Derry Council approves funding for James Joyce-inspired festival

Derry and Strabane Council has approved funding for an arts festival inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses, featuring female artists from across Europe.

The inaugural YES Festival will take place in Derry and Donegal from 13 to 16 June 2024 and will receive £35,000 from the council’s National Event Fund.

A report was presented to Council at the Business and Culture Committee on 12 March and Council Officers recommended the approval of the funding application.

The YES Festival is the culmination of Ulysses European Odyssey 2022-2024, an international project funded by Creative Europe and the Department of Foreign Affairs Ireland.

Female artists from 18 cities across Europe involved in the project will travel to Ireland for the YES Festival to present work in venues and public spaces across Derry~Donegal.

The programme will include theatre, dance, visual arts, installations, film, writing and use the novel as the starting point to explore contemporary issues, from migration to the environment and disability to mental well-being.

Councillor Rory Farrell proposed they accept the officers' recommendation and approve the funding.

“I think the Yes Festival is an interesting and exciting proposal. It's a £350,000 programme of events right across the city, which will get us international visitors and international exposure,” the SDLP councillor said.

“But I've got a question about the impact on our cultural grant aid process. I know that they had applied for the headline event fund and were successful. I know that they've applied for the National Event Fund and are likely to be successful subject to ratification at this committee.

“How does that impact the Headline Events [Fund]? I know some organisations were unsuccessful and didn't get funded. Does that mean that there is scope within that budget to fund other organisations?”

A Council Officer explained that if this application was successful the funds previously awarded to the festival under the Headline Events Fund would become available to others.

“Just to be clear – in case it wasn't in the report – this organisation will not be successful with both funds. It will be either/or. We've made that clear to the organisers,” she said.

“If they're successful in the National Events [Fund], theoretically they can get up to £35,000 but it is subject to their match [funding], so, subject to the conditions that would have been set out in the letter of offer.

“If their match funding doesn't come in, where we expect it to be, the recommendation there is that it's pro rata. So if that £35,000 drops on a pro-rata basis, if they're successful in this fund, then that will be reallocated into Headline Events Fund and as you know, there's a couple of events sitting in the wings waiting to come in should that budget become available.”

Sinn Féin Cllr Grace Uí Niallais seconded Cllr Farrell's proposal.

Alderman Derek Hussey asked if the event had to include Strabane to meet the Council's criteria.

“It’s definitely an exciting project if it comes to fruition or whatever way it comes to fruition, through whatever fund,” the UUP Alderman said.

“My remarks are in the aftermath of the Strabane Drama Festival not being funded so take it in that context if you wish but 2.3 within the criteria says the event must highlight the district council area as an events and tourism area through high profile.

“Then I look at 3.2, where the festival will be 'city-wide'. How do those two equate if it's to be a district council event? Within the letter of offer will there be stipulations that this must impact district-wide as well?”

The Council Officer said ‘any event coming here’ would serve to benefit both.

“Well, I think that refers to the city and district council areas as an events and tourism destination. I suppose any event coming here will highlight the overall city and district – that's the purpose. It's a one-council approach, the National Events Fund,” she said.

“I'm happy to talk to them about how they're going to look at their programming throughout the city and district.”

Independent Councillor Paul Gallagher asked about how the estimated number of bed nights, 2585, was reached in the application.

The Council Officer said the figure was only an estimate.

“They put details into their application of the number of bed nights that they estimate they will bring to the city and district into their application. Then we work with them. Usually, Partly it's research what the hoteliers, with Visit Derry, they're asked to provide us with the detail of where their bed nights come from their number of their participants,” she said.

“It's not an exact science, but you take it on the basis of their audience numbers and you overlay that with data that generally comes from Visit Derry and their hotelier's survey.”