Tag Archives: Limerick City of Culture

noonandeenihan

[Fine Gael Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, Labour Minister of State, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, Jan O’Sullivan and Fine Gael Arts Minister, Jimmy Deenihan at the launch of the programme for Limerick City of Culture 2014]

You may recall how Limerick city was chosen as the City of Culture without any open competition.

Well.

The Mail on Sunday reported yesterday [not online] how Finance Minister Michael Noonan – a Limerick TD – lobbied for €6million for the festival… before he signed off on the money for the festival.

John Lee and Ben Haugh reported:

“Michael Noonan made representations to a Cabinet colleague over funding for Limerick City of Culture months before he signed off on €6m for the project. On July 2, 2013, the Finance Minister passed on a letter from Limerick City and County Manager Conn Murray to Arts Minister Jimmy Deenihan asking for €6m funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

On October 15, Mr Noonan allocated the exact money requested in Mr Murray’s letter to the City of Culture in Budget 2014 – more than half the project’s total budget of €11.4m…As part of a normal budgetary process, Mr Deenihan would have to seek money from Mr Noonan to grant Limerick City of Culture any money as he controls the Government’s purse strings. Mr Noonan also wrote back to Mr Murray to inform him of his intervention, saying he should be assured of my attention to the matter.”

Hmm.

Previously: Only The Crony

Part Of The Culture

Pic: Sean Curtin via I Love Limerick

fitzpatrick[Mike Fitzpatrick, right, and former Arts Minister John O Donoghue in the irish Pavilion at the Vienna Biennale in 2007]

Jeremy Beadle Mike Fitzpatrick, from the Limerick School of Art and Design, will take over as CEO and Artistic Director for the Limerick City of Culture.

What’s he ever done?

Director/Curator of Limerick City Gallery of Art from 2000-2009 curating over eighty exhibitions including Simon Starling, Lindsay Seers, John Shinnors, Clare Langan, Connolly Cleary, Sean Lynch, Amanda Coogan, Tom Molloy, retrospectives by Walter Verling and Jack Donovan and a survey exhibition of 21st century Irish art. Ireland’s commissioner for the Venice Biennale 2007 curating the artist Gerard Byrne also for his exhibition at Lismore Castle in 2010. Curator of the Visual Art strand at the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2005 & 2006.

Oooh.

 Mike Fitzpatrick To Take Over Limerick City Of Culture Role (Irish Times)

Mike Fitzpatrick (Linkedin)

 

(Deirdre Power/Photocall Ireland)

Limerick City of Culture 580x232donnchu

“The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht saying that what he knew about what was going on in Limerick was what he was reading in the paper is just not good enough when there’s €6 million of tax payer’s money in funding at stake and a scandal of national importance is unfolding. One would have expected that he would be slightly more on top of things.”

The Limerick City of Culture Shambles (Pop Life, Irish Times)

Anon writes:

This doesn’t make any sense. The government’s representative on the BOARD of Limerick City of Culture is the Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Arts [Niall O’Donnchu above]. Why didn’t HE alert [Jimmy] Deenihan to what was happening in Limerick?

Anyone?

Academic Emerges As Possible new Culture Chief (Fiach Kelly, Irish Times)

(Photocall ireland)

 

Context

Meanwhile…

Awkward, in fairness.

Earlier: Only The Crony

FILE PICS 02/01/2014 Limerick City of CulturejBG31LIO

“There is no question of more resignations helping this situation. And I want to reassure the wider taxpaying community in Ireland that although we have yet to receive any funds, these funds will be wholly focused and fully delivered in a fully accountable way by this City of Culture…”

Pat Cox on RTE’s Nine O’Clock news last night following the resignation of his former assistant Patricia Ryan as CEO of Limerick City of Culture.

The Irish Daily Mail this morning reports that Ms Ryan (who was to be paid €120,000 for her 18-month contract) had already earned €37,800 in consultancy fees [to advise on the culture initiative] by Limerick County Council before being hired as chief executive officer

Ms Ryan received €700 a day during a six-month period prior to her appointment at a board meeting attended by Pat Cox.

Controversy continues following Ryan’s resignation (Independent.ie)

Previously: Cut The Rap

Part Of The Culture

Meanwhile, from the archives…

“…Gone is the day when the commissioners can hide behind the shield of the treaty which says they have collegiate or collective responsibility. When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. In politics, and I don’t know was it FDR or who it was who said in the United States, “The buck must stop somewhere”. You can’t have buck passing that’s what bureaucrats do. In politics you need accountability…”

“…as politicians, the buck must stop with them. They must be accountable before the bar of public accountability in a parliament, on the record and the rot of irregularity, mismanagement and of fraud, which by the way and Padraig has said right on the record of the house, as a man who named names.”

Pat Cox defending Pee Flynn on that Late Late Show appearance in 1999.

(Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)

Limerick City of Culture 580x232

Worried about Limerick’s handling of the City of Culture hoo ha?
Get to the the Pegasus Room, Clarion Hotel, Limerick TONIGHT at 6.30pm.

DEW writes;

I am sure some/ all of you are aware of the current state of city of culture and Limerick in general. The shenanigans are of national interest and we have had enough of their cronyism and any other ism for that matter. So for anyone that gives a shite about Limerick/City of Culture or are sick of the politicos crapping on everything in Limerick then this is for you! It would be great to see real numbers there…

Earlier: Cut The Rap

Previously: Part of The Culture

RappersjBG31LIO

[From top: Rappers Nathan and Calvin perform at the Special Olympics Ireland Games launch, which is part of the Limerick City of Culture programme, at the University Concert Hall in Limerick on December 3 last and, above, Patricia Ryan, CEO of the Limerick City of Culture]

Further to the resignation of Limerick City of Culture’s artistic director Karl Wallace, the Irish Times reports this morning how the CEO of the Limerick City of Culture Patricia Ryan requested that a song written and recorded by Moyross, Co Limerick rappers Nathan Keane and Calvin McNamara for the festival be changed.

“The line Ms Ryan objected to was in a verse that says: “The city’s looking rough when you’re walking on the bridge; It’s the city where we’re tough, there’s no place you’d rather live; Limerick City show your love, shine your light out for these kids; Because when push comes to shove, it’s the city that forgives; See the city’s looking pretty from an aerial view; We carry stories in our hearts and then we share them with you; Forget your tears and fears, raise your glass and say cheers, put your hands in the air for a happy new year.”

Ms Ryan subsequently decided against seeking amendments of the rappers’ song.

The launch that the rappers performed at last month included a speech from Denis O’Brien, chairman of Special Olympics Ireland’s Council of Patrons.

Ms Ryan was appointed as CEO of the festival without a public competition. She previously worked as a special advisor to Pat Cox, chairman of the festival, when he was an MEP.

Mr Cox is a former Progressive Democrat. However, he later sought the Fine Gael nomination for the Irish presidential election in 2011. He also went on to help prepare Fine Gael for the party’s first 100 days in office following the 2011 general election.

Festival chief wanted rap lyrics changed (Irish Times)

Previously: Part Of The Culture

Pic: Music Generation Limerick City (Facebook)