Good evening everyone.
It’s a great pleasure for me, as chair of the arts festival, to welcome you all to the opening of this, our 10th event.
I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to Patricia Messinger, of C103 fm, who will officially open the festival in a few moments.
Patricia has been a well known voice throughout Cork for the last number of years and it’s a very great privilege and honour to have her here tonight.
Over the last 10 years, the festival has gone from strength to strength and we owe a great debt to the far seeing people who introduced and planned the first one in 2009.
Every year, we have been determined to introduce something new – Night of Drama, Flash Fiction competition, are just two examples. The aim of the festival since its inception has been to promote and support local artistic talent in all its forms.
I am delighted to say that I think we have been very successful in fulfilling that intention. By looking at the very eclectic programme, I think you will all have to agree with me that Kanturk, a small town North West Cork, has done an enormous amount of work with a small but dedicated committee, to make our arts festival one of the leading arts festival in the Cork arts calendar.
There are many people I’d like to thank for their help and support along the way:
Our main sponsors, Cork County Council & Kanturk Credit Union who have been steadfast in their support for the past 10 years.
To our local sponsors such as Spar, SuperValu , Kanturk Bookshop O Callaghan’s here for providing this venue, to every business in the town because with out your windows we would not be able to turn Kanturk into a giant open air gallery dispaying the every single entry in “The Schools Art Competition”
Local writers and performers, who have given their time freely and so generously.
The Court service for providing us with the wonderfully atmospheric Courthouse.
The Corkman, Maria Herlihy Timmy Lynch. Catherine Newman
The radio: Elmarie Mawe of the Arthouse and Patricia herself for giving us such welcome publicity.
The people who put up boards, posters.
Mossie Angland of Glenrua Cheese for his sponsorship of the cheese and wine reception here tonight.
Rachel and Eva, the clipboard girls, from Colaiste Treasa for giving up their free time
Our Invited artists, Viv Buckley, Mary G Sheehan and Deborah O’Keeffe.
Our “Schools Art Competition” Category Winners are also on display, here over the weekend and it is plain to see that the future is in safe hands and who knows we could see them all back again as invited artists in 2028.
Opening times are…9am to 5:30pm tomorrow (Friday) & 12pm to 4pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Above all, thank you to all of you who come to support the various events, most of which are free. Without an audience, there really would be no point in Festival, so I would ask you to come out in your droves. Bring friends and relations and enjoy the various events in the different venues throughout the weekend.
This year, we are introducing A Friends of the Festival scheme. Jacqui will give you more details later.
All details for all events are available on www.kanturkarts.ie & please take a brochure home with you.
Finally on a personal note, I wish to thank the festival committee for all your hard work, help and support during the year.
If I’ve left anyone out, my sincere apologies.
So all that remains now for me to do is wish you all an enjoyable evening, and invite Patricia to officially declare the 2018 festival open.
Lisa Egan, Festival Chairperson 2018