Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture

Stevolende

How would things stand now if this had gone to LImerick?
Would the bad luck of this year have happened.
Or should we just think that interesting times are interesting.
& thank th elucky stars taht things might be improving.

Hope thsi does spark more online coverage of events in future. I think those events taht have had that element have had audiences from much wider geographical arrays not sure if that means they've been able to make anything like as much, probably not.

fergiesfolly

Stevolende wrote: »

How would things stand now if this had gone to LImerick?
Would the bad luck of this year have happened.
Or should we just think that interesting times are interesting.
& thank th elucky stars taht things might be improving.

Hope thsi does spark more online coverage of events in future. I think those events taht have had that element have had audiences from much wider geographical arrays not sure if that means they've been able to make anything like as much, probably not.

Bad luck had nothing to do with it.
It was a cackhanded, unorganised mess from12 months before the start and there's no reason to believe that things would've improved.
I think the biggest impediment to 2020s success were the other long standing events in Galway, such as the arts festival, Race Week, oyster festival etc.
Galway didn't NEED to make a success of 2020. The city would've carried on regardless of the success or failure of it.
Limerick on the other hand, would probably have worked much harder to make a success of it, to ensure future events look to their city as a destination.

fergiesfolly

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Bad luck had nothing to do with it.
It was a cackhanded, unorganised mess from12 months before the start and there's no reason to believe that things would've improved.
I think the biggest impediment to 2020s success were the other long standing events in Galway, such as the arts festival, Race Week, oyster festival etc.
Galway didn't NEED to make a success of 2020. The city would've carried on regardless of the success or failure of it.
Limerick on the other hand, would probably have worked much harder to make a success of it, to ensure future events look to their city as a destination.

Given that they were pretty much shutdown right at the beginning of their program by covid, I think that your assessment is not only unfair, but also wildly inaccurate.

Sure it had its issues, every large scale event does, but the program of events looked truly amazing.

Ficheall

Deleted User wrote: »

Given that they were pretty much shutdown right at the beginning of their program by covid...

...people have forgotten how much of a flop it was heading for.


I feel sorry for artists who invested their time and energy into this and who saw their work go unrewarded, but the "Galway 2020" thing was a mess long before Covid came along to offer them a convenient excuse.

saabsaab

Ficheall wrote: »

...people have forgotten how much of a flop it was heading for.


I feel sorry for artists who invested their time and energy into this and who saw their work go unrewarded, but the "Galway 2020" thing was a mess long before Covid came along to offer them a convenient excuse.

Was running into trouble alright.

Panda5000

Ficheall wrote: »

...people have forgotten how much of a flop it was heading for.

I think we'll never know.

It appeared to be very shakey from the outside but it's hard to tell how it would have played out in the end. It could have been a year of amazing events, people can pull these things together at the eleventh hour; we'll never know.

thesandeman

Anybody know how Rijeka are doing with their version?
I can't find much from Google except their year has been extended as well.

Joe Don Dante

will Paul Fahy ever cut his ponytail?

fergiesfolly

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Given that they were pretty much shutdown right at the beginning of their program by covid, I think that your assessment is not only unfair, but also wildly inaccurate.

Sure it had its issues, every large scale event does, but the program of events looked truly amazing.

It's neither unfair or inaccurate.

The organisers were all over the place. Couldn't raise funding, although they no problem spending. One of the most prestigious events this country can hold and they couldn't raise the money. They should've had people throwing buckets of cash at them.
How many people were appointed and then left senior positions on the board? How can you possibly hope to have a successful outcome when you don't have continuity of leadership.

And.... They organised an opening event in the swamp in february in the west of ireland.
Let that sink in.
SWAMP.
FEBRUARY.
WEST OF IRELAND.

Most organisers say a quiet prayer for fine weather in June.
They would've had to say decades of the rosary to every saint in heaven to have a half chance of mediocre weather here in Feb.

Anyway it's over.
Hope the next crowd have better "luck"

Laviski

won't be a next crowd, if it there is it would solely goverment or council funds.
culture crowd found it hard to get business to financially to support them due to the VAR fiasco with many left short changed and bitter taste to support future ventures alike.

its likely galway will not get another event for some time, which is fine as we have GAF and race week every year (this year is an exception).

fergiesfolly

Laviski wrote: »

won't be a next crowd, if it there is it would solely goverment or council funds.
culture crowd found it hard to get business to financially to support them due to the VAR fiasco with many left short changed and bitter taste to support future ventures alike.

its likely galway will not get another event for some time, which is fine as we have GAF and race week every year (this year is an exception).

