said about the house which used to house the Council’s engineering section many years ago as well as being the city’s museum.

“We need to have very real, tangible projects and we need to find funding from a number of sources. . .  and we need to get the Arthouse Cinema completed once and for all,” he added.