From Mad magazine to the Ukraine war, this year’s festival has it all…

Since its inception in 2017, the Galway Cartoon Festival has been on a mission to bring the art of cartooning, caricature and illustration to the west of Ireland, and to make the event an important fixture in the calendar of international pop art.

Now in its seventh edition, the 2023 festival – which runs from September 29th to October 4th – promises to be the biggest and most ambitious yet. Featuring international exhibitions, fascinating talks, public interviews, film screenings, art trails, workshops and competitions, GCF23 literally has something for everybody with even a passing interest in what the French call ‘the ninth art’.

Visiting dignitaries this year include Ed Steckley, Vice President of the American Cartoon Society and best known for his contributions to the legendary MAD magazine; Martin Rowson, Chair of the British Cartoonists’ Association and contributor to the Guardian and Daily Mirror; renowned French caricaturist Jean-Michel Renault; and award-winning Portuguese artist Cristina Sampaio.

Although unable to travel because of the war, Ukrainian cartoonist Vladimir Kazanevsky – of the international group Cartooning for Peace – will be participating in the festival via Zoom. These famous pencil-slingers will be joined by Tom Mathews (Hot Press, Irish Times, Sunday Independent), Harry Burton (Irish Examiner), Jim Cogan (Sunday Independent, Irish Farmers Journal, The Phoenix), Dean Patterson (Private Eye), and Irish language cartoonist Caoimhe Lavelle. Iconic water safety cartoons by Terry Willers will also be on show.

Most events will be happening in venues throughout the city – including the new Portershed, the Townhall Theatre, An Taibhdearc, Pálás Cinema, City Library and the City Museum. Beyond the city limits, Áras Éanna Arts Centre on Inis Oírr is involved, showing Irish language cartoons and facilitating drawing demonstrations in local schools.

Best of all in these financially straitened times, all of these events are completely FREE to the public!

Feature Galway Cartoon Festival 2023 poster by Jim Cogan.