Exciting plans are underway for an outdoor music venue in Kilkenny.
This week’s meeting of the County Council heard that an area beside the Watergate Theatre is being considered for the project.
The performance space would be part of a new scheme by the local authority, which will see investment in ‘street furniture’ to maximise use of the county’s outdoor facilities.
Cathaoirleach Andrew Mc Guinness says this pandemic has already highlighted the need for such a scheme;
“I’ve said it time and time again, but Covid-19 and the restrictions and lockdown have all shown us how important our outdoor spaces are, and how important it is for us all to get out and exercise and to enjoy what we have here in Kilkenny, for our own physical and mental wellbeing.” he told KCLR News. “One of those things that was part of the proposals was an outdoor performance space in the area beside the Watergate Theatre, and I think it would be an absolutely fantastic addition to the offering here in the city.”
The Fianna Fáil councillor, who’s a musician himself, says the outdoor performance space could be a ray of hope for local artists who’ve struggled greatly in this pandemic.
“I’d love to see our local musicians and visiting musicians perform on it. Any bit of positive news for local musicians and artists at a time when they haven’t been able to work, and when they’ve been entertaining us all for the last year or more with their livestreams and so on, anything that we can do to help and facilitate them should be done immediately.”
