About Cork 2005

The Organisation

Following the formal designation of Cork as European Capital of Culture 2005 in May 2002 by the Council of Ministers in Brussels, Cork City Council adopted a twin-track approach to the implementation of the designation.

The Council itself took direct charge of the delivery of infrastructure and established a limited company 'Cork 2005' to develop the cultural programme and to promote the year.

The board of the 'Cork 2005' company had membership drawn from a cross section of the community including representatives from local government, tourism, arts, education and business sectors.

Cork 2005 was an investment, producing and commissioning company. In addition to promoting existing cultural activity, it directly commissioned and produced a wide range of cultural projects specifically for 2005 and also worked with individuals, groups and organisations on a partnership basis in delivering the programme for the year.

The company provided comprehensive project management to all projects in the programme. Each project was assigned a project manager with expertise in the relevant field. The company also employed a range of specialists in cultural programming, sponsorship, communications, information and the overall management of the company. The company developed a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy and provided