The real issue capital now has a new accolade to boast following an extensive monitoring of culture and creativity in European cities.

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, congratulated Cork, Dublin and Galway on being named amongst the best cities in Europe for cultural vibrancy and cultural infrastructure in a special European Report launched in Brussels.

Cork was listed as the most culturally vibrant city ahead of Paris, Florence, Lisbon and Copenhagen and was listed fourth in the top five 'Cultural and Creative Cities' within its population group (small to medium). Dublin was listed as the fifth best city in the same category within its population group (XL cities) and Galway also scored highly, coming in fourth in the top five cities in the Enabling Environment category.

The Cultural Venues and Facilities of Cork make it one of only 8 cities in Europe to create the ‘ideal’ Cultural and Creative city, according to the Report, alongside Umea, Eindhoven, Paris, Leuven, Glasgow, Utrecht and Copenhagen. Waterford and Limerick are also referenced in the report and perform well across a range of cultural indicators.

The first edition of the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor considers how 168 cities across 30 European countries perform when it comes to Cultural Vibrancy, the Creative Economy and the Enabling Environment of a city. The Report is the first significant mapping and measurement of the value of cultural and creative assets to be published by the European Commission.

Minister Humphreys TD said:
“This is a wonderful endorsement of the cultural vibrancy of Cork, Dublin and Galway, and indeed these findings tap into what we are trying to achieve with the Creative Ireland programme.

“The Report highlights the fact that successful European cities have found ways of using the potential of culture and creativity to drive development, innovation and job creation and improve the quality of life for citizens.

“It also proves that the size of a city doesn’t determine its performance in culture and creativity. Indeed, Cork is punching seriously above its weight, scoring top of the list for Cultural Vibrancy ahead of larger cities such as Paris, Copenhagen and Lisbon.

“Engagement in culture and creativity drives personal and societal wellbeing, and this report shows that Ireland has an extremely vibrant cultural ecosystem on which we will build through the delivery of the Creative Ireland programme.”