Irish President Michael D. Higgins set to attend fundraising event for new Galway art-house cinema

The president of the Republic of Ireland will be attending a fundraising gala dinner in favour of the building of Picture Palace, a new art-house cinema in Galway. The Galway Chamber will combine its Presiden't Dinner with a fundraising initiative - named 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner! - at the Galway Radisson Blu Hotel on the 8th of November.

The long running project on Lower Merchants Road has been under construction since 2009. After experiencing some stumbling blocks, works are finally set to finish by May 2014, which means that the Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland's most prestigious annual film festival, will be set for a new venue.

Galway has always had a vibrant tradition in the Irish film industry, and the Picture Palace project looks good in the eyes of the bid the city has put forward to UNESCO to become a recognised city of film. The black tie event will take place in the Radisson Blu Hotel on the 8th of November and will start at 7pm with a drinks reception. Tickets are on sale at 140 euro.