Questions for Galway 2020 over legacy funds invite

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

The Galway City Tribune recently revealed that €1 million earmarked and ring-fenced for legacy initiatives associated with Galway’s European Capital of Culture designation, has been subsumed into Galway 2020’s operational and programme costs.

That means there’s no money for legacy, which is an integral reason why cities bid to win the prestigious title – it’s supposed to leave a lasting legacy.

Galway’s sister culture capital Rijeka in Croatia has already been transformed with new physical infrastructure, a new cultural quarter on its seafront. Galway, on the other hand, has no physical legacy or new buildings. There were some good projects and some positive legacies in terms of audience engagement. Some artists and organisations benefited, too, though it was far from a bonanza pay-day for most local groups and artists.

No, overall, it could be argued that the legacy is and will be a negative one: an artistic community divided over it.

What damage has the pervading attitude of ‘pull on the maroon jersey; hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’ done to the critical faculties of Galway’s artists and cultural community?

With some notable exceptions – like Páraic Breathnach and poet Rita Ann Higgins – Galway’s cultural and artistic community was cowed into not criticising Galway 2020 for fear the crumbs from the big budget wouldn’t fall their way. So too were most politicians – they found their tongues when it was too late and after most of them ignored repeated early warnings about the direction of the project, which was funded almost entirely from the public purse.

But it’s not too late to ensure the European Capital of Culture has some sort of positive legacy.

Galway 2020 has been invited to the City Council’s Economic, Community and Cultural SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) December meeting, which takes place today (Friday), and is chaired by Labour’s Níall McNelis.

It would be really helpful if the members of that committee asked Galway 2020 representatives why it didn’t apply for money from Fáilte Ireland to create an infrastructural legacy.

According to correspondence released to us through Freedom of Information (FOI), there were at least two occasions last year – on May 29, and April 17 – when Fáilte Ireland invited Galway 2020 to apply for funding through its capital investment programme, which is reserved for projects of “legacy and longevity” and required a detailed impact analysis on the potential of future tourism revenue.

Fáilte Ireland has confirmed to us that its offer was never taken up by Galway 2020. Why not?

(PHOTO: Poet Rita Ann Higgins)
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