First established in 1975, Druid will celebrate its half century in July with a sold-out double bill of Synge and Shakespeare in Galway, followed by a transfer of its Macbeth production to Dublin, and a staging of Beckett’s Endgame in New York.
Its Mick Lally Theatre on Druid Lane was once a tea storehouse owned by Máirtín Mór MacDonogh, handed over to Druid in 1979 for a peppercorn rent by the McDonoghs, and later donated entirely.
McDonoghs have been trading in Galway city, Conamara and Aran since the 1870s. Formerly a fertiliser and animal feed manufacturer, then builder’s merchant, the company is now primarily a property investment vehicle, with an international portfolio.
In a joint statement, Druid and McDonogh said the new financial sponsorship was an investment in the region’s cultural life as a partnership between two companies with a shared legacy in Galway, enjoying international success in their respective fields.
“McDonogh Capital Investments are extremely proud of our roots here in the West of Ireland, and in our partnership with Druid, we celebrate the past and the present, and the very best of our two iconic brands: local, regional, national – and international,” said Tom McDonogh, CEO of McDonogh Capital Investments.
Garry Hynes, Druid’s Artistic Director, said the McDonoghs’ assistance in the 1970s not only ensured Druid’s survival, but played a defining role in Galway’s emergence as a vibrant cultural powerhouse.
“It’s very special that McDonogh are helping us to celebrate our 50th anniversary. I don’t believe that we would have reached this milestone without their incredible investment in us back when we were starting out in the 1970s,” she said.
Druid added that it gratefully acknowledges the generous support it receives from all of its funders, in particular the Arts Council, Smurfit Westrock, University of Galway, Galway City Council, and its community of Druid Friends and Supporters around Ireland and the world.