I meant next city

fergiesfolly

fergiesfolly wrote: »

It's neither unfair or inaccurate.

Yes it is

The organisers were all over the place. Couldn't raise funding, although they no problem spending. One of the most prestigious events this country can hold and they couldn't raise the money. They should've had people throwing buckets of cash at them.
How many people were appointed and then left senior positions on the board? How can you possibly hope to have a successful outcome when you don't have continuity of leadership.

I'm under no illusions that there were issues with the management team and some of their decisions and actions were questionable.

I think you'll find there is always nay-sayers and moaners when one-off large events happen. They have it in every city the olympics comes too, same with the VOR, World Cup etc. There are issues with these types of events due to their very nature of being mostly one-off events. Issues in terms of staffing, funding, sponsorship etc. This is largely because they are an unknown and so come with a certain level of risk. Events such as the GAF, Races etc do not have these issues because of an established history.

However to paint it as some kind of monumental f-up is, again, both unfair and inaccurate. There was similar whining about the VOR the second time it came yet the event itself went off without a hitch and brought boatloads (excuse the pun) of people to the city for nearly a full week, basically an additional race week. There were issues with the management & funding there also, however the event itself was a huge success.

And.... They organised an opening event in the swamp in february in the west of ireland.
Let that sink in.
SWAMP.
FEBRUARY.
WEST OF IRELAND.

Most organisers say a quiet prayer for fine weather in June.
They would've had to say decades of the rosary to every saint in heaven to have a half chance of mediocre weather here in Feb.

Your selective memory is showing. The days leading up to the kick off were some of the most beautiful days I've seen in a Feb. That a severe storm arrived on the day main event was unfortunate, however the storm was so severe that any of the other locations suggested e.g. race course, would have still resulted in it being called off.

Events gets called off because of weather all the time. That some folks try to apportion blame because of a location and date chosen well in advance of existing weather forecast capabilities & technology, well, it just makes them look downright silly.

I'll leave it on this note. There is not a doubt in my mind that if covid had not interrupted things, we would have seen some of the most spectacular arts events ever in our city and thats saying something given we have GAF, Macnas etc. It truly is a loss to the artists and arts community in general that this did not happen.

Ficheall

Deleted User wrote: »

we would have seen some of the most spectacular arts events ever in our city

Could you point some of those out in the brochure?

ben.schlomo

Laviski wrote: »

won't be a next crowd, if it there is it would solely goverment or council funds.
culture crowd found it hard to get business to financially to support them due to the VAR fiasco with many left short changed and bitter taste to support future ventures alike.

its likely galway will not get another event for some time, which is fine as we have GAF and race week every year (this year is an exception).

How can you possibly blame the committee of a Capital of Culture to VAR. Don't think the arts folk are into football that much, not enough to be bringing in rule changes anyway.

Ficheall

Ficheall wrote: »

Could you point some of those out in the brochure?

Have a look for yourself, I'm sure you will find plenty that would appeal to your personal taste as the program was as varied as possible to offer something for everyone.

Even the launch had several elements which would appeal to different taste

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_l3RFu8TiA

Mrs OBumble

ben.schlomo wrote: »

How can you possibly blame the committee of a Capital of Culture to VAR. Don't think the arts folk are into football that much, not enough to be bringing in rule changes anyway.

What has football got to do with the Volvo Ocean Race not paying its suppliers????

Panda5000

When you looked back on it in slow motion and from several different angles it was clear the organisers deserved a yellow, if not red, card.

ben.schlomo

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

What has football got to do with the Volvo Ocean Race not paying its suppliers????

The poster blamed VAR, the only one I know is related to football. VOR is a very different thing to VaR. If you didn't get the sarcastic post then may I suggest investing in a new radar for Xmas.

monseiur

Whereisgalway wrote: »

It’s beyond embarrassing at this stage

What is beyond embarrassing is the €40 or €45million the tax payer was expected to cough up to pay for it all with SFA to show for it at the end of the year..but a few cunning arty farty's who could take early retirement.
It's up there with some of the biggest rip off con jobs ever pulled on us the gullible tax payer. (I understand they tried to get some corporate funding/sponsorship but that didn't happen...that tells it all really)
That kind of money should fund a whole country of culture for 12 months not just a small town.
If we have that kind of surplus cash/slush fund it should be invested in something that would have long term benefits for the youth of the country like dance / music / art classes at weekends / evenings and long summer holidays.
Build medium size theaters in towns & villages etc. etc.+ a few indoor heated swimming pools........the list is endless

Ficheall

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Have a look for yourself, I'm sure you will find plenty that would appeal to your personal taste as the program was as varied as possible to offer something for everyone.

