Minister voices ‘deep concern’ over issues within Galway 2020

Galway City Tribune – A lack of cultural leadership at the heart of Galway 2020 is a cause of deep concern to Minister for Culture, Josepha Madigan.

Twice during a recent briefing between Galway 2020 and Department of Culture officials, Minister Madigan highlighted the need for cultural leadership at Galway 2020, which has been without a creative director since May.

Minister Madigan, whose Department will fund the project to the tune of at least €15 million, has also demanded that Galway 2020 gets ‘clearance’ on her views before the company briefs media – “to ensure her position is accurately represented”.

Minutes of the meeting – held in early September when Hannah Kiely had stepped aside as CEO of Galway 2020 – were released to the Galway City Tribune under Freedom of Information.

Aideen McGinley, chairperson of Galway 2020, met with the Minister, and two officials from her department, Christine Sisk and Feargal Ó Coigligh were present at the meeting, which took place three days after Ms Kiely’s departure announcement was made public.

Ms Kiely had followed in the footsteps of Creative Director Chris Baldwin, whose shock departure in late May of this year left a creative leadership deficit within the company tasked with delivering a European Capital of Culture project in Galway.

“The resignation of the CEO was expressed (as) an issue of concern to the Minister particularly given the recognised need for cultural leadership in the company,” the minutes of the Minister’s meeting with Ms McGinley reveal.

“The Minister stressed the need for the creative leadership deficit to be addressed as soon as possible,” the meeting heard.

Minister Madigan asked that she be “kept up to date on all significant changes in the company in advance and that clearance be sought on her view before any media statements or interviews to ensure that her position is accurately represented”.
This is a preview only. To read the rest of this article, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and  county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.