Plans are being made to celebrate Galway's quincentennial year.
The Galway Quincentennial Committee hopes to organise a celebration of pomp and pageantry which it hopes will bring to life the city's rich, historical past.
500 years ago, Galway was one of Europe's great cities. It was rich, it was powerful and it was influential.
Galway's ships traded from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, and the city's merchants built great houses. Under the royal charter of 1484, Galway was granted a large measure of self-government and ecclesiastical power.
Galway County Manager Seamus Keating describes the 1484 charter as
The summit of civic independence.
Events taking place throughout 1984 will include a Festival of the Tribes, an international yacht race, summer schools, a big band jamboree and open air concerts and exhibitions. The celebrations will begin with a massive fireworks display on new year's eve.
Lord Mayor of Galway Michael Leahy outlines the work that the committee has done to date in planning for the 500 year celebrations in the city.
The quincentennial year will draw attention to Galway's historical importance which will involve a huge international promotional campaign across Europe and the United States. Tourism bosses are confident that the celebrations will give the city a major economic boost.
Regional Tourism Manager Joe Lally estimates that the celebrations will attract seventy thousand extra visitors to the city with a potential tourism income of around £12 million.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 September 1983. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
