Galway Social Space gets ready for take off!

by Fred Johnston - The Western Writers' Centre, Galway Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:48 westernwriters at eircom dot net 087.2178138

I would like to forward my sincere congratulations to Galway Social Space and their organisers and wish them all the very best for the future. It would be the wish of the Centre here in Galway to work with them on poetry readings, prose readings, organising literary events and so on, and they may contact us regarding any future projects and we'll see whether we can't link up. Nice one!
It is difficult, however, not to remark upon the speed with which this operation was got up and running and the reluctance, for clearly political (with a very small 'p') reasons, of Galway City Council, for instance, to move forward on seeking out premises for the Western Weriters' Centre, though we are based in Galway SEVEN years.
Saying this, we did have a very successful presentation meeting with them some little time back and we would hope to build upon that; but the Council can no longer merely fund the Centre with crumbs from the cultural table.
While building bigger cultural edifices and promising more - one thinks of the proposed Concert Hall - the City ignores the needs of smaller but no less vital organisations that also require a home and whose lobbying seems curiously to have fallen on deaf ears at times, though there is no doubt that there is support at City Hall among Councillors for the Writers' Centre. One asks, then: what is holding them back from wholehearted financial aid and aid in terms of supported premises? It is all very, very mysterious, and worth someone's question.
Meanwhile, a city like Limerick steps ahead flushed with confidence and starts work on - a writers' centre, and more luck to them. Galway, for unrevealed reasons, could find itself left behind and not for the first time. An arts festival does not a city of culture make.

by SpaceR - GSS Thu Aug 14, 2008 13:21

Fred,
We have been tired waiting for the council and others to move forward on the provision of public space. Sadly we have found ourselves renting and incurring considerable costs, however this is aimed to be a first step. Details on how you can use the space will soon be posted online at www.galwayspace.org. Please keep an eye on this.

Thanks,

Galway SpaceR

by gm - none Fri Aug 15, 2008 21:40

I was going to ask why don't you just call it a community centre instead of a social space centre. I looked at the website and glazed over the list of weird and wonderful new age treatments on offer to the airheaded. This is a new age centre not a social space centre. The councils barely fund community services so to fund such a centre would be pure indulgence.

by Another Spacer Fri Aug 15, 2008 22:49

Well, the space is volunteer run and self-funded so that kind makes it different from most community centres. No funding for this project has come from government or any commercial, religious or party political forces.

The schedule isn't ready yet so your gift of foresight must be truly stupendous gm to be able to envision all the new age shenanigans that will go on in there. The about section of the website, while still in progress, might give you a better idea of other ways the space differs from traditional community centre.

Great gig last night. Fair dues to everybody for all the work that's gone into this.

by SpaceR Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:12

'gm',
do you care to elaborate on why you think this is some kind of 'new age' centre? Perhaps you can 'enlighten' us.