Cairde and Stiúrthóirí of Gaillimh le Gaeilge enjoyed a wonderful evening of music and song at their annual Fulacht Fia which took place last Thursday at Ardilaun Hotel, An Bóthar Ard, Gaillimh. The Fulacht Fia is kindly sponsored by Cairde Ghaillimh le Gaeilge; Joyce’s Supermarket, Stewart and Top Oil. Míle buíochas dóibh ar fad.
At the Fulacht Fia, Gaillimh le Gaeilge announced their new Cathaoirleach is city businesswoman Bernadette Mullarkey — a founding partner of Bane Mullarkey, a Galway-based consultancy established in 2002 providing marketing strategy and business planning services to clients in the public, private, not-for-profit and community sectors.
As a practitioner and consultant, she has 25 years marketing experience in the tourism, hospitality, and retail sectors. She was previously the Chairperson of the Galway International Arts Festival and a board member of COPE Galway and Fáilte Ireland West Forum. She will bring this wealth of experience to her role as Cathaoirleach Ghaillimh le Gaeilge. Bernadette will take over from an Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh who has been at the helm of Gaillimh le Gaeilge for seven successful years.
Speaking about her new position she said: “I’m delighted to be nominated as Cathaoirleach Ghaillimh le Gaeilge and look forward to continuing and building on the work that my predecessor Iggy Ó Muircheartaigh and previous Cathaoirligh have done before me. Táim ag súil go mór le bheith ag obair leis an gCoiste Stiúrtha agus muid i mbun tograí fuinniúla agus spreagúla sa bhliain amach romhainn. These are exciting times for Gaillimh le Gaeilge as we move forward as the first city in Ireland designated with bilingual status.”
Cllr Mike Cubbard, deputising on behalf of the Mayor of the City of Galway wished Bernadette well in her new role and also said:
“The Irish language is an important part of Galway’s identity. We have a rich cultural mix here in our city that helps to attract business and tourists alike.
“The Irish language gives ‘extra value’ to Galway, especially to our ‘tourism product’ and it’s something that needs to be nurtured and kept alive. We, in Galway City Council, are delighted that we are able to continue with our financial support to Gaillimh le Gaeilge and to the work that they do in the promotion of the language in the city,” he said.
Musical entertainment was provided by Frank Kilkelly and his jazz band. Their music and song delighted all of the Cairde and guests attending the event.
The Fulacht Fia officially concludes Gaillimh le Gaeilge’s social/networking events until September and provides the organisation with an opportunity to say a ‘míle buíochas’ to all their ‘Cairde’ and to all those who have supported the organisation over the past year.
Gaillimh le Gaeilge would like to thank everyone that attended and would like to say a special thank you to all of the staff at the Ardilaun Hotel who provided fabulous food and a ‘seirbhís den chéad scoth!’ They also kindly sponsored ‘Deoch an tSamhraidh’ for all of the Cairde.
