Mr. Joe Hamill:

It may be stating the obvious. Limerick did not get off to the start we all would have wished for. There were some difficulties that were reported in the media. It developed very well when things settled down. We felt that the breadth of the events was very good and that the critical appreciation of them was very positive. My experiences in Limerick over the period were very positive. I felt the City of Culture was making itself felt not just in art galleries but around the city, which was very positive. In terms of value for money, we only have anecdotal stuff at this stage. We have some reports back from the CEO that the returns relating to bed take-up in hotels were very positive so that side of it has been very good. I thought the numbers held up very well. I got some estimated attendances. One thing that caught many people's imagination was the "Granny".