Banners on the balcony

Cork 2005: Cork City Council may be making plans for the re-modelling of the Grand Parade by Beth Gali, the Spanish architect responsible for the recent renovation of Patrick Street, but the transformation of the city streets during this year as European Capital of Culture has little to do with architecture and everything to do with human responses to a location.

For the culmination of the European Children's Theatre Encounter, Emmet Place became an auditorium festooned with frilled streamers and with red and white banners cascading from the Opera House balcony and from the railings of the Crawford Gallery.

Into this arena marched 140 youngsters, colour-coded into performance groups, articulating - although mostly without words - their hopes and dreams for life in a peaceful world. They represented 15 European countries in the annual 10-day inter-cultural encounter managed this year by the National Association for Youth Drama in Ireland with Geraldine O'Neill as the local artistic director.

The work-outs, rehearsals and performances were all based at UCC and led by animators from each country, but this big Saturday afternoon demonstration was the public display of their work, fashioned for the occasion into linked excerpts from full-length scenarios.

Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune was foremost among the spectators; parents, children and casual passers-by were caught by the colourful activity on the big stage and by Cormac O'Connor's all-embracing soundtrack, silencing even the thump of the skateboards which have made this space their own.