Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is an honour and privilege to be in the Seanad Chamber today as Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I am very grateful for the invitation to attend and provide an update on Galway's destination as European capital of culture for 2020.The European capital of culture is an initiative of the European Union which aims at highlighting the richness and diversity of Europe, as well as common cultural aspects with a view to contributing to bring the peoples of Europe closer together and improve mutual understanding.

The European city of culture initiative commenced in 1985. The idea involved the selection of one city each year, which was awarded the title European city of culture to promote the cultural importance of European cities around a common European identity. From 1985 to 2004, each designation was decided by intergovernmental decision by the Council of Ministers. Dublin was European city of culture in 1991. From 2005 the title was changed to European capital of culture. Selection panels of national and international experts were introduced to assess applications against a specific set of criteria. Ireland hosted the European capital of culture for a second time in 2005 when Cork held the title. With membership of Europe growing from 2008, it was decided two countries should host the capital of culture each year in rotation.

In December 2014, the Government decided Ireland should exercise its right to nominate a European capital of culture for 2020. The Government also committed in principle at that time to provide €15 million to the project. This will be the largest single contribution to the overall cost of the European city of culture at €45.7 million. The balance of the funding is sourced from city and county local authorities, as well as commitments from business and sponsorship. The European Commission also awards the Melina Mercouri prize of €1.5 million. Uniquely in Galway, as part of the bid process, the local business community committed to increased commercial rates for three years to support the delivery of Galway 2020.

The European capital of culture is not a festival. It is an entire year of activity which can be transformative to the host city and region. It can have a long-lasting impact on the lives of the citizens, as well as increasing tourism to the city and region.

The initial step of the national competition involved an open call to all local authorities for submissions. Four applications were received from Dublin, Limerick, Galway and a regional three-sisters bid from Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford. These applications were evaluated by a panel of ten experts appointed by the European institutions. In November 2015, three cities were short-listed to complete and revise their applications taking cognisance of the panels' comments. At this point in the process, Dublin was eliminated from the competition. The final selection stage took place in June 2016 when four members from the EU panel of experts visited each bid location and took part in a programme of activities hosted by the bid teams.

Ultimately, the panel voted and recommended to award the title in Ireland to Galway for 2020. This is a European designation and the idea is to connect the host city to the rest of Europe and to remind ourselves of our common European cultural heritage. There will also be a strong connection with Rijeka in Croatia which will also share the title in 2020.

The theme of Galway 2020 is titled Making Waves. It is about the renewal, disruption and transformation of culture, both Irish and European. Galway's vision is to celebrate what is most valuable in its culture, while making waves of renewal, disruption and transformation. Galway city and county are ready to unlock their vast cultural capacity in a wave of events, performances and initiatives which will leave the west transformed. The initiative is also designed to make waves across the whole of Ireland and Europe too. Galway 2020 will celebrate new voices, young voices, and traditions, both new and old. Galway 2020 is inviting us all to ride these waves with it.

Through a series of flagship projects, Galway 2020 will focus on engaging local communities and linking these communities with professional artists, re-imagining our climate, exploring the promise and perils of the digital revolution, reaching out to Europe and the world through culture and placing children and young people at the centre of Galway 2020. It recognises communities should be at the heart of Making Waves. The flagship project, Small Towns, Big Ideas, invites communities to develop their own cultural projects and celebrate the meitheal - the ancient Irish tradition of coming together for a common purpose. Local communities from Galway city and county will be able to apply for financial support to work with artists and cultural practitioners to develop projects for where they live or work, using the three themes of landscape, language and migration as inspiration. The details of an open call for this project will be announced on 29 January.

An Artist in Every Place project will link communities with Irish, European and international artists through residency programmes across Galway. Locals and visitors alike will discover new art in the most fascinating and unexpected places from hospitals, boats and islands to historic or abandoned buildings.

The Hope It Rains project challenges the perception of the Galway weather. Communities, artists and young designers will collaborate to create major events to encourage us to re-imagine our attitude towards the weather. What is currently perceived as a negative will be a source of joy and delight.

The Ship to Shore project will reach out to the world through culture with an international festival of sheep, wool and cheese, dance and film festivals, plus a celebration of Irish music and dance. At a time when the Government is committed to doubling our global footprint, this initiative will focus the attention once again on our unique traditional culture of Irish music and dance.

The Forward Motion project will be a ground-breaking initiative placing children and young people, play and the arts at the centre of everything we do. It will have a commitment that every child in Galway will have the opportunity to take part in events, workshops or performances specially designed with their rights to participate in cultural life in mind. This chimes with my Department's Creative Ireland programme. These are just the highlights of what should be an awe-inspiring year.

I recently met with the chief executive officer of Galway 2020, Hannah Kiely. I was impressed with her and the progress made since her appointment in May 2017. The new company, Galway 2020, commenced trading on 1 June 2017 with a board with a wide range of skill sets together with a management team, as well as its creative director, Chris Baldwin. I congratulate everyone involved to date and look forward to working with and playing a supportive role to Galway 2020 in the lead up to the year.