Galway County Arts Office was represented at a national event held in Limerick City Gallery of Art to mark 40 years of partnership between the Arts Council and Ireland’s 31 local authorities.
The event, entitled Art in Every Place, was attended by current Galway County Arts Officer Sharon O’Grady and retired Arts Officer James Harrold.
The event looked back on the milestones of this decades‑long partnership from the opening of the very first arts office in Clare in 1986 to Galway County Council’s appointment of its first Arts Officer in 1990. It traced the journey through the national roll‑out of arts offices under Better Local Government in 1997, and the landmark Arts Act of 2003, which gave arts planning a firm place in local authority life.
Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council, said, “Since appointing our first Arts Officer, we have built a dynamic arts programme that supports artists, festivals, public art, and community engagement across the county. As we mark 40 years of the national partnership, we celebrate this impact and look forward to continuing to embed creativity in everyday life, foster cultural participation, and strengthen Galway’s reputation as a hub of artistic innovation.”
Sharon O’Grady, Galway County Arts Officer, stated, “This anniversary presented an opportunity for past and present Arts Officers to come together and celebrate how the arts have shaped communities. Standing alongside my predecessor James Harrold was a reminder of that shared journey. The event also underlined the vital collaboration between the Arts Council, local authorities and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, a partnership that continues to bring creativity into everyday life across Galway and Ireland.”
Between 2005 and 2025, €2.6 billion has been jointly invested in the arts through the Arts Council’s partnership with local authorities across Ireland. The partnership is underpinned by A Framework for Collaboration, the joint agreement between the Arts Council and the County and City Management Association (CCMA). Each local authority in the country has its own strategic arts plan, aligned to its County or City Development Plan and national arts strategies.
Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council, said, “The Arts Council’s partnership with local government has played a central role in bringing the arts into everyday life in every corner of Ireland. Working closely with Arts Offices throughout the country, this partnership has transformed access to the arts, supporting artists locally, deepening connections with communities, and ensuring that where you live or who you are never limits your access to creativity.”
