Where Are Our Modern Medicis?
AFFA calls on Athenry to fund a new Celtic Revival
Five hundred years after their reign, the artistic legacy of Florence’s Medici family still shapes how we see
the Renaissance. Their patronage funded the Uffizi Gallery, the Medici Chapel, and the work of Leonardo,
Raphael and Michelangelo — masterpieces we still enjoy today because one family chose to invest in art.
Galway has its own version of this story.

Lady Gregory of Coole Park
Lady Gregory of Coole Park in Gort was amongst the
most eminent supporters of the arts in Ireland. She was
born in 1852 into the Persse family of Roxborough House,
Kilchreest. The twelfth of sixteen children, she went on to
marry Sir William Gregory of nearby Coole Park.

Alongside William Butler Yeats of Sligo and Edward
Martyn of Tulira Castle in Ardrahan, she fundraised and
co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey
Theatre, helping to revive Irish drama. She financially and
creatively supported figures like W. B. Yeats and John
Millington Synge, opening her estate at Coole Park as a
free sanctuary for impoverished or developing artists and
mentored new exciting works of the time. In this
environment she also created her own written work,
including plays, social histories and stories.

W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory and Robert Gregory at Coole
Edward Martyn of Tulira Castle

Born in Masonbrook in Loughrea in 1859,
Edward Martyn was an Irish playwright, arts
patron and nationalist politician.
He served as the first president of Sinn Féin
from 1905 to 1908. He co-founded the Irish
Literary Theatre and the stained-glass studio
An Túr Gloine.
His sponsorship helped make Loughrea’s St.
Brendan’s Cathedral a treasure house of early-
20th-century Arts and Crafts work — including
24 embroidered processional banners by the
Dún Emer Guild, created with designs by Jack
B. Yeats.

Martyn also donated significant paintings — by Degas, Monet, Corot and
others — to the National Gallery of Ireland.

The Athenry Foundation For Arts

Their example is the point: local patrons, not just national
institutions, built the cultural landmarks we still visit today.

The Challenge Today
Government arts funding is scarce and stretched thin at both
regional and national level, leaving many worthwhile projects
waiting years for progress — or never getting off the ground at all.
The Athenry Foundation for Arts (AFFA) believes Athenry can lead
a modern day, philanthropic Celtic Revival. We’re looking for our
own Modern Medicis to help make it happen.
Where the Medicis relied on the wealth of a single family, we now
have modern tools that let an entire community take up that role
together.
Crowdfunding platforms mean no gift is too small to count —
everybody can be a patron, whether contributing €5 or €5,000, and
every donation moves these projects closer to reality. Alongside
this community crowdfunding, AFFA is also pursuing matched
funding and larger philanthropic donations, so gifts of every size
can work together towards the same goal.

Three Ways to Help

1. Events Centre — Phase One Crowdfund Goal:
€100,000

Athenry is in a position to establish itself as an artist-friendly town
and grow its reputation in Music and the Arts.
A Music and Events centre would be the beating heart of the
growing artistic and musical community and would enable exciting
partnerships with Irish and European companies and individuals.
We are currently exploring suitable sites in the town.

idonate.ie/fundraiser/artcentrebuildingfund

2. Ironland Documentary — Archaeological Research Fund — Goal: €20,000

Work has started on a TV documentary series about the Iron Age of Connaught, when Athenry
was a Royal Centre and the seat of Queen Maeve.
Spearheaded by Tricia Fahy, AFFA is conducting specific archaeological research on the Iron
Age before filming begins. Our goal of €20,000 will pay for this research.

 idonate.ie/fundraiser/ironlanddocumentaryresearch1

3. Artist Development Fund — Goal: €5,000

One of AFFAs missions is to assist established artists who already have a body of work and
find themselves facing financial difficulties when they meet the challenge of mounting an
exhibition.
We want to facilitate artists to keep making art.
AFFA reinvests a share of art sales to keep the fund replenished.

idonate.ie/fundraiser/artistdevelopmentfund

How to Donate:

Any donation, large or small, is most welcome. Donate online via the links above, or by
direct bank transfer to:

Account Name: The Athenry Foundation For Arts
IBAN: IE22 BOFI 9039 7115 0713 89
Bank: Bank of Ireland, Dublin Road, Tuam, Co. Galway

As a Company Limited by Guarantee, AFFA publishes annual financial reports and reinvests all
profits into its mission. Our Company Constitution is available on request.
For more information, contact: Annette Maye, Director of Development annette@affa.ie