Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, this week confirmed the Government’s commitment to provide €15m in funding for the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) project. This grant will be the largest single contribution to the €46m overall cost of the project. Other sources of funding include city and county councils (€6m each), the Melina Mercouri Prize of €1.5m from the European Commission and corporate sponsorship. As part of the city council’s contribution, the local business community committed to increased commercial rates for three years to support delivery of Galway 2020. Sources for the balance of funding of almost €18m have yet to be announced.