Even the launch had several elements which would appeal to different taste

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_l3RFu8TiA

I had a look through the brochure and didn't see anything resembling the most spectacular events the city had ever seen it - I presume you've spotted some events I've missed, which is why I asked.

I didn't catch the launch, but from the video it looks like they had Anna Mularkey (who's great, but also not insanely expensive or unusual in Galway), some aerial not wildly different (based only on what was in the clip - maybe they did more impressive stuff that they decided not to include in the video) from what the local youth circus seemed to offer when I caught their show, a lot of confetti and a spokesperson saying it would be great. Not to denigrate the launch's efforts, but 'most spectacular event the city has ever seen' would be generous.

Ficheall

Ficheall wrote: »

I had a look through the brochure and didn't see anything resembling the most spectacular events the city had ever seen it - I presume you've spotted some events I've missed, which is why I asked.

I didn't catch the launch, but from the video it looks like they had Anna Mularkey (who's great, but also not insanely expensive or unusual in Galway), some aerial not wildly different (based only on what was in the clip - maybe they did more impressive stuff that they decided not to include in the video) from what the local youth circus seemed to offer when I caught their show, a lot of confetti and a spokesperson saying it would be great. Not to denigrate the launch's efforts, but 'most spectacular event the city has ever seen' would be generous.

This quote seems apt for you "Art and life are subjective. Not everybody's gonna dig what I dig, but I reserve the right to dig it" - Whoopi Goldberg

Ficheall

Deleted User wrote: »

This quote seems apt for you "Art and life are subjective. Not everybody's gonna dig what I dig, but I reserve the right to dig it" - Whoopi Goldberg

I'm not denying art is subjective - I know there are people who would have thought the Galway2020 program was the best thing ever (the people who received the money would be right up there, I suspect), but if you're claiming the most spectacular events the city has ever seen, then it shouldn't be difficult to suggest some things which a few people would agree with your assessment on (granted, I might not be one of them, but I'm sure some of the other more cultured people on boards might agree with you).


"I see you've hired Tommy from down the road to play Carnegie Hall instead of Paco de Lucia...?"
"Yes, I prefer his stuff. Art is subjective, y'know."

Storm 10

Still throwing money to them

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/galway-2020-gets-european-funding-for-a-two-day-youth-event/

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/european-parliament-to-vote-on-extending-galways-capital-of-culture-status/

Looks like a bit of good news with the designation being extended to Apr 2021

gordongekko

Deleted User wrote: »

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/european-parliament-to-vote-on-extending-galways-capital-of-culture-status/

Looks like a bit of good news with the designation being extended to Apr 2021

"The title was expected to bring an estimated €1bn boost in tourism revenue to Galway." Ah who writes this rubbish

saabsaab

gordongekko wrote: »

"The title was expected to bring an estimated €1bn boost in tourism revenue to Galway." Ah who writes this rubbish

Probably based on the estimated figure of benefit to Liverpool when it was the city of cultute?

zell12

Are we still the European Capital of Culture 2020 in February 2021?

Greaney

zell12 wrote: »

Are we still the European Capital of Culture 2020 in February 2021?

I believe it's to run till Mid March

Stories from the Galway Market

What gives the Galway Market its unique charm and spirit?

This lovely short film, 'Stories of The Galway Market – Art, Artisans, Agriculture', delves into the people and history behind Galway's iconic market.

St Nicholas Market Traders & Wild Island Pictures
in association with Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture #galway2020

https://vimeo.com/537744196

There was one line in the above video about how there were 7 markets in Galway. I knew there was a few but never realised there were that many

I'm aware of the following

• St Nicholas - Current market
• The Fish Market - Spanish Arch
• The Potato Market - Woodquay

From reading this, I gather the remainder are/were

Eyre Square (2-3 stalls still in operation on the weekends here by one family)
Fairgreen
The Small Crane
Raven Terrace

I know plans are in motion for a potential future market at Woodquay (would be an amazing spot for it) and possibly at the new plaza at the Cathedral.

How cool would it be if, instead of a pub crawl, you have a walking tour of the city taking in multiple markets along the way where you could stop for a refreshment or pick up some handmade craft items.

A pipedream I know, but still, maybe something like this might work

Blue is potential markets, green is existing markets