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The Picture Palace in Galway Picture Palace

The Charities Regulator has started investigating a planned €9 million Galway cinema

Both the government and Galway city council have contributed significantly to the project.

THE CHARITIES REGULATOR has launched an investigation into the Solas-Galway Picture Palace Teoranta, a long-mooted cinema project in the centre of Galway city.

The organisation behind the cinema is a registered charity, and the project to build the cinema has received funding from both the government and Galway City Council.

The Department of Arts has contributed significantly to the project, with the eventual cost set to reach over €9 million.

In recent times, Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys has acknowledged the “significant” investment into the uncompleted project.

The cinema would, as Humphreys put it, “will be a state-of-the-art cinema located close to the historic Spanish Arch and just a stone’s throw from the Mick Lally Theatre (Druid)”.

Now, the Charities Regulator has started an investigation into the affairs of the voluntary organisation – Solas-Galway Picture Palace Teoranta - which was set up over a decade ago to try to bring the new cinema to Galway.

‘Issues have arisen’

In a statement, the Charities Regulator said that it was bound by its internal policy to make an announcement about any investigation it undertakes, as it was “in the public interest”.

It did stress, however, that “the opening of a statutory investigation is not in itself a finding of any wrongdoing”.

The regulator added: “Issues have arisen in relation to the proper treatment of the charity’s assets in a commercial arrangement proposed with a new investor.

The Regulator met with some trustees of the charity in October 2016 and subsequently, on 17 November 2016, issued a direction to examine certain books, documents and other records of Solas-Galway Picture Palace Teoranta for the purpose of determining if inspector(s) should be appointed to investigate the affairs of the charity.

With the project running over budget and over time, it was announced late last year that Element Pictures – which operates the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin and is the production company behind films such as The Lobster and Room – would take over the completion and operation of the cinema.

A long time coming

The idea for the Picture Palace was first mooted as far back as 2004, when the first contractor for the cinema faced receivership and liquidation.

Construction on the cinema was eventually started in 2009 when then-Labour TD for Galway West Michael D Higgins cut the tape to signal the beginning of the build.

Galway City Council – which owns the site of the cinema – has already contributed at least €2.5 million to the project.

As of last July, Humphreys’ department had already committed at least €2.7 million to the project, bringing the total public spend on the project to around the €6 million mark.

Funding has also come from Element Pictures and the Irish Film Board.

The project was originally projected to cost around €6.2 million, but it is now expected for the final cost to exceed €9 million.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Galway City Councillor Pádraig Conneely described the project as “a disaster from the word go”.

Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Crowe also told TheJournal.ie that the site was a “huge waste of taxpayer’s money” and that the council had received false assurances that the project would require no further financial support.

Minister Heather Humphreys said:

Taxpayers have invested significantly in the Picture Palace since the project first started and it has not been without its challenges. The priority now must be to bring the project to completion for the benefit of Galway residents, visitors and film enthusiasts.

At an Oireachtas Committee meeting in December, Humphreys said that the “promoters had good intentions and did their best but unexpected issues arose, including difficulties with the site”. She added that there were also “legal issues” with the project.

At the same meeting, Sinn Féin’s Trevor Ó Clochartaigh said that there were “concerns as to how that funding allocation happened, why it ran over in the way it did and so on”.

Also referencing Galway’s successful bid to be the European Capital of Culture in 2020, Ó Clochartaigh added: “We need greater transparency around that… We must ensure robust mechanisms of oversight, management and corporate governance are in place which will enable Galway to get the best possible return, not just culturally but economically”.

As of today, the Picture Palace has still yet to open. According to Galway City Council, it is expected to open some time this year.

Read: “It was a disaster from the word go”: Curtain finally set to rise on Galway’s Picture Palace

Read: Fianna Fáil councillor slams arthouse cinema as ‘huge waste of taxpayer money’

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15 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Diarmuid
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:05 PM

    Stick a pro-Gay Rights sign in front of each camera. Problem solved.

    587
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    Mute Daddy De La Noche
    Favourite Daddy De La Noche
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    Nov 20th 2014, 5:43 PM

    And if that’s not enough play gay porn on your computer, your CCTV cameras will be removed from their websites and you will be banned from their websites haha.

    88
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    Mute Cèith O Sirideain
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    Nov 21st 2014, 1:08 AM

    That will also keep the Catholic church away too!!

    14
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    Mute Shane Mac Sweeney
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:46 PM

    Who has cctv in their home kitchen?

    334
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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:47 PM

    Webcam more than likely

    157
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    Mute Glen
    Favourite Glen
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:47 PM

    That’s my gaf … Someone’s been nicking my beer.

    147
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:48 PM

    Probably IP cams, they have web interfaces so you can watch your house from the office, and they’re online 24/7.

    81
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    Mute Mr Phil Officer
    Favourite Mr Phil Officer
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:10 PM

    I don’t know much about technology but I have been informed that not only video feed can be obtained off web cams and other devices but audio as well through console head sets and device microphones. The fact is most people do not treat their security important enough so as to make sure this can’t happen.

    Ablitive/Frank should be on soon with tips to keep safe.

    51
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
    Favourite Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:12 PM

    “I have been informed that not only video feed can be obtained off web cams and other devices but audio as well through console head sets and device microphones.”

    When there’s no one at home I usually check my cameras on my phone. Whenever I see the cat I call her using the inbuilt microphone & speaker. It’s funny watching her run around trying to find me.

