A free public ‘state of the nation’ debate will take place this Monday 26th November 2012 at 8pm in the Galway City Museum near the Spanish Arch. The title of the debate – ‘Four Angry Women’ – responds directly to an event taking place in Galway on Sunday 2nd December. The ‘Four Angry Men’ debate brings together four high-profile male speakers (Fintan O’Toole, Shane Ross, Nick Webb and David McWilliams) which holds a cover charge of €25. This debate on 26 November will offer a platform for a group of female speakers with expertise in various areas of social and economic development and environmental protection to share their views in relation to pressing social and economic issue, the upcoming budget, issues of (un)employment in Ireland, welfare cuts and social justice and the global and local consequences of environmental degradation. Speakers are Victoria White (Journalist and author), Cllr. Catherine Connolly (Independent-Galway City West), Mary Greene (NUI Galway and Transition Galway), and Kay Synott (School and Community gardening activist). The discussion will be chaired by former Councillor and Senator Niall Ó Brolcháin. The event is organised by the local branch of the Green Party/Comhaontas Glas and aims to offer a forum for people to debate alternative views of Ireland’s current economic, social and ecological difficulties and potential solutions. There is no cover charge and All are welcome.
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Future Galway – Green Drinks Galway November 2012
Architect Roddy Mannion is the guest speaker at the November 2012 Galway Green Drinks event which takes place at 8pm on Thursday 8th November in the Cottage Bar in Lower Salthill. Roddy’s presentation will focus on his vision for the future development of Galway City in the coming decades as set out in the third part of his new book ‘Galway: A Sense of Place’. All are welcome!
The guest speaker gives their talk from 8pm and then takes questions from the audience. Many people stay on for a drink or two afte
rwards. Tea, coffee, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available at the bar.
ABOUT RODDY MANNION:
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Roddy Mannion is an architect, originally from County Galway, who has lived and worked in the city for the past 25 years. He is the consultant architect for the New Port of Galway, preparing an Urban Design Framework for the existing harbour which involved considerable research, study and writing about Galway, which eventually resulted in his book ‘Galway: A Sense of Place’.
http://www.roddymannionarchitects.com/
ABOUT THE BOOK:
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Welcoming, appealing, vibrant, historical, arty, traditional, charming, dynamic, cosmopolitan, bohemian, atmospheric, energetic, colourful, medieval, fun loving, exuberant, ancient and modern, blend of old and new, cultural – these are some of the words and phrases used to describe one of Ireland’s most loved cities. ‘Galway: A Sense of Place’ is an engaging and visually appealing study of the City of the Tribes, its many features and attractions, but also its problems and weaknesses. Universally popular as both a place to visit and to live, the book reveals the story of this vibrant city in three parts.
Part 1 is a record of the built city, tracing its evolution thematically through its three defining themes of water, foreigner and stone.
Part 2 is a celebration of the inhabited city, capturing the range of ingredients that contribute to its sense of place, physically, culturally and socially.
Part 3 is a vision for the future city based on a rediscovery and reinterpretation of its historic urban texture and quality.
On the surface the book is a soft exploration of the diverse and enduring appeal of Galway as embodied in its intimate but energetic medieval centre as the stage set for its festive life, including the Volvo Ocean Race, which in a city famous for its festivals topped them all. However, under the surface there is a harder edge in the book’s honest appraisal of Galway’s contrasting suburban surrounds, with its dilution of a rich urban legacy and loss of place, and where, ironically, most of its citizens now live, work, shop and recreate. In essence, the book is a tale of two cities – the 1% perceived city at its distinctive, dense core with a uniqueness that distinguishes it from all other Irish cities, and the 99% ignored city of its amorphous, dispersed suburbs with a sameness it shares with all other cities.
The author argues that in the challenging years ahead Galway needs to rediscover its European roots and allow its cultural creativity and celebratory urban life to extend and envelop the entire living city, and not just the perceived city at its historic heart. Fully illustrated throughout, and aimed at both residents and visitors, ‘Galway: A Sense of Place’ explores the body and soul of the city and suggests the path it needs to follow to manage future change and retain its enormous popularity.
Transition Galway 