Westmeath has been applauded for its impressive and varied line-up for Culture Night 2011 which has more than 80 events lined up for the All Ireland festival taking place on September 23.
Dermot McLaughlin, chief executive of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust, said, “Once again Westmeath has come up trumps for Culture Night. The county has such a rich and diverse range of events on offer that it is truly a credit to all involved.
“We thought 70 events last year was impressive but Westmeath has again surpassed expectations with more than 80 events taking place this year showing real growth and development from creative organisations across the county. This is exactly the attitude and growth needed to develop Culture Night.”
Catherine Kelly, Westmeath arts officer said, “We are really delighted to receive this acknowledgement from the organizer of Culture Night and I personally would really like to thank everyone in Westmeath for their interest and involvement this year and making 2011 even bigger and better than last year - and no one could have dreamt that was possible!”
All events are free, in an effort by the County Arts Office to showcase the county's talent and rich arts and culture heritage and, with more than 80 shows and activities planned there should be something to everyone.
Events will begin at 9am and finish in the early hours in locations across the county including Mullingar, Kinnegad, Streete, Castlepollard, Milltown, Delvin, Ballinacargy, Moate, and Athlone. While this is the second time Culture Night is being held in Westmeath, the event has been running since 2006 in other counties around Ireland including Dublin which saw more than 150,000 people attend some 100 venues last year.
The event is an initiative of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust and is part sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and Westmeath County Council.
For more information log on to www.westmeathcoco.ie/culturenight
