Galway Cartoon Festival is Turning 10!

It’s been ten years of madness, and they’re not going to stop! Ireland’s festival for cartoons and cartoonists celebrates its survival with some great events everyone can take part in, whether you’re an aspiring artist or just out for fun. Discover all about it below...

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Galway Cartoon Festival will mark its 10th anniversary this October and this year’s theme will be ‘Having a Laugh’. What’s in store will be unveiled at the programme launch in Kombu, Druid Lane, Galway City centre, on Tuesday 8th September from 5pm to 7pm.

above: by Tom Mathews

Coming to the Festival is the brilliant Glenn Marshall of Private Eye, who will recreate the Wooden Horse of Troy; Galway’s favourite Guardian stalwart Martin Rowson returns with one of his great stand-up performances; and there will be expert drawing workshops for adults and children.

This 10th festival is also bringing guests from Belgium, Europe’s spiritual home of comic art. The European Cartoon Centre will present a history of Belgian art told through cartoons, while leading French satirist Nicolas Vadot – who contributed to the very first Galway Cartoon Festival poster design – will talk about his career in television, animation, and editorial cartooning.

A special celebratory exhibition at the Galway City Museum is set to look back over the highlights of the first ten years, as the Festival grew from just a single exhibition into the feast of activities, exhibitions, and extraordinary guests it is today - the only event of its kind in Ireland.

As well as the usual main exhibition that brings top new cartoons from around the world to Galway, there will be a new ‘Bookshop Trail’ to feature the work of invited artists – among them Mick O’Hara of Zig and Zag, who recently returned to cartooning life.

An exhibition and panel discussion will mark the passing of The Phoenix, the magazine that was the home of satire in Ireland for over 40 years. Finally, the featured Irish artist this year will be Fergus Boylan, creator of the hit ‘Catholics and Protestants’ card game!

Alongside all this, there will be cartooning coffee mornings, the Freedom Wall, Irish language workshops, a dedicated exhibition of cartoons as Gaeilge, games, films, and the now-notorious annual trip to Inis Oírr. Come along and join in the good times!

The Festival programme launch is open to the public, and all are welcome for an evening of drinks, speeches, photos, and drawing.

For more information on exhibitions and events, see galwaycartoonfestival.ie and follow the Festival on Social Media.

All photos courtesy of Galway Cartoon Festival.

Main cartoon by Dean Patterson.