This article is from page 16 of the 2006-12-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
THE DIRECTOR of Glór said yesterday that the centre was financially secure, but would continue to require subvention from Clare’s two main local authorities, in order to satisfy its cultural and community remit.
Five years after the opening of Glór, Katie Verling told The Clare People , “I think the main thing is that Glór has become embedded in the town and we are very much part of Ennis and Clare. We are part of the landscape, we have been accepted and approved by the people of Clare.”
Speaking before the Board and staff members celebrated Glór’s fifth anniversary, Ms Verling said, “The numbers are better than ever and we are breaking even and we have done so for the last three years. We are very financially secure and we are getting regular funding from the Arts Council.”
Glór this year received €100,000 from the Arts Council, while the subvention from Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council has been over €300,000 per annum which compares to the contribution the Arts Council makes to similar sized venues across the country.
Explaining the necessity of the local authority subvention, Ms Verling said, “The costs of a place like Glór are huge. There are three prongs to activity: culture, community and commerce. Culture loses money, community needs money and you need commerce to subvent them.
“If we were to become focused commercially, we would have to compromise our cultural and community remit and what the financing from councils does is that they ensure that we can get the balance right and make sure that we can be available to the community.
She added, “The aim is to generate enough money to fulfil our artistic and cultural objectives all the time.”
Currently, Glór is seeking funding for a €2 million extension to the facility that will provide a new theatre space for Glór.
“I’d love to see it happen. I think it would be an amazing facility for us to have and the costs base in Glor wouldn’t increase,” she said.
Five years on, Ms Verling said, “I am happy. It has been hugely challenging, but by God, it has been rewarding.”
Ms Verling also revealed that Glór Irish Music Centre will soon just be Glór.
“Glór means a lot to people now and can stand on its own,” she concluded.