Ten Years of Cartoons in Galway

One of the centrepieces of the anniversary programme is a retrospective at Galway City Museum, drawing on work shown during the festival’s first ten years.

The exhibition brings together a selection from the thousands of cartoons presented by the festival over the decade, revisiting its international themes, guests and graphic humour.

The festival recalls that its first edition in 2017 consisted of a single exhibition across two venues. Ten years later, its programme extends across galleries, bookshops, cultural spaces, pubs and public locations in Galway, with a further programme on Inis Oírr.

Having a Laugh

For its main international exhibition, Galway has abandoned the single-theme format used in previous years. Instead, cartoonists around the world were invited to submit their latest work, creating what the festival describes as a snapshot of cartooning around the world right now.

Under the title Having a Laugh, the exhibition brings together different approaches to contemporary cartooning while marking the festival’s tenth anniversary with a deliberately open brief.

Featured Irish Cartoonist: Fergus Boylan

The festival’s Featured Irish Cartoonist for 2026 is Fergus Boylan, also known as Infinite Guff. Originally from Portrush and now based in Bray, Boylan was named UK Young Cartoonist of the Year in 2020 and Political Cartoonist of the Year in 2024.

Belgian Art History — Through Cartoons

One of this year’s most distinctive international exhibitions comes from Belgium. From the Flemish Masters to the Comic Strip: Belgian Art History in Cartoons is a travelling exhibition organised by the European Cartoon Centre in Kruishoutem.

The exhibition approaches Belgium’s visual heritage through cartooning, drawing connections with a cultural history that stretches from Bruegel and Magritte to Hergé and the country’s internationally recognised comic tradition.

Twenty-four Belgian cartoonists are represented, including Philippe Bossens, Marc De Bel, Luc Descheemaeker, Hans Dierick, Raphaël Donay, Jean-Claude Salemi, Constantin Sunnerberg, Wouter Van Ghysegem and Luc Vernimmen.

O-Sekoer in Galway

Belgian cartoonist Luc Descheemaeker, better known as O-Sekoer, is also part of the programme. His work appears in the Belgian exhibition, and on October 5 he will give a separate presentation about his cartoons and humorous photography.

The Phoenix and the Future of Irish Satire

Irish political cartooning has a prominent place in the anniversary programme. The Fall of the Phoenix, presented at Kennys Bookshop and Art Galleries, looks back at the cartoonists associated with the Irish satirical magazine The Phoenix.

For more than forty years the magazine provided a major outlet for topical cartooning in Ireland. Galway’s exhibition brings together favourite gags by its regular artists following the publication’s closure.

What Now for Irish Satire?

That history leads directly into a question about what comes next. On October 3, What Now for Irish Satire? will bring Irish and international cartoonists together for a public round-table discussion on the future of cartooning and political satire in a post-Phoenix Ireland.

Nicolas Vadot: 33 Years of Political Cartooning

Belgian-based political cartoonist Nicolas Vadot will look back over more than three decades of work in a presentation titled Putting the World at a Distance to Make It More Bearable.

Vadot has worked for Belgian newsmagazine Le Vif since 1993 and financial newspaper L’Echo since 2008, while also drawing live for Arte’s 28 Minutes. His Galway presentation will span 33 years of political cartooning, from the period around the fall of the Berlin Wall to the political, climate and technological upheavals of the present.

A Freedom Wall in Galway

Freedom of expression becomes a physical part of this year’s festival through its Freedom Wall. Cartoons dealing with freedom will be enlarged and displayed on the historic railings at St Nicholas’ in Galway, with new drawings added throughout the festival.

The Galway project takes its inspiration from the first Freedom Wall in Paris, an initiative involving organisations including Europeans Without Borders, Reporters Without Borders and Cartooning for Peace.

Drawing With the Next Generation

French children’s illustrator Fabrice Matray will lead a children’s drawing workshop during the festival. The drawings created by the children will then be added to the Freedom Wall, allowing the installation to continue changing as the festival progresses.

Cartooning in Irish — and on Inis Oírr

The festival’s Irish-language programme continues with Tarraing É i nGaeilge, its annual exhibition of new cartoons in Irish. The exhibition will be presented in Galway before travelling to Inis Oírr in the Aran Islands.

The island programme opens on October 4 at Áras Éanna Arts Centre and includes the Irish-language exhibition alongside work connected with the festival’s artists in residence.

Irish cartoonist Dean Patterson is one of this year’s resident artists. Cuban cartoonist and illustrator Brady Izquierdo Rodríguez is the second, presenting work created during his time on the island.

Six Days of Drawing

The anniversary programme extends well beyond formal exhibitions. Artists and audiences will meet through masterclasses, workshops, live drawing, public discussions and informal sketching sessions throughout the six days.

The festival ends on October 6 with Parting Shots at Tigh Neachtain, where artists, guests and friends will gather for a final farewell — and a toast to Galway Cartoon Festival’s first ten years.