CITY TRIBUNE
Galway 2020 set aside cash for defamation case
Galway 2020 set aside money last year for a defamation claim that was expected to be taken against the company.
The company, set up to deliver the European Capital of Culture – which has registered as a charity – has advised that its possible liability for the claim was €1,500.
The accounts for the operating company Galway Cultural Development and Activity Company, which have just been published, give details of its ‘contingent liabilities’, which is a liability that may occur depending on the outcome of an uncertain future event.
It said: “The company’s solicitors estimates €1,500 for a defamation claim, but proceedings have not yet issued.”
Galway 2020 spent €7.38m last year, up by about €4 million on 2018. It said €6.4 million of this was for “charitable activities”.
Its wage bill was €1.5 million last year, and its employee headcount at December 31 was 41.
It spent €750,000 on promotional activities and a further €340,000 on communications. Governance costs amounted to €170,000.
It spent €65,000 on legal fees; €42,000 on consultancy; €50,000 on monitoring and evaluation; and €21,000 on Board expenses.
Galway 2020 spent just over €447,000 on ‘raising funds’, almost the same amount that it raised in ‘sponsorship income’ (€477,000).
Its income from the Department of Culture in 2019 was €5.1 million; a third of the €15m in total central government has pledged.
In his introduction to the accounts, Chairperson of the Board, Arthur Lappin, said Galway 2020 “is likely the single largest and most complex cultural undertaking ever in Ireland”.
“Like events of similar scale internationally, the necessary preparatory work in the years prior to the event itself, requires very substantial investment in order to be ready to deliver the programme.
“This includes investments in cultural organisations and individual artists as well as the associated investment in promotional strategies for the Galway 2020 programme.
“This promotional investment has rightly featured Galway as a unique tourist destination for visitors to Galway in 2020 and was a significant factor in Galway being recognised with prestigious international awards during the year,” Mr Lappin said.
He said the organisation’s activities “directly supports approximately 350 artists and 300 businesses within the local and domestic economy”.
Mr Lappin added that the impact of coronavirus on Galway 2020, including widespread cancellation of events, would be reflected in its 2020 accounts, which will be published next October.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – An extensive gorse fire in the Tonabrocky area this week – which raged for over 12 hours – at one stage threatened a number of houses in the area.
Fire Brigade resources were stretched as they battled on Wednesday evening to contain the fire which burned across several acres before being brought under control in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Fire brigade units from the city, Athenry and Carraroe fought the blaze, which at one point led to fears that residents in nearby houses would have to be evacuated.
Up to six fire tenders were involved in fighting the blaze which is thought to have started around 4 or 5pm on Wednesday – it was one of a series of gorse fires which occurred around the county over the course of the past week.
Fire Brigade personnel fought the blaze through the evening and into the early hours of the morning before eventually having it fully contained by 6am on Thursday morning.
The fire – which sent plumes of smoke several feet into the air and also across local roads – occurred at an area of commonage between Boleybeg and Tonabrocky.
Local councillor, John Connolly, has urged Galway City and County Councils to come together and launch an awareness’ campaign about the dangers of fires during extended periods of dry weather.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – The HSE has paid €11.85 million for the building to house its new ‘Integrated Care Hub’ in Knockncacarra – which is €1.35m over the open market value of the office block.
Confidential HSE documentation seen by the Galway City Tribune shows that Block A in Galway West Business Park – the former Aviva Insurance building – was independently valued at €10.5m.
The HSE subsequently paid €11.85m for the property.
According to the documentation, the building will cost €14.85m to fit out – however, that figure was based on construction costs in February 2022 and is expected to rise again due to inflation. Just seven months prior to that estimate, the fit-out works were costed at €10.8m.
A planning application is currently being put together for a new ‘Enhanced Primary Care Centre’ in the building, which will house Primary Care Teams as well as a unit for chronic disease management. A total of 105 staff will be based there.
When the matter was brought to the Board of the HSE nationally, they were told the purchase price was €1.3m above market value.
The other option shortlisted by the HSE was a ‘new build’ on lands at Merlin Park – this was costed at €33.1m because it would involve “considerable site upgrade works” and would much longer to deliver.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Gardaí in the city are investigating two reported incidents over the weekend of indecent exposure and offensive sexual conduct – one of them at a beach in Salthill and the other in the Eyre Square area.
In the first of the incidents in Eyre Square on Friday last, a man approached a woman at around 5.30pm and exposed himself.
The woman reported the incident to the Gardaí who are carrying out an investigation into what happened.
The second incident – which is understood to be unrelated to the first one – occurred at a busy beach in Salthill on Bank Holiday Monday.
One mother who contacted the Galway City Tribune said that she saw a man ‘writhing up and down in the sand’ before putting his hand down in the front of his Bermuda shorts.
She said that about 10-minutes later, the man moved along to the next beach – which was also crowded with people – while another woman nearby, who saw the same actions, contacted the Gardai.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the June 9 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.
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