    98
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    Mute Brian Maverick O'Flaherty
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:34 PM

    Someone has been drinking my beer too. That GoldyLocked is at it again

    37
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    Mute Keelan O'neill
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:44 PM

    Holy sh!t

    94
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    Mute Catherine Mayock
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:48 PM

    I,ll never walk around the house naked again…

    140
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    Mute Ho Lee Fuk
    Favourite Ho Lee Fuk
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:55 PM

    Cheers!

    63
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    Mute Ronan C Gantly
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:00 PM

    Ah nooooo! !!haha

    18
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    Mute Inntalitarian
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:49 PM

    That is so creepy

    89
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    Mute fuve
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    Nov 20th 2014, 6:39 PM

    Pick your nose and eat it. That should creep the freaks out
    World just gets better and better. Yay

    8
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    Mute Anon Ymous
    Favourite Anon Ymous
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:08 PM

    Well, millions of people tune in to watch cr@p like ‘Big Brother’ every year. CCTV footage of people’s living rooms can’t be any more tedious or boring to watch… :-/

    63
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    Mute Pavel Shipilov
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:46 PM

    What’s the address of that site?

    41
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    Mute Glen
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:49 PM
    59
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    Mute Mick Fox
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:30 PM

    Dear All owners of webcams like this,

    While a strong password is absolutely required, it’s the equivalent of putting a good lock on the front door without checking for other ways into the house (e.g windows etc).

    There could be other ways to access your camera, and these ways could vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Unless you know what you are doing, you should consider carefully the possibility that this feed could be available to hackers.

    27
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
    Favourite Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:47 PM

    Is it any particular type/model of camera? I have two Foscams set up in the house

    25
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    Mute Colin Barrett
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:55 PM

    I know you do…

    360
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    Mute Kp Gumbo
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:56 PM

    Change your default password

    30
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    Mute Ho Lee Fuk
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    Nov 20th 2014, 1:56 PM

    I know that you know,Colin!

    52
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    Mute Pinel G
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:00 PM

    @Twink’s Teddy Yes the insecure cameras are by the manufacturers Foscam, Linksys, and Panasonic.

    25
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    Mute jonathan
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:01 PM

    The cause is people are using the default username and password if you change both you should be okay

    19
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:13 PM

    Thanks, Pinel G, just checked that site and my cameras aren’t there.

    12
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    Mute Brian Gormley
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:32 PM

    Twinks teddy, foscams are the best for picture & sound could you let Catherine know who put them in for you

    5
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:34 PM

    Brian, I installed them myself.

    Not an easy task I’ll add, you have to patch it in to your network, open ports in your firewall, set up the mail server, then you have to configure the software (The UI is all in pigeon English). Very user-unfriendly experience, I’d say it took me 6 hours per camera, and I work in computers.

    I wouldn’t recommend them to be honest, they are quite buggy and their support is useless. I have one on a timer, so it resets each day, and the other doesn’t send emails when it senses activity.

    It’s fun for annoying the cat though.

    21
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    Mute Noreen Lunney
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    Nov 20th 2014, 5:04 PM

    the web cam on my computer has come on by itself could that be a sign i have been hacked

    19
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    Mute Clara Wolfe
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    Nov 20th 2014, 7:51 PM

    So that explains my recent celebrity status in Russia. Hmmm

    19
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    Mute NoNeed4cryptoGreed
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:10 PM

    Media reporting this all day and none of them think it’s a good idea to tell people that may be effected what site it is being streamed on. Brilliant

    16
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:14 PM

    That’s because we don’t want to increase traffic to cameras that may be in people’s homes.

    Knowing the website will make no difference to those affected. If they update their security settings, the site won’t be able to access the feed.

    29
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    Mute NoNeed4cryptoGreed
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:17 PM

    The British Information Commissioner posted the link, would be totally pointless otherwise…

    7
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    Mute Twink's Teddy
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:37 PM

    “Knowing the website will make no difference to those affected.”

    It will, it will allow them take steps to cut them off from public access, plus, knowing the URL allowed me visit the site to ensure my cameras weren’t on the list.

    23
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    Mute Elzbieta Kowalsky
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    Nov 20th 2014, 3:44 PM

    and could you give me the URL so that I could check whether mine were online or not?

    4
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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:16 PM

    These cams are easy enough to find if you know the right search query.

    People need to understand that anything on their network is visible to the wider Internet unless they put it behind a NAT router

    8
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    Mute Mick Fox
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    Nov 20th 2014, 2:31 PM

    A NAT router, or even a firewall isn’t going to help if there is a vulnerability in the HTTP server on the camera.

    15
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    Mute Isaac Smyth
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    Nov 20th 2014, 5:10 PM

    All routers use Nat. Unless you’re in an ipv6 environment.

    7
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    Mute Eddie O'reilly
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    Nov 20th 2014, 5:13 PM

    What the hell do the Russians want to see or anyone?

    5
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    Mute Cèith O Sirideain
    Favourite Cèith O Sirideain
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    Nov 21st 2014, 1:10 AM

    Does the Author Paul Hosford not know the difference between CCTV and Web cam’s ????
    #Head line #Change

    6
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    Mute Maciek Wincent
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    Nov 20th 2014, 9:06 PM

    ye scared of Russians thousands of miles away? Sure your government is doing the same to you here in the state…

    5
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    Mute Conor Spratt
    Favourite Conor Spratt
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    Nov 20th 2014, 10:38 PM

    Right time to f***ing kill Putin the little corrupt f***

    4
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    Mute Stuart Keegan
    Favourite Stuart Keegan
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    Nov 20th 2014, 11:56 PM

    This was on the front page of the irish mail on Sunday 2 months ago so old news to be fair . If people choose to be lax with the security let them plenty of really world issues apart from some numptys CCTV … Another 1st world problem

    1
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