Galway 2020 plans spectacular installation in heart of Joyce Country

Galway 2020 expects crowds of around 20,000 to flock to Joyce Country over St. Patrick’s Day weekend next year to see a light installation on the shores of Loch na Fooey (Lough Na Fuaiche).

It is anticipated that some 5,000 patrons every night from Saturday, March 14, to Tuesday, March 17, will view ‘Savage Beauty’, a lights-based artwork by Finish artist Kari Kola, which promises to “transform the Ceann Garbh mountainside”.

The installation is one of the centrepieces of the programme for the European Capital of Culture yearlong showcase of culture in Galway, and temporary park and ride hubs will be used to bus patrons to viewing points along the lake.

Kari Kola describes the installation as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’.

“To celebrate the Galway European Capital of Culture, I want to create something that all Irish people and people around the world will remember for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Galway 2020, the company set-up to deliver the European Capital of Culture, has applied to Galway County Council for an event licence for the installation.

According to the application, the area to be illuminated is approximately 3.3 kilometres in length and ranges in height from 30 metres to 500 metres. Six generators will be airlifted by helicopter to the site, and will be temporarily installed to power LED light sources.

The exact location of the site is between Benwee and Bunnacunneen mountains, approximately two kilometres north-west of the town of Finny, at the Mayo/Galway border.

The proposal is to illuminate a section of the Bunnacunneen and Ben Beg uplands, located on the southern shores of the lake.

Viewing of the installation will be from the junction with the R300 on the Clonbur side, and the beach on the Maam side.

“The audience will only be able to access viewing on dedicated coaches from a number of proposed park and ride hubs – Maam Cross, Leenaun, Tourmakeady, Clonbur. Additional shuttles may travel from Galway and Clifden. The roads in the immediate vicinity will be closed to traffic,” according to the event licence application.

The event will be ticketed, and patrons will have an opportunity to reserve a seat on a scheduled shuttle bus from and back to the park and ride hubs.

“It is proposed that at least six 30-seater minibuses run in continuous loop from each of the four park and ride hubs. They will run at ten minute intervals and will return patrons from the site. This frequency allows for 150 patrons to be dropped at the viewing area every ten minutes from 6pm to 11pm. This allows for approximately 5,000 patrons per night. Buses will begin to depart the hubs at 5.30pm and the last bus will depart at 10.40pm. Additional buses will be provided to ferry the last groups back to the parking hubs. Each of the parking hubs will have parking for approximately 300 to 400 cars,” the application said.

The length of the viewing area is 3.8km, and the width is an average of five metres, giving a viewing area of 19,000 metres squared. “The maximum audience at any one time along the viewing area is expected to be between 1,000 and 1,500 and these will be spread over a 3.5km area,” it said.

MKO, planning and environmental consultants, carried out an Ecological Impact Assessment and an Appropriate Assessment Screening Report, which accompanies the licence application.

The ecological assessment concluded: “The proposed project will not result in any significant effect on any European or nationally designated site for nature conservation. There will be no less or alteration to any of the habitats identified within the proposed equipment footprint.

“No significant effects on fauna is anticipated due to the nature, scale and duration of the proposed project. Provided that the project is constructed and operated in accordance with the design and best practice that is outlined within this application, significant impacts on biodiversity are not anticipated at any geographic scale.”