Galway could have its time as European Capital of Culture extended to the end of April

Crowds gather last year to watch French performance company Gratte Ciel perform alongside Galway musician Anna Mullarkey, at the launch of the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture programme.

The European Commission has proposed that Galway extend its European Capital of Culture to the end of April next year.

The extension would allow the Galway 2020 programme to take advantage of warmer weather for outdoor arts events, but Galway 2020 has said its “remit” is to the end of March.

The Commission’s proposal, which passes to the European Parliament and EU Council for final approval, also extends to Galway’s sister Capital of Culture, Rijeka in Croatia.

Both 2020 cultural capitals are running “re-imagined programmes” digitally, and with some live events complying with Covid-19 public health guidelines.

European Commissioner for Culture, Mariya Gabriel, said she hoped that Galway and Rijeka would “make the most of the possibility offered to them to prolong their special year”.

“Culture has been badly hit by the pandemic and European Capitals of Culture are no exception,” Commissioner Gabriel has said.

“Rijeka and Galway deserve a fair chance to bounce back and showcase their resilience and creativity,” Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, said, welcoming the decision.

The European Commission also proposes postponing future Capitals of Culture by a year – with Serbia’s Novi Sad moving from 2021 to 2022, and Romania’s Timosoara and Greece’s Elsefina postponing their programme to 2023.

After its programme was suspended due to Covid-19, some 17 staff at Galway 2020 were made redundant, and it also terminated its contract with British theatre company Artichoke, which was providing the creative lead.

It announced a revised programme of events from September to March 2020 last week, which includes a combination of live and digital “re-imagined” events with Macnas, Blue Teapot, Druid Theatre Company, Galway international arts festival, Music for Galway, the Tulca visual arts festival and Hope It Rains project among others.

However, confirmation that the programme has cost €18m since the first plans to bid for the European Capital of Culture title has prompted a group of Fianna Fáil city councillors to ask the Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct a “full audit” of the company established for Galway 2020’s European Capital of Culture.

The Government is due to pay the balance of €5m in its €15m commitment to Galway 2020, and the councillors say that on this basis the audit needs to take place “as soon as possible”.

The letter is signed by Fianna Fáil Senator Ollie Crowe and councillors Imelda Byrne, Alan Cheevers, John Connolly, Michael Crowe and Peter Keane.

Galway 2020 said it is a company limited by guarantee and is subject to the oversight of a board of directors, as well as the regulatory completion and submission of annual accounts to the Companies Registration Office (CRO), copies of which are available on the company website and from the CRO.