Galway 2020 Opening Ceremony Update (Saturday 8th of February)
Tonight, Michael D Higgins was due to inaugurate the celebrations of the finale night of Opening week for Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture.
They have had to cancel tonight's event unfortunately for the safety of the public due to the weather warnings
The organiser's have released a statement:
"Galway 2020 is extremely disappointed to announce the cancellation of the finale of our Opening Ceremony this evening due to the severe national weather warnings in place for the whole of today, tonight and tomorrow.
We have been in constant contact with the relevant authorities since the weather warnings were put in place earlier this week and, in the interests of the safety of the public the weather warnings currently in place mean that it has been deemed unsafe to go ahead.
We are saddened for the community cast, our volunteers and the whole team who have worked so hard during the last weeks and months.
Today’s event would have marked the finale of what has been a hugely successful week-long series of events on the Fire Tour of lighting ceremonies that have lit up towns across the county."
The events that have taken place already for opening week have been amazing. It kicked on St Brigid's Day with a turf cutting ceremony. And on Sunday the fire tour kicked off in Clifden & went right around County Galway stopping in Spiddal, Tuam, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry. There was lots of fire processions and music, with a cast drawn from communities across the entire county of Galway coming together in a huge open air setting. Thousands of people came out through out the week for the celebrations.
Here are some pictures & videos from last night in Athenry...
What an amazing night in #athenry @galway2020 pic.twitter.com/ITlL4GCe8K
— athenryheritage (@athenryheritage) February 7, 2020
A fantastic warm up for the @galway2020 opening ceremony in Athenry tonight.
A beautiful setting, and I even had chance to look around the priory beforehand.#Galway2020 #Gaillimh2020 #Wavemakers #SmallTownBigIdeas #LetTheMagicIn pic.twitter.com/AGtsEJXdOP— Ady Woolford (@AdyWoolford) February 7, 2020
Some @galway2020 magic in the #fieldsofAthenry pic.twitter.com/YMfnqFPLTU
— Majella O'Dea (@MajellaODea) February 7, 2020
''I have no doubt that the events of this year will inspire and enthuse''.
President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins has been an advocate of Galway 2020 from the very beginning, speaking of the opening ceremony, he said; “Galway 2020 is an Irish programme, with universal relevance and resonance.
The festival will provide uniquely Galwegian, Irish and international perspectives exploring the quintessential Irish themes of language, landscape and migration. I have no doubt that the events of this year will inspire and enthuse, and in turn, prove a catalyst for further creative work in Galway and further afield”.
CEO of Galway 2020, Patricia Philbin said; “After a great collective effort from our team, our partners and the people of Galway, our year as European Capital of Culture is about to commence. A wonderful year awaits.”
The year-long programme is based around the four fire seasons of Ireland’s ancient Celtic calendar.
February 1st was traditionally known as Imbolc, an ancient Pagan festival which represents the start of spring with its promise of new life and new beginnings.
The programme will unfold throughout the year according to the Celtic seasons of Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain.
Highlights of the Imbolc season (February – April 2020) include:
- Margaret Atwood takes part in the Wild Atlantic Women series to mark International Women’s Day, discussing her remarkable career and latest book The Testaments.
- Laurie Anderson presents two projects: The immersive To the Moon and All the Things I Lost in the Flood.
- Hope It Rains, a series of events celebrating Galway’s infamous weather, features pop-up outdoor wet weather performances, installations with broken umbrellas, and chance to grow sprouted grains in a rain-cape
- Druid takes Ireland’s greatest 20th century one-act plays to towns and villages across Galway county, as well as presenting Tom Murphy’s adaptation of The Cherry Orchard
- The mountains of Connemara illuminated in the largest ever light art spectacle by Finnish light artist Kari Kola to coincide with St Patrick’s Day
- The launch of Cellissimo, a major new international cello festival featuring world-class performers including Mischa Maisky, Giovanni Sollima, Tatjana Vassiljeva and Natalie Haas
- Artist-in-residence Tobias Hutzler will present Light Field, a vast nocturnal installation in Connemara using tens of thousands of lights and inspired by the ancient system of agriculture
- The history of the Irish language is explored by Irish theatre company Branar Téatar do Pháistí in their immersive production for children, Sruth na Teanga
Developed through more than 100 partnerships with 33 different countries represented, the themes of Galway 2020 are landscape, language and migration.
The programme over the course of the year will range across music, theatre, literature, visual arts, dance, film, architecture, heritage, sport, food, with the majority of projects being free to audiences. Each of the four seasons will open with a spectacular fire festival, referring to the Irish tradition of marking the new season with fire.
The full programme is available to view at galway2020.ie.
