Triskel scores a first with Salgado

Cork 2005: At last comes confirmation of the Triskel Art Centre's headline event of Cork 2005 - the exhibition for the first time in Ireland of the work of photographer Sebastiao Salgado.

Negotiations with O'Callaghan Properties Ltd during the past few months were concentrating on finding the right kind of venue for more than 300 pictures. By the middle of last week Triskel executives were able to draw a sigh of profound relief as the O'Callaghan Properties headquarters on Lavitt's Quay were found to be acceptable for the bulk of this internationally acclaimed work on the Exodus theme.

The section on children will be housed at Triskel from July 18th to August 18th, while the bulk of the collection will be at 21 Lavitt's Quay from June 28th to August 5th.

Supported also by Cork 2005, the exhibition presents powerful images of displacement, loss and resilience, with the Brazilian Salgado offering the results of seven years of work in Africa, Asia and South America among victims of war, genocide, racial hatred and sectarian regimes.

Also obviously relieved at recent developments is the Munster Literature Centre, where news of the O'Flynn Construction provision of the €50,000 award for the Frank O'Connor Short Story prize is seen as having the potential of continuance on a biennial basis as a way of encouraging the publication and marketing of short story collections.

Originally it was believed that this prize money would be coming from Cork 2005 partners Thomas Crosbie Holdings, but the 2005 organisation refuses to indicate the degree to which its major partners provided cash as opposed to benefit in kind. Marketing director Nigel O'Mahony says that the minimum entry point for partnership in the year was to the value of €750,000, and while each agreement was different depending on mutual requirements all four partners met and exceeded that entry figure.

Remaining cryptic about "a major sponsorship announcement" to be made next week, O'Mahony did confirm that the pairing between AIB and Cork 2005 has been shortlisted for the Allianze Business to Arts awards.