LIMERICK WILL BECOME Ireland’s first National City of Culture in two years’ time, arts and tourism minister Jimmy Deenihan has announced.
The city will take on the title for the year 2014. A new city will be designated every two years as part of the initiative.
Deenihan said the scheme would provide a year-long programme of cultural events in Limerick, but was also designed to provide “a longer-term positive impact”.
Speaking at the National City of Culture launch yesterday, he said:
Limerick City is undergoing a process of profound change at present and 2014 is an important year for the city. The National City of Culture will seek to bring artists, arts organisations, local authorities and civic groups together.
Deenihan said the calendar events would showcase “all that the city has to offer in arts and cultural expression”.
The programme is a national version of the European Capital of Culture scheme, which names a different EU city each year.
Both Dublin and Cork have previously been designated European Capital of Culture – Dublin in 1991 and Cork in 2005.
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