Four Festivals and a City: A critique of Actor-Network Theory as an approach to understanding the emergence and development of Flagship Festivals in Kilkenny from 1964 to 2004 By James Monagle Submitted for PhD consideration to N.U.I. Maynooth, Department of Geography and N.I.R.S.A. on the 30 th of October 2009 Prof. Mark Boyle, Head of Department Prof. Rob Kitchin and Mr. Brendan Bartley, Supervisors There is no absolute space (just as there is no absolute nature, no absolute society, no absolute time); only specific space-time configurations, conditioned by the rationalities and relations that run through networks (Murdoch, 2006, p.74) 2 Contents List of Maps....................................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... 7 List of Images .................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract.............................................................................................................................. 8 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 11 1.2. Kilkenny: Facts and statistics .................................................................................... 12 1.3. Kilkenny: Medieval Capital....................................................................................... 16 1.4. Kilkenny: Tourism..................................................................................................... 18 1.5 Kilkenny: Selling Kilkenny ........................................................................................ 21 1.6 What’s next? Ordering chapters ................................................................................. 22 Chapter 2. Literature Review: Tourism, Atrists, Actors and Networks .................. 24 2.1 Why promote places?.................................................................................................. 24 2.1.1 Analysing images ..................................................................................................... 27 2.2 Tourism……………………………………………………………………………....33 2.2.1 Elements within tourism: Heritage .......................................................................... 36 2.2.2 Elements within tourism: Festivals.......................................................................... 37 2.2.3 Elements within tourism: Hallmark events, mega events and sports festivals ........ 41 2.3 The Arts in Ireland...................................................................................................... 47 2.3.1 The Arts Council of Ireland ..................................................................................... 51 2.3.2 The restructuring of the Arts Council of Ireland ..................................................... 52 2.3.3 The Arts Council and Irish festivals ........................................................................ 57 2.3.4 The Arts Plan 1999 – 2001 ...................................................................................... 59 2.3.5 Art festivals and combined Arts............................................................................... 60 2.4 Mapping Networks ..................................................................................................... 61 2.4.1 Actor-Network Theory ............................................................................................. 62 2.4.2 ANT: Translation ..................................................................................................... 64 2.4.3 Framing and disentanglement ................................................................................. 66 2.4.4 Past applications of ANT ......................................................................................... 67 Chapter 3. Methods and Methodology: Applying theory to practise ........................ 77 3.1 Doing research: Finding the right approach ............................................................... 79 3.1.1. Doing research: Beginning..................................................................................... 80 3 3.2 Doing research: Group Interviews.............................................................................. 83 3.3 Content analysis of local print media. ........................................................................ 85 3.4 Analysing festival programmes .................................................................................. 87 3.4.1. Souvenir programme image analysis...................................................................... 88 3.5 Doing research: Attending the festival ....................................................................... 89 3.5.1. Doing research: Participating in the festivals........................................................ 89 3.6 Ordering and communicating ..................................................................................... 90 Chapter 4. The Kilkenny Beer Festival (1964-1974) ................................................... 93 4.1 Product ........................................................................................................................ 94 4.2 Promotion.................................................................................................................... 97 4.2.1 Internally organised Promotion............................................................................... 97 4.2.2 External Promotion.................................................................................................. 98 4.3 Organisation.............................................................................................................. 100 4.3.1 Management........................................................................................................... 101 4.3.1.1 Coordination....................................................................................................... 101 4.3.1.2 Leadership .......................................................................................................... 101 4.3.1.3 Planning.............................................................................................................. 102 4.3.1.4 Evaluation........................................................................................................... 103 4.3.1.5 Human resources ................................................................................................ 104 4.3.1.6 Non-Human resources ........................................................................................ 105 4.3.1.7 Business and managerial technologies............................................................... 106 4.3.1.8 Financing............................................................................................................ 106 4.3.2 Power..................................................................................................................... 107 4.4 An ANT analysis of The Kilkenny Beer Festival..................................................... 109 4.5 Festival Legacy......................................................................................................... 113 Chapter 5. The Kilkenny Arts Week .......................................................................... 115 5.1 Product ...................................................................................................................... 117 5.2 Promotion.................................................................................................................. 122 5.2.1 Internally organised Promotion............................................................................. 123 5.2.1.1 Logos, Catalogues and Brochures...................................................................... 124 5.2.2 Externally organised Promotion: .......................................................................... 125 5.3 Organisation.............................................................................................................. 127 5.3.1 Management........................................................................................................... 129 4 5.3.1.1 Coordinating....................................................................................................... 130 5.3.1.2 Leadership .......................................................................................................... 130 5.3.1.3 Planning.............................................................................................................. 131 5.3.1.4 Evaluation........................................................................................................... 131 5.3.1.5 Human resources ................................................................................................ 132 5.3.1.6 Non- Human Resources ...................................................................................... 134 5.3.1.7 Business and managerial technologies............................................................... 134 5.3.1.8 Financing............................................................................................................ 137 5.3.2 Power....................................................................................................................