Mayor of Belfast Máirtín Ó Muilleoir with, from left, Councillor Guy Spence, deputy chairperson of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee; Oonagh McGillion, Director of Legacy with Derry City Council, Laura Cassio from the European Commission in Brussels and Matteo Lepore from Bologna, chairperson of the Eurocities Culture Forum.
Over 60 delegates from major European cities are today attending a conference in Derry today exploring how culture can be used to connect cities and build bridges.
The delegates are members of Eurocities, one of the oldest established networks for European cities whose members work together on exchanging best practices and lobbying European institutions on urban and cultural issues.
This Culture Forum meeting has been jointly hosted jointly by two cities the first time, in which is its first visit to Northern Ireland.
Having spent the first two days of their conference in Belfast, Culture Forum members travelled to Derry by train for the final conference day, where they are taking part in working group sessions with input from local cultural practitioners from the Playhouse, Nerve Centre, Verbal Arts Centre and Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company.
Mayor Cllr Martin Reilly, speaking at the event, it was an honour to welcome the representatives to the city.
“The Millennium Forum today was the venue where delegates got the chance to receive a flavour of the city’s vibrant and innovative cultural activities and to address issues such as young people and culture, mobility of artists, access to culture and sources of funding for culture.
“I am confident that our European cultural partners had an amazing experience in both cities and delighted that today provided an opportunity to showcase our city and region as a tourist destination, and to emphasise the positive outcomes and transformations which have been achieved as a result of the city’s year as inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013.”
Eurocities currently has over 130 members from over 45 countries and both Derry and Belfast are members of the Culture Forum which works to promote the increased recognition of culture as a vital aspect of public policy and to foster access to and participation in culture for all.
Oonagh McGillion, Director of Legacy with Derry City Council, said the visitors would get to experience the legacy of 2013 and witness the city’s continuing commitment to use culture to build bridges, create dialogues and “change our city landscape.”
She added 2013 was a “year of triumph, celebration and transformation” for Derry and it was a pleasure to share the experience and success of its year as City of Culture with Culture Forum members.”
She added “I look forward to the new European networks that will be established among the participating European cities and no better place to showcase culture building bridges than in our own beautiful city.”
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