Tuam lets its light shine for festival

Footpaths in Tuam are set to light up this weekend as part of the annual Tuam Arts Festival.

Footpaths in Tuam are set to light up this weekend as part of the annual Tuam Arts Festival.

“Pavement Lights”, an art installation by local photographer and artist Andy Newman, will transform one of the town’s streets by backlighting the old cast iron and glass grids on its footpaths.

The iron panels and glass grids were fitted to permit daylight to reach otherwise dark basements that extended under footpaths. They created more usable and rentable space for building owners, making properties more valuable.

“Though hundreds of pedestrians walk over these glass grids every week, few notice or appreciate these wonderful features,” Newman said.

The installation on High Street will be lit up from 9 o’clock tonight and tomorrow night. The festival, now in its 10th year, opened on Thursday.

A highlight of today’s programme will be the world premiere of Fred Williams’s What’s that Noise Downstairs?, performed by the Cortoon-Lavally Drama Group.

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