The Galway Cartoon Festival is marking its 10th anniversary this year with a six-day programme of exhibitions, performances, workshops and events across the city and Inis Oírr.
The festival, which runs from October 1 to 6, has grown from a single exhibition into an international celebration of cartooning, attracting artists and submissions from Ireland and around the world.
Artistic Director Richard Chapman said reaching the 10-year milestone was something the organisers never expected when the festival began.
“I’m really surprised that we’re still going,” he said.
“Absolutely no way would we have any idea we would be doing it for 10 years when we started. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”
To mark the anniversary, the festival will hold a 10-year retrospective at Galway City Museum, featuring cartoons selected from exhibitions throughout the first decade of the festival.
More than 2,300 cartoons have been submitted to the festival’s open exhibitions over the past 10 years, with Chapman now going through the archive to select some of the best.
He said the festival has also developed considerably since its first year, with this year’s programme placing a greater emphasis on events where audiences can take part rather than simply viewing exhibitions.
Among the programme highlights are a live performance by The Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson, workshops with Hollywood storyboard artist Joey Mason and Private Eye cartoonist Glenn Marshall, and a public discussion on the future of Irish satire.
The festival will also look back at the legacy of The Phoenix magazine with an exhibition of cartoons from its pages and a round-table discussion.
International guests will include Belgian cartoonists, given Belgium is the birthplace of famous comics such as Tintin and The Smurfs.
The festival will then travel to Inis Oírr, with Irish-language cartooning, exhibitions and drawing events taking place on the island.
Workshops for children in Inis Oírr schools began a few years ago, starting with guest artists being introduced to the students.
Now the festival provides cartooning workshops to the children in Irish.
Chapman said the festival’s 10th anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on how far it had come, while continuing to experiment with what a cartoon festival could be.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Having a Laugh’, with organisers promising exhibitions, games, drawing sessions and performances throughout the six days.