Cllr. Padraig Conneely cartoon

Local publicity junkie and city councillor Padraig Conneely after a rather embarrassing appearance on the Keith Finnegan Show on Galway Bay FM. This was a bit of a hit locally when it was published. You can see more of my cartoons in the publications section of my website.

It's on, it's off... it's on again!

Update to previous post: It appears that the Macnas Parade has been saved. Galway City Council have pledged an emergency fund for the Galway Arts Festival, who had a major sponsor pull out earlier this year. Part of this fund is going into a budget for the Parade, so it looks like the single biggest free gig of the Festival. I think the Council are to be applauded for this, but there is a caveat: this money is a crutch, and if Macnas' funding is not increased by the Arts Council, and supplemented by Dept. of Tourism, regional development bodies and local businesses the parade will lurch towards extinction in the next 2-3 years. This isn't a prediction I'd like to see come about.

As for this year, I can't wait to see the spectacular work of Aine, Peter, the rest of the team and the hundreds of volunteers that give the parade life every year!

Cutty Sark badly damaged in fire

One of my favourite sites in London, dry-docked in Greenwich, is the Cutty Sark. This morning a fire destroyed a good portion of it, although apparently it had been largely dismantled for restoration and the damage could have been far worse. I really hope it's salvageable, it's a really beautiful sight.