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Galway Arts Festival

Described by the Irish Times as 'the biggest, most exciting, most imaginative explosion of arts activity this country has', the Galway Arts Festival is a truly international two week celebration of the performing and visual arts.



The Festival was founded in 1978 in response to specific artistic needs in Galway. Its aims were to bring a wide variety of international artists to Galway while at the same time showcasing local and national culture. Over the years it has been spectacularly successful in both instances.



Since its inception, the Festival has acted as an important catalyst for artistic development within the city. It has prompted an awareness of and created a sustained demand for the performing and visual arts. It has helped to realise an improvement in the city's arts venue infrastructure, acted as a stimulus for artistic innovation and provided a pivotal springboard for many artistic careers. It has also been a seedbed for a large number of dynamic, innovative arts organisations in Galway.



Galway Arts Festival Ltd., a registered charity is a non-profit organisation and is an incorporated company limited by guarantee. The activities of the company are overseen by a board of eight non-executive directors. The Festival has three full-time and one part-time employee:



• Artistic Director - Rose Parkinson

• Festival Manager - Fergal McGrath(outgoing), John Crumlish(incoming)

• Financial Controller - Noreen Glennon (part-time)

• Festival Administrator - Elizabeth McDonagh



Board Members:

• Kieran Corcoran

• Padraic Boran

• Gerry Coy

• Fidelma Mullane

• Jacinta Dwyer

• John Mannion

• Tiernan Henry

• Ted Turton



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