The artistic talents of the young people of Galway were honoured on Friday last when Mayor of Galway, Cllr Peter Keane presented the prizes to the winners of the 54th Galway Advertiser Christmas Art Competition.
The competition which was started in 1970 by Advertiser founder Ronnie O'Gorman and by Tom Kenny, of the Kenny Art Gallery has become a west of Ireland tradition and attracts thousands of entrants each year, with the winning entry being featured as the Galway Advertiser front cover on its Christmas issue.
At the presentation in Galway City Library, special guest Mayor Peter Keane praised the artistic talents of all the winners and entrants, saying that the Galway Advertiser Christmas Art Competition was a rite of passage in Galway that nurtured the creative talents of a city immersed in art and culture.
He paid special tribute to Advertiser founder the late Ronnie O'Gorman whose foresight alongside Tom Kenny resulted in the competition being started in 1970.
Advertiser editor Declan Varley who hosted the event said that it is a tribute to the event that it is still as strong as ever half a century on.
"Who could have known that more than half a century later, it would still be capturing the imagination of a Galway childhood. A lot has changed in that time, but this competition keeps the same wonder it always had.
"The decision to put the winner on the front page was Ronnie O'Gorman’s Christmas gift to Galway — a tangible sign that Christmas had arrived. Encouraging creativity in the young and promoting the arts was central to the success of the Advertiser," said Mr Varley.
"This is the first time that the competition has been held since Ronnie sadly passed away last May, and there is no doubt in my mind that his spirit lives on in the imagination of you all here today," he said.
"In this era of artificial intelligence, creativity is in danger of being replaced by technology. While AI has many wonderful benefits and will go on to positively impact our lives, it is essential to maintain in the young a strong sense of imagination and creativity — and competitions like this will help this goal. Always try and paint the pictures and ideas that come through your mind and
not through your computer as imagination is everything," he added.
The overall winner of the competion this year was 10-year-old Sadhbh Quilty, a student at Scoil na Bhfórbacha. She painted a picture of St Nicholas Collegiate Church on Lombard Street, with a silhouette of Santa flying overhead.
The competition was judged by Tom Kenny and Mary Creavin-Ludden of sponsors Cregal Art. The Advertiser is grateful to both for their time and effort, and to Cregal Art for their generous sponsorship. It also expressed gratitude to Jade Devanney of Sheil Accountants for the administration of the competition. The Advertiser is grateful to Caroline Rowan and her team at Galway City Library for hosting the event at the library and for facilitating the display of the artworks.
