Offaly Community Arts Group make €10,000 donation to Esker Arts
Esker Arts has received a funding boost with the presentation of a cheque for over €10,000 from the Offaly Community Arts Group to support the operations of the centre in Tullamore.
The group was established in the 1980s and remained active through the 1990s collecting money and presenting events in a move to create an appetite for culture.
Group member, Ed Cunningham, who made the cheque presentation, said the group were "always hopeful that some day the town would have a dedicated venue devoted to the arts".
From the outset, Ed said the group was "busy and ambitious" and soon began to bring some of the country’s top artists to Offaly.
"Well-known groups such as Na Casaidigh, The Jim Doherty Trio, jazz guitarist Louis Stewart, the RTÉ Vanbrugh Strings, Spanish guitarist Agustin Maruri, pianists Phillipe Cassard and David Franchetti, Sopranos Regina Nathan and Cara O’ Sullivan, the Cambridge Winds Ensemble, the Ulster Brass (part of the Ulster Orchestra), the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Aurelia Sax Quartet, and the Trinity College Singers came to the county and performed," Ed said.
The group also brought the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for its maiden perforamce in Tullamore in the millennium year.
“The Tullamore Court Hotel was selected as the venue for its huge capacity. Conductor of the Orchestra was Prionnsías Ó Duinn, and guest soprano was Virginia Kerr. Also with the Orchestra was Offaly-born Des Keogh, star of the Music for Middlebrows show on RTÉ radio.
"The concert was a terrific success with 700 hundred seats filled and many who failed to secure a seat turned up in the hope of getting a cancelled seat. They were the great times in Tullamore," Ed added.
Conor Brady, chairperson of Esker Arts, acknowledged that the Offaly Community Arts Group (OCAG), followed later by Tullamore Community Arts Centre (TCAC), laid the foundations for today's Esker Arts with its first-rate facilities and excellent programming.
"The current board and staff are immensely grateful for the generous contribution of funds which have now been transferred from OCAG. A great thank you to Ed Cunningham and those who have worked with him on OCAG," Conor said.
The chairperson stated that funding "remains a challenge" for Esker Arts.
"We are fortunate to have the financial input of both Offaly County Council and Tullamore Municipal District along with the support and patronage of the community across the county.
Artistic Director Sean Walsh and his small team operate a tight budget efficiently and imaginatively, but every additional contribution is most welcome," Conor stated.
The Offaly Community Arts Group ceased to be many years ago, but the funds they had raised were secured in a Credit Union account, awaiting the day that the money would be needed.
With the centre now very much up and running, Ed fulfilled his obligations and the dreams of his fellow group members who trusted in the magnanimous spirit of the Offaly people.