Plans to develop night-time life
Cork is at the centre of a series of new Government proposals to develop night-times in cities in Ireland.
The new initiatives will help to develop night time cultural policy and will feature night-time culture pilot groups in Cork as well as mapping venues around Ireland.
The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is set to establish pilot night-time culture groups in Dublin and Cork. Each group will comprise of a small number of representatives of the creative and arts communities, the entertainment and business sectors, the local authority and the gardaí.
The members will then be tasked with proposing practical locally-based initiatives to improve night-time culture in their city as well as identifying changes required at a national level.
The work of the pilot groups will be feed into a National Night-Time Culture Steering Committee, which will have representatives of a number of departments including that of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.
The committee will support the development of night-time culture by tackling the regional and local issues identified by the pilot groups. This work will also culminate in the development of Ireland’s first Night-Time Cultural Policy.
Finally, the department will oversee a national survey of venues for night-time cultural activity, which will identify current venue use, possible improvements and also gaps in the venue network.
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan announced the series of measures recently.
She said: “Night time can be a very special time, one that can be full of creativity, unique energy and endless possibilities. Some of the most fun and exciting cultural and creative activities can and do happen at night time.”
“Many EU and US cities have started to value and nurture nightlife and creative and cultural activity at night. Whether it’s the appointment of night mayors in cities like London or initiatives like Museum Night, social and cultural activity after dark is appreciated and supported in a meaningful way.”
“In the coming months we will be undertaking a number of initiatives to ensure the full potential of night-time cultural activity in Irish cities and towns is realised. I look forward to receiving the proposals of the two pilot groups in Dublin and Cork and the night-time venue survey. This important work will be supported at a national level by Government and I look forward to preparing Ireland’s first night-time culture policy